For those brought up on radio silence from LS3, the
publication of UTR, the Sisters’ own
magazine, during the early and mid 90s was a golden era of communication, with
Andrew Eldritch himself writing replies to fans’ questions, interviewing his
own heroes, and helping to keep the fanbase informed and interested during the
long gaps between releases (little did we know …).
As soon as I saw a copy in 1991, I signed up as a subscriber,
and noting that contributions were welcome, set about writing an article about
the band’s cover versions, both live and studio, and the conclusions to be drawn
from these choices. In those pre-internet days, checking sources and
verifying facts was a lengthy and inexact science, but eventually the copy was
in a form I was happy with and I submitted it, using the name of a local
Chorlton (cum Hardy) estate agent (whose signs seemed to be everywhere locally
at the time as the mini recession continued to bite in the North of England).
To my surprise and delight, the article was duly published,
as were further features (on, for example, The Sisters’ support bands, a review
of gigs at Brixton Academy etc) as the magazine went from strength to strength.
This coincided with the Sisters’ most active period since the early 80s, and
UTR reflected this, with Scot Kenny Garden at the helm, and the magazine went
glossy (after its matt beginnings). These were the golden days of the gig at
Sabine’s living room, the sponsoring of FC St Pauli and Sisters Gegen Nazis.
Garden himself conducted what many believe to be one of the best interviews
with Eldritch as the glasnost period of TSOM reached its zenith.
Sadly, as the band became more inactive once more, and subscriber
numbers began to dwindle, the magazine became a visually impressive but
content-light effort which seemed less related to the band themselves until the
final issue (XV) appeared in late 1996. For many, Glasperlenspiel would fill the gap, for others the Official Website
became the new go-to, but in reality UTR has never properly been replaced.
