Sandman (magazine)

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Sandman is a free music magazine originating in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is published in Leeds, Kingston upon Hull, York, Nottingham and Manchester.

Sandman's aims are to cover and support the local music scenes of the cities in which it is published.

1 History
2 Features
3 Readership
4 Notable bands
5 External links

[edit] History

The first issue was launched on September 27, 2002 by Jan Webster (Editor in Chief) and Mark Roberts (Publisher). Webster and Roberts had both been involved with the local music scene as performers and promoters. Jon Enoch (now freelance for The Times, Telegraph and Independent) acted as picture editor following setup. The Leeds edition launched on 30 September 2003, Hull on 15 March 2004, York on 15 October 2004 and Nottingham on 4 April 2005. From February 2006, these editions were merged into a single, large regional magazine. Jan Webster left the magazine at the end of 2006 and the current editors are Mark Roberts (Sheffield/Manchester/Editor-in-Chief), Greg Elliott (Leeds) and Hanna Houghton and Mike Reynolds who co-edit the Hull section.

[edit] Features

Interviews,
live reviews (including those of unsigned, national and international level bands)
Album reviews
Demo reviews.
Nightlife
Eating out
Culture.

Volunteers contribute Sandman’s articles, the revenue being made from advertising charges and subscription fees. Sandman doesn't accept advertorials and aims simply to be independent and honest. It is distributed in record and instrument shops as well as venues, clubs and pubs.

[edit] Readership

The readership is currently thought to be around 50,000 across Yorkshire, Lancashire and the East Midlands

[edit] Notable bands

A number of now nationally famous acts have been covered early on in their careers by Sandman, most notably The Kaiser Chiefs in Leeds and Arctic Monkeys and Reverend & The Makers in Sheffield. Sandman has gained recognition and praise from figures such as the radio DJ Steve Lamacq and Simon Williams of Fierce Panda Records. Since 2005 Sandman Magazine has worked with the Mean Fiddler organisation helping pick unsigned bands to play at the Leeds Festival.