Pint-sized punk zine was started by 10-year-old Arlo Lippiatt in the early weeks of lockdown 2020, when he found home-schooling worksheets uninspiring and decided to make a zine about local bands instead (featuring interviews with IDLES, The Pleasure Dome, Milo’s Planes and Big Jeff Johns). After sending a copy of this first zine to Lauren Laverne, Arlo was featured on her BBC 6 Music show. Interviews with BBC Breakfast, ITV News, BBC Radio Bristol and TV and radio stations ranging from Australia to Dubai to Canada followed and Arlo suddenly had a lockdown business.
Having been attending festivals and gigs since he was a baby – Arlo’s first outing was Glastonbury when he was 15 weeks old – he now interviews artists and publishes the zine as a diary of his exploits. He also plays bass in the band Crimson Fury and hosts young band nights at Rough Trade Bristol. Arlo recently starred in a music video for Heavy Lungs, playing a young Danny Nedelko. He has interviewed a wide range of artists – such as Amyl & the Sniffers, Fontaines DC, Biffy Clyro, Sleaford Mods, Manic Street Preachers, Lauren Laverne, Super Furry Animals, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, John Robb, Self Esteem and Young Fathers. Arlo champions bands at the start of their career, often hosting artists’ very early interviews, such as Billy Nomates, Wet Leg, The Meffs, TV Priest and The Lounge Society.
If Arlo likes it, it goes in the zine! Now a quarterly music magazine written by 13-year-old Arlo, pint-sized punk has sold over 4000 copies worldwide, with subscribers on every continent (except Antarctica…but who knows, maybe one day). Look out for the Krankenhaus special in issue 21 in November…