Are You Scared to Get Happy?
An influential Bristol music fanzine that helped define the visual language and independent ethos of 1980s British indie pop.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Are You Scared to Get Happy? was a British music fanzine published in Bristol between 1985 and 1987 by Matt Haynes and Mark Carnell. It emerged from the university and independent-music culture surrounding Bristol, at a time when photocopied fanzines, small record labels, gig networks, and mail-order exchanges provided an alternative infrastructure for discovering music outside the mainstream record industry. Haynes and Carnell met while studying at the University of Bristol and were motivated in part by Kevin Pearce's music fanzine Hungry Beat. The title was taken from lyrics in the song "Hip Hip" by the jangle-pop band Hurrah!, reflecting the publication's fondness for melodic, emotionally direct independent music. Six issues were produced. The first three were made jointly by Haynes and Carnell; Carnell departed after issue three, after which Haynes continued the publication alone. The zine was self-published and generally produced in A5 format through colour photocopying. Its pages used saturated colours, handwritten and typewritten passages, graffiti-like lettering, illustrations, and collage-style layouts. A contributor identified as Elaine supplied illustrations. Copies were initially circulated at concerts and were later stocked by independent retailers including Revolver and Record Collector in Sheffield. The publication concentrated on emerging independent and twee-pop acts rather than artists with substantial mainstream exposure. Its coverage included Hurrah!, the Jasmine Minks, Microdisney, Biff Bang Pow!, Julian Cope, Primal Scream, St. Christopher, the June Brides, and other artists associated with the developing British indie-pop network. Articles were expansive and personal, combining commentary on records and performers with reflections on relationships, politics, capitalism, and everyday experience. Although it belonged to the less overtly political "cutie" phase of independent pop culture, it retained an interest in social questions and in the relationship between music and wider life. Are You Scared to Get Happy? became influential well beyond its modest circulation. It has been described as one of the canonical indie-pop fanzines and is credited with helping establish the look, tone, and do-it-yourself values later associated with 1980s indie pop. Its influence was not limited to writing: the publication helped normalize the use of flexi-discs as supplements to fanzines. A series issued through the Sha-La-La label eventually comprised eight flexi-discs, with releases involving artists including Baby Lemonade, Remember Fun, The Clouds, The Bachelor Pad, Razorcuts, Talulah Gosh, The Siddeleys, Reserve, and early Sarah Records-associated acts. The discs circulated among several British fanzines and later reached fanzine communities in Japan and Germany. The publication also had a direct institutional legacy. After the zine ended, Haynes co-founded Sarah Records with Clare Wadd. Sarah Records applied the fanzine's commitment to independent production, discovery of young artists, distinctive design, and resistance to corporate music structures to a record-label setting. Sarah's use of accompanying zines and its broader presentation of records as part of a community-based cultural project extended ideas already visible in Are You Scared to Get Happy?. The fanzine also influenced later publications such as 373 Miles is a Very Long Way, Disposable but Happy, and Woosh. Although it was short-lived, its combination of visual experimentation, literary criticism, and independent distribution made it a lasting reference point in the history of British indie-pop culture.
History
Are You Scared to Get Happy? developed within the Bristol student and independent-music scene in the mid-1980s. Its creators, Matt Haynes and Mark Carnell, met at the University of Bristol and shared an interest in the possibilities of music criticism outside established newspapers and commercial magazines. Kevin Pearce's Hungry Beat served as an important example of what a small, music-centered publication could accomplish. The new zine took its unusual title from lyrics in Hurrah!'s song "Hip Hip," linking its identity to the melodic, guitar-based independent pop that it would champion. The publication was produced according to a strongly DIY model. Issues were made in A5 format and reproduced by colour photocopying, with pages that combined vivid blocks of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple with handwritten notes, typewriter text, informal lettering, illustrations, and cut-and-paste compositions. Elaine contributed illustrations. Rather than adopting the standardized appearance of professional music journalism, the zine made its material limitations part of its aesthetic. Copies were sold at gigs and later distributed through independent record shops, including Revolver and Record Collector in Sheffield. Six issues appeared between 1985 and 1987. Haynes and Carnell worked together on the first three issues, after which Carnell left and Haynes completed the remaining run independently. The writing focused on developing indie-pop and twee-pop artists, many of whom had little or no mainstream representation. Coverage included Hurrah!, the Jasmine Minks, Microdisney, Biff Bang Pow!, Julian Cope, Primal Scream, St. Christopher, the June Brides, and other musicians situated in the expanding independent network. Its editorial voice was expansive, lyrical, and personal. Reviews and essays treated songs as connected to relationships, politics, capitalism, and personal experience rather than as isolated consumer products. The zine is associated with the so-called cutie period of British independent music, a phase that placed greater emphasis on pop pleasure, style, and emotional response than the explicitly political punk and post-punk publications that preceded it. Even so, its independence from corporate music structures remained a central principle. The zine's influence operated through both its editorial content and its format. It helped codify a colourful, handmade visual language that became closely associated with 1980s indie pop. It also helped popularize the practice of including flexi-discs with fanzines. The related Sha-La-La series eventually reached eight discs and featured early or otherwise significant recordings by artists including Baby Lemonade, Remember Fun, The Clouds, The Bachelor Pad, Razorcuts, Talulah Gosh, The Siddeleys, Reserve, and performers connected with the early Sarah Records scene. The discs circulated among British fanzines and subsequently reached scenes in Japan and Germany. After the publication ended, Haynes co-founded Sarah Records with Clare Wadd. Sarah extended the fanzine's model into record releasing: it supported young independent bands, emphasized distinctive design and documentation, and operated as an alternative to major-label mediation. Sarah's accompanying zines and carefully constructed catalogue reflected the idea that records could belong to a wider cultural community rather than function only as commercial units. Later fanzines, including 373 Miles is a Very Long Way, Disposable but Happy, and Woosh, cited or reflected the influence of Are You Scared to Get Happy?. Its limited run therefore had an impact disproportionate to its circulation, making it a central reference in accounts of British indie-pop publishing and DIY music culture.
- 1987
Final issue published
[1]The fanzine concludes after six issues published between 1985 and 1987.
- 1985
First issue published
[1]Matt Haynes and Mark Carnell publish the first issue in Bristol, establishing the fanzine's focus on independent pop and its vivid DIY visual style.
- 1985
Early circulation through gigs and independent shops
[1]Copies are sold at music concerts and later made available through independent retailers such as Revolver and Record Collector in Sheffield.
Mark Carnell leaves after issue three
[1]Carnell departs after the third issue, leaving Haynes to write and produce the remainder of the publication's six-issue run.
Influence extends to Sarah Records
[1]Haynes later co-founds Sarah Records with Clare Wadd, transferring the publication's independent ethos into a record-label venture.
Products and positioning
A DIY, visually experimental music fanzine focused on emerging British indie and twee-pop artists, positioned outside mainstream music journalism and commercial record-label culture.
Music fanzine · 1985
Are You Scared to Get Happy? fanzine
A six-issue, self-published Bristol music fanzine produced from 1985 to 1987. It used A5 pages, colour photocopying, handwritten and typewritten text, collage, bright colours, and contributed illustrations. Its essays concentrated on emerging indie-pop and twee-pop artists while connecting music to personal life and social themes.
Fanzine-associated music release
Sha-La-La flexi-disc series
A related series of flexi-discs circulated through Are You Scared to Get Happy? and allied fanzines. The series ultimately comprised eight discs and helped distribute early recordings by a range of British indie-pop artists, with circulation extending to fanzine communities in Japan and Germany.
Brand decisions
- Adopt a fully independent publishing modelStrategy
Background
The creators sought an alternative to mainstream music journalism and corporate record-industry channels.
Action taken
They self-published photocopied issues, sold copies at gigs, and used independent retail and fanzine networks for distribution.
Aftermath
The model helped make the publication an influential example of DIY indie-pop culture and informed later independent-label activity associated with Sarah Records.
- Use flexi-discs to extend fanzine distributionProduct launch
Background
Fanzines were developing into interconnected channels for sharing recordings as well as written commentary.
Action taken
The publication participated in the Sha-La-La flexi-disc series, which issued music by emerging independent artists and circulated through allied fanzines.
Aftermath
The practice became part of the publication's legacy and helped expose early recordings by artists later associated with British indie pop.
Recent events
- 1987
The fanzine completes its six-issue run[1]
Other
After six issues published over approximately two years, the fanzine ceased publication. Haynes had continued as sole author following Mark Carnell's departure after issue three.
- 1985
Are You Scared to Get Happy? begins publication in Bristol[1]
Other
Matt Haynes and Mark Carnell launched the self-published music fanzine after meeting at the University of Bristol and drawing inspiration from earlier independent music publications.
Sha-La-La flexi-disc series expands the fanzine network[1]
Product launch
Flexi-discs associated with the fanzine and related publications helped circulate early recordings by independent artists across British, Japanese, and German fanzine communities.
Are You Scared to Get Happy? influences the creation of Sarah Records[1]
Other
Matt Haynes later co-founded Sarah Records with Clare Wadd, carrying the fanzine's independent production principles and community-oriented presentation into a record-label context.
Sources1 sources
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