Aside from the extended inter-issue break, you might notice a few changes this month. For those of you who have been reading since issue 1, three years ago to this month, and all others who have heard about us along the way, the biggest difference will be instantly noticeable. The name LOAD has served us well but as we’ve ventured into film, music, art, TV and now style to boot, the brand we cultured for gaming alone has become outdated.
Welcome Fan the Fire. Different name, same magazine. Well, there are still a few other subtle differences. Taking some time out this over the last few months to refresh our batteries, we wound up in LA, hung out with our friends Delta Spirit, We Barbarians and The Shys, bumped into The OC and Dirty Sexy Money’s Sammaire Armstrong and got talking with a few of the Heroes cast (sadly we’ve been sworn to secrecy on the new series), and of course, got that Hollywood face-lift. The design has been refreshed for Fan the Fire, so we hope you like the new look.
With our batteries recharged, we’ll now be putting out a new issue every month from our new Fan the Fire site, although the old LOAD site will forward you to the new issues too. We’ve got a raft of great features, articles and exclusives lined up so stay tuned and check back often to ensure you don’t miss a beat. And of course you can also subscribe to our iTunes podcast to get every new issue direct to your, erm, iTunes.
As for this issue, we say it every time, but it’s our best yet. Make sure you don’t miss our exclusive interview with Canadian indie band Tokyo Police Club, as we get the lowdown on what drives their success and the first news on their sophomore album. Photo-journalist Ryan Roco recently returned from Africa to shoot non-profit organisation Getting Word Out’s debut feature Wazi, exposing the problems of living with HIV/AIDS in a world so judgemental as our own. Of course we rule our eye over the latest film releases too.
After applying to be some shows ourselves, for journalistic purposes of course, we report on the comeback of all-action gameshows, as well as Futurama’s triumphant return to the screen. And we challenge the new Quantum of Solace video game, as it tries to be the first film-to-game adaptation to actually hold its own.
The biggest treats of the issue arguably lie in the style and art sections. With an exclusive spread from Meg Wachter, we set some fashion precidents for that autumn look, forgoing the need to get out those woolly coats just yet. And last but not least, in maybe our finest art spread to date, we showcase the inspirational work of poster designers across America, proving screen-printing is far from dead as the digital age attempts to crush the paint palette for good.
You might think that would be enough for one issue but we’ve got an amazing competition to top it off. To celebrate our relaunch we’re giving away prizes from throughout almost the entire issue, including some film goodies, DVDs, some of the stunning gig posters and more.
You can read the issue above, or download it here.