Hot Press (magazine)
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- For the Irish airing cupboard, see hot press.
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine founded in 1977, based in Dublin, Ireland. It is distinguished by its anti-establishment stance and championing of Irish music, most notably early U2. It has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
It currently has 65,000 readers every issue and over 100,000 every month in the Republic of Ireland alone, according to the Joint National Readership Survey 2005-2006.[1] According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had an circulation of 19,168 during the first six months of 2006.
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[edit] Music
A large number of the most popular artists from the world of rock’n’roll and pop music have been interviewed by Hot Press, including those as diverse as David Bowie, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, R.E.M., Kate Bush, Radiohead, Enya, Bob Geldof, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Robbie Williams, Beyonce, The Smiths, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Oasis, Blur, New Order, 50 Cent, Green Day, The Strokes, Kylie Minogue, Westlife, Massive Attack, Alicia Keys, David Gray, P.J. Harvey and many more.
In recent times, Hot Press has published interviews with the new breed of modern rock band, championing Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Editors, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Maxïmo Park, Muse, Razorlight, HARD-Fi and Keane among others.
In 2006, Hot Press has also interviewed some of the new, emerging solo artists and songwriters from James Blunt and Sandi Thom to Lily Allen and Nellie Furtado. Well-known Irish artists from U2 and Enya through Sinéad O’Connor, The Cranberries, The Frames, Snow Patrol, Damien Rice and Ash to David Holmes, The Thrills and The Corrs have been interviewed extensively by the magazine, as well as the more recent or up-and-coming Irish artists such as Bell X1, Humanzi, Delorentos, Director, Republic of Loose, The Blizzards, The Marshals, The Immediate and The Aftermath.
[edit] Festivals
Hot Press covers all the major international music festivals, as well as the Irish ones such as Oxegen and the Electric Picnic.
[edit] Interviews
Over the years Hot Press has broken some of the biggest stories in music:
- Having discovered U2 in Dublin in the late 1970s, Hot Press coverage of the rise and rise of the band has been widely regarded as exceptional in its depth and insight.
- Sinéad O'Connor talked first to Hot Press about her lesbianism – the story later hit the headlines around the world.
- Hot Press writer Stuart Clark was present on the day that Oasis came closest to imploding and reported on the extraordinary interview with Noel Gallagher, during which the Oasis songwriter was told that Liam would not be gigging with the band that night.
- In a historic moment in rock music, Hot Press engineered the first meeting between Bono and Bob Dylan when they asked the U2 singer to interview the songwriting legend for the magazine and he agreed.
- Reporter Steve Cummins boarded the Babyshambles tour bus and provided a compelling close-up view of the bizarre and chaotic life of Pete Doherty and his band of rock’n’roll outlaws.
[edit] Contributors
Past Writers for Hot Press have included the authors of BAFTA award winning Father Ted, Graham Linehan & Arthur Mathews, author and Daily Telegraph columnist Neil McCormick, the late Bill Graham, Sunday Business Post US correspondent Niall Stanage, author and Sunday Independent journalist Declan Lynch.
Hot Press has been the launching pad for the careers of many of the best known names in Irish journalism, including Father Ted creators Arthur Matthews and Graham Linehan; Irish Examiner soccer correspondent Liam Mackey; Irish Times columnist John Waters and food writer John McKenna.
[edit] Competitions
[edit] All Write Now
As part of their thirtieth birthday celebrations in 2007, Hot Press in association with Vodafone Ireland are currently running a competition with a top prize of winning an internship at Hot Press. They are asking students to submit no more than four hundred words about any music subject of their choice. The competition is open to all sixth year and third-level students in Ireland. The closing date for entries is January 29 2007.
Budding writers can send in a review of an album or gig, discuss music trends or simply vent their view on any aspect of music they love or hate. The judging will be based purely on writing quality and originality as well as interest and entertainment value.
Four students will win an internship at Hot Press, to take place next summer or autumn at the winner's discretion, as well as cash prizes and a selection of other prizes. A number of prizes will also be given to runners-up.
The panel of judges includes seasoned writers and musicians, such as Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy; best-selling author Alex Barclay; Paul Howard of Ross O’Carroll Kelly fame; Hot Press editor Niall Stokes and deputy editor Stuart Clark.[1]
[edit] Books
Hot Press has published a number of books:
- Diary Of A Man, by Dermod Moore, 2005. A collection of essays by the magazine's columnist aka Bootboy.
- The Rooms, by Declan Lynch, 2005. The third novel from Declan Lynch.
- The Palace of Wisdom (Sex Lines & The Story of O), by Olaf Tyaransen (2004, 2002, 2000) (all of Olaf Tyaransen's books have covers featuring paintings by Irish Artist Graham Knuttel
- McCann: War & Peace in Northern Ireland, by Eamonn McCann, 1998.
- My Boy, by Philomena Lynott with Jackie Hayden, 1996 Synopsis: The story of Phil Lynott as told by his mother. It is also her story, from the days as a single mother bringing up a young black child in Manchester and Dublin, through the heady success of Thin Lizzy, to the tragic chain of events which ended her son's life and plunged her into depression.
[edit] Trivia
- The magazine name is a play on the term hot press, a common Irish term referring to a domestic airing cupboard.
- Hot Press also released Phil Lynott: The Lost Recordings as a free CD with an issue released in August 2006 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Phil Lynott's death. The CD featured 5 recordings which had never been released, including 2 tracks that had never been heard before.
- The cover of the 2006 Christmas Issue of Hot Press features drawing by the animation team Eyebrowy
[edit] Covers
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