Don’t Panic

Don’t Panic is an online magazine that also specialises in envelopes of flyers, stickers, posters and all manner of material related to urban underground culture. It’s stocked in most shops loosely of the aforementioned style and is also regularly handed out to fuzzy-​headed clubgoers blinking in the morning sunlight as they stumble outside.
It’s useful for keeping up to date with what going on and the free posters are a blessing for any student on a budget seeking to brighten up their room. What upsets me however is the amount of paper that must be wasted in publishing them — the vast majority of material is thrown in the bin. It’s also terrible for creating litter outside nightlife venues.
While I’m not sure what I think about the paper copy, the online version is great. Sign up to the mailing list for a weekly e-​mail with useful club and gig listings.

Don’t Panic is always fun to pick up when you can. Every year i go and pick one up form freshers fair at the beginning of the year, and adorn my walls with anything fun that it has to offer. There is something very appealing about the smart envelope which means i always grab one when i see it despite knowing that it is going to litter my room for a month to come.
I have to admit that the first time I found one in my hands i couldn’t quite work out what i was looking at. Get your hands on one and tell em what you think.

I first discovered Don’t Panic in the trendy Mack Dsaddy’s Hairdresser on Gloucester road. I was intruiged by the free brown envelope and so took it home.
The monthly envelope of wonders contains loads of flyers and publicity for ucoming gigs and club nights, especially at the bigger places like Lakota, Academy, Thekla etc. It’s a good place to get your own flyers, as Don’t Panic has become something of a religion. Definitely worth picking up for the main paster inside, cause it’s always quite interesting and on a good quality paper. Ideal for adorning walls of student digs for miles around.

When I lived in London one of my free monthly treats was picking up a Don’t Panic pack from my local All Saints store. So when I moved to Bristol I was thrilled to see that the wonderful local guide had a South West version.
These thick brown envelopes are filled with flyers, vouchers and on occasion free sweets promoting Bristol’s finest club nights, art galleries, shops and events. Often containing posters with indie logos and slogans, they’re make great wallpaper for flats that need a free burst of colour.
The best place to find a copy of Don’t Panic is in Park Street shops and bars, Start the Bus and Thekla. They’re great for giving you a taste of the local flavour so also look out for them in London, Brighton, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham.

This is basically like a website that you can hold in your hands. It’s hip, it’s cool, it’s scenester — it’s all the things that those kids that hang out at the Thekla or Start The Bus on every indie night want to be.
Don’t Panic is essentially a brochure with flyers for nights that are happening that week in the city, all linked to a website that has information on many different cities. It’s packaged in an eco friendly paper packet, with said flyers and a central poster that features artwork from up and coming artists. There’s often really interesting artwork included. You can pick up a copy in many shops, bars and clubs — the state that they hand pick them up, but it’s anywhere that’s got a bit of kudos to it — in Bristol, you’ll find copies in places like Elbow Rooms, Woods, Thekla, Arnolfini, Spike Island etc. It’s definitely a good way to find out what’s up and coming if you don’t keep your attention on such things, and pretty often a good talking point.