THE RINGS No. 1 - 1977

The Rings No. 1
Issue 1, 1977

The Rings No. 1 is a raw slice of British underground press culture, rooted in obsession, scandal, and the mythology of pop and youth violence. Built from newspaper clippings, tabloid headlines, grainy photographs, and aggressive typography, the publication feels less like a magazine and more like a crime board or scrapbook of collective hysteria.

This first issue fixates on moments where music, fame, and disorder collide: beat groups, pop idols, public breakdowns, and moral panic, all filtered through the language of sensational journalism. Headlines bleed into images, text overwhelms layout, and truth becomes secondary to impact. The result is chaotic, voyeuristic, and deeply of its time.

Visually and conceptually, The Ring sits somewhere between fanzine culture, tabloid archaeology, and social commentary. It documents not only events, but the way they were consumed — fast, loud, and without nuance. In doing so, it exposes the machinery of media itself.

Today, The Rings No. 1 stands as a historical artifact of late-70s British counterculture, capturing the anxiety, fascination, and brutality embedded in popular culture and its coverage.