Comes with a Smile

Comes with a Smile was a British music-focused fanzine published quarterly from June 1997 until February 2006. It operated within the independent music press rather than as a conventional commercial magazine, presenting interviews, writing, photography, and recordings connected with artists working largely in alternative, independent, and singer-songwriter contexts. The publication is also associated with a small-scale record-release activity, including a split seven-inch single issued in 2001. The title was taken from a lyric in “24,” a song by Red House Painters. That reference indicated the publication’s orientation toward the slower, quieter, and more introspective side of independent music, although the available reference material does not define a formal editorial manifesto or a complete genre boundary. Its value to readers came partly from the combination of written coverage and access to music that could otherwise be difficult to obtain. From the fifth issue onward, each issue included a cover CD featuring rare or otherwise unavailable tracks, generally by artists who had been interviewed in the magazine. This format made the publication both a periodical and a curated discovery platform. The cover CDs were an important part of the brand’s identity. Rather than functioning merely as promotional supplements, they connected the publication’s editorial choices with direct listening material and helped document artists whose work circulated through independent channels. The releases also gave the magazine a form of archival importance: listeners could encounter alternate, unreleased, or hard-to-find recordings in a period when digital streaming and online music discovery were not yet dominant. In 2001, Comes with a Smile expanded this relationship with recorded music by releasing a split seven-inch featuring Arco and Rivulets. The record carried catalog number KWOZ01 and is now out of print. The release appears to have been a limited independent production rather than evidence that the publication became a conventional record label. Its main business and cultural identity remained that of a music fanzine. Known personnel included editor Matt Dornan, publisher Mark Venn, photographer Paul Heartfield, and mastering engineer Clive Painter. A broad contributor network supplied writing and related editorial work, including Ian Fletcher, LD Beghtol, Greg Weeks, Jamie Lynn, Martin Williams, Mariko Sakamoto, Jennifer Nine, Stav Sherez, Mike Agate, James Hindle, Wyndham Wallace, Adrian Pannett, Mike Diver, Jane Oriel, Allie Roxburgh, Simon Berkovitch, Laurence Arnold, Mark Walton, Tom Sheriff, Stephen Raywood, Matt Thorne, Sarah Corbett, Mary MacDowell, Stephen Ridley, and Maike Zimmermann, among others. The publication ceased after its February 2006 issue. No successor organization, current owner, or active publishing operation is identified in the supplied reference material.

Comes with a Smile emerged in the United Kingdom in June 1997 as a quarterly music fanzine. Its title referred to a lyric from Red House Painters’ song “24,” linking the publication to an independent-music tradition that valued artist-led culture, personal curation, and specialist discovery. The available record does not identify a single founder, corporate publisher, or formal parent organization. Instead, the publication is documented through its editor, publisher, production personnel, and network of contributors. The magazine combined music journalism with visual and recorded content. Its editorial offering included interviews and related writing, supported by photography from Paul Heartfield. The publication’s contributors included Ian Fletcher, LD Beghtol, Greg Weeks, Jamie Lynn, Martin Williams, Mariko Sakamoto, Jennifer Nine, Stav Sherez, Mike Agate, James Hindle, Wyndham Wallace, Adrian Pannett, Mike Diver, Jane Oriel, Allie Roxburgh, Simon Berkovitch, Laurence Arnold, Mark Walton, Tom Sheriff, Stephen Raywood, Matt Thorne, Sarah Corbett, Mary MacDowell, Stephen Ridley, and Maike Zimmermann, among others. This breadth suggests a collaborative editorial model rather than a narrowly authored newsletter. From the fifth issue onward, Comes with a Smile included a cover CD with each issue. These discs contained rare or otherwise unavailable tracks, frequently supplied by artists who had been interviewed in the magazine. The cover-CD format strengthened the relationship between editorial coverage and music access: readers could move directly from an article to a recording, including material that might not have been readily available through ordinary retail channels. It also gave individual issues lasting interest as curated snapshots of independent music in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The publication also undertook at least one standalone physical release. In 2001, it issued a split seven-inch pairing Arco and Rivulets, identified by catalog number KWOZ01. The record is now out of print. Although this activity gave Comes with a Smile a limited record-release dimension, the supplied material continues to identify it primarily as a fanzine rather than a conventional record label or larger media company. The documented core personnel were Matt Dornan as editor, Mark Venn as publisher, Paul Heartfield in photography, and Clive Painter as mastering engineer. Their roles covered the editorial, publishing, visual, and audio-production functions necessary for the magazine and its music supplements. No current management or continuing publishing activity is recorded. Comes with a Smile remained in publication until February 2006. Its historical significance lies in the way it joined independent music criticism with physical listening materials at a transitional moment for music media. By pairing interviews and writing with rare tracks on cover CDs, and by issuing a limited split single, it created a compact editorial and distribution platform for artists working outside the mainstream. The available sources do not document sales, circulation, financing, ownership changes, or a formal reason for its closure.

• 2006

  Final publication year

  [1]Comes with a Smileen.wikipedia.org

  The quarterly fanzine ended its run in February 2006.

• 2001

  Arco and Rivulets split seven-inch released

  [1]Comes with a Smileen.wikipedia.org

  The publication released a split seven-inch featuring Arco and Rivulets under catalog number KWOZ01.

• 1997

  First issue published

  [1]Comes with a Smileen.wikipedia.org

  Comes with a Smile began quarterly publication in the United Kingdom in June 1997.

• Cover CD program introduced

  [1]Comes with a Smileen.wikipedia.org

  Beginning with issue 5, the magazine included cover CDs containing rare or otherwise unavailable recordings, often from interviewed artists.

An independent British music fanzine combining artist interviews, music writing, photography, and curated physical recordings, with a particular emphasis on rare or difficult-to-find material.

• Music fanzine · 1997

  Comes with a Smile magazine issues

  The core product was a quarterly British music fanzine published from 1997 to 2006. Issues focused on artist interviews and music-related writing, supported by photography and contributions from a broad group of writers. The publication addressed independent-music audiences and operated as a specialist print outlet rather than a mainstream general-interest magazine.

• Music compilation

  Cover CDs

  From issue 5 onward, issues carried cover CDs containing rare or otherwise unavailable tracks. Many of the recordings came from artists featured in the accompanying magazine, making the discs an extension of the editorial program and a practical discovery tool for readers.

• Vinyl single · 2001

  Arco / Rivulets split seven-inch

  This limited physical release paired the bands Arco and Rivulets on a split seven-inch issued by Comes with a Smile in 2001. It carried catalog number KWOZ01 and is described as now out of print.

• 2001

  Issue a split seven-inch releaseProduct launch

  Background

  The publication extended its music-curation role beyond magazine issues and cover CDs.

  Action taken

  It released a split seven-inch featuring Arco and Rivulets, catalog number KWOZ01.

  Aftermath

  The record became an out-of-print physical release associated with the publication.

  Source

• Add cover CDs to later issuesProduct launch

  Background

  The publication developed a stronger connection between its written coverage and the music being discussed.

  Action taken

  Beginning with issue 5, it included cover CDs containing rare or otherwise unavailable tracks, often by interviewed artists.

  Aftermath

  The CDs became a defining part of the magazine’s format and helped distinguish it within independent music publishing.

  Source

1. 1Comes with a Smileen.wikipedia.org