Café Royal Books is the kind of gritty, underground gold that punches through the noise with raw, real stories—told frame by frame. They’re not a café, they’re not royal, and they’re definitely not books. What they are is a razor-sharp archive of DIY photo zines that scream with the unfiltered soul of street life, punk scenes, and counterculture past. No gloss, no polish— just truth, straight from the pavement.

Richard Davis — The Post-Punk Years 1987-1990

The Post Punk Years 1987–1990 rips open a raw, black-and-white window into the gritty tail-end of a scene that refused to die quietly. This zine captures the chaos, eyeliner, attitude, and underground spirit of post-punk’s second wind—when the sound got darker, the crowds got weirder, and DIY ruled everything.

BOOK SPECS:
36 pages
Printed in England
Staple bound
14cm x 20cm

INCLUDED ARTISTS:
Nirvana, Manchester Polytechnic 1989
Steve Jameson, World Domination Enterprises, Manchester Ritz 1988
Mudhoney, Manchester International 1 Backstage 1989
Fugazi, Manchester Boardwalk 1989
Nirvana, Manchester Polytechnic 1989
Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth, Manchester University 1989
Edwards No 8 Night Club, Birmingham 1989
Kim Gordon, Sonic Youth, Manchester University 1989
Nirvana, Manchester Polytechnic 1989
Howard Devoto, Birmingham Burberries 1988
Slum Turkeys, Manchester Boardwalk 1989
Stretch Heads, Bradford 1 in 12 Club 1990
Psychic TV, Manchester Poly 1988
Blixa Bargeld, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Manchester 1988
The Membranes, Manchester Boardwalk 1989
Godflesh, Birmingham 1988
Gun Club, Manchester Poly 1988
J Masics, Dinosaur Jr. Manchester 1989
Bjork, The Sugarcubes, Birmingham Burberries 1987
Pussy Galore, Mermaid Pub, Birmingham 1988
Dub Sex, Manchester Boardwalk 1989
Mike, Manchester 1988
Kirsten, Bradford 1989
Julia Cafritz, Pussy Galore, Mermaid Pub, Birmingham 1988
Boz & Rat, Bradford 1989
Nick Cave, Ritz Manchester 1988