Thank you for reading tQ over the past (gulp) decade and a half. It means so much to us that we now have a far more direct relationship with many of those who have been with us for all that time. As you might be aware, The Quietus has boosted our regular editorial with a subscription scheme via the Steady platform that offers exclusive music, essays, podcasts, playlists and a newsletter each month. This has had a massive impact on how we’ve been able to operate, reducing our dependence on a diminishing pool of advertising revenue and enabling us to increase the amount we pay our writers. However, we still need your help to survive, which is why we’re currently offering a free month subscription for anyone who signs up to our Low Culture or Sound & Vision top tiers. Joining the Low Culture tier gives you access to all our archive of specially commissioned editorial, podcasts, newsletters and playlists; join the Sound & Vision tier and you'll get all that plus three exclusive albums commissioned by us. Here’s what you get for the price of a couple of drinks* per month. 

Firstly, all the Low Culture tiers – you can sign up for a free month of Low Culture here

Playlists: In Apple Music, Tidal or Spotify, all of the new music we’ve been writing about over the past month. At the start of December there’ll also be the motherlode – the Quietus albums of the year playlist, hours and hours of tracks from the best records of 2022.

Low Culture Essay: Signing up gives you access to two years of our long read archive in which our favourite writers give us a deep dive into a cultural artifact they love. These include: Adelle Stripe on Julian Cope’s The Modern Antiquarian, Stephanie Phillips on Reeling With PJ Harvey, Andrew Mueller on Fatima Mansions’ Lost In The Former West, Luke Turner on Dad’s Army, Tara Joshi on Disney’s A Goofy Movie, Fergal Kinney on the day Madchester collided with the story of Christ, Mat Colegate on the joy of sword and sorcery films, Megan Nolan on Billy Joel, Noel Gardner on Viz, Richard Foster on the wyrd history of Accrington Stanley FC David Keenan on Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World and much more. All of these can be found on the Low Culture page here.

Low Culture Podcast: You’ll also get access to all our subscriber only podcasts, in which tQ’s founders and editors John Doran and Luke Turner chat about the latest culture that’s been getting them going. There’s also an archive featuring special guests including Max Porter, Gazelle Twin, John Higgs, Nicky Wire, Alli Logout of Special Interest, Nadine Shah, Jeanie Finlay, Wire’s Colin Newman, Lias Saoudi, Tariq Godard and Shirley Collins.

Organic Intelligence: This is our monthly antidote to the algorithm, a dive into niche musical genres and scenes direct to your inbox, written by people who know their onions. We’ve had Scandinavian Balearic, the golden age of south London hip hop, Latvian cosmic pop, French dystopian sci-fi bangers, the 80s Swiss underground, Iranian pop on Caltex records, French rap meets 2step, post-Tito Yugoslav pop and many more. The archive of Organic Intelligence emails can be found on our Steady page here.

Sound & Vision: our top tier subscribers get all of the above plus exclusive music every month, with the artists paid via our partners at state51 Shortly after you sign up for November 2022, you’ll get a collaboration by Laura Cannell and Lori Goldsten, the cellist known for her work with Earth and Nirvana; Waclaw Zimpel’s ode to the Warsaw public transport network; and psychedelic pop troupe Vanishing Twin’s interpretation of an AE Housman poem. Artists who have previously released music to our subscribers include Sleaford Mods, Nik Void, Alexander Tucker, Gnod in collaboration with JK Flesh, Hey Colossus covering Patrick Cowley, Jo Bevan, Ghold, 75 Dollar Bill, Teleplasmiste, Matmos, Siavash Amini, Roger Robinson collaborating with Richard Skelton, Alison Cotton, Better Corners, VÄLVE,

You can sign up to Sound & Vision with a free month here

We appreciate that times are tough for many of you out there and if subscription isn’t possible now we understand. However, if you can afford to take out a Low Culture or Sound & Vision tier sub in exchange for the perks outlined above we hugely appreciate your help in enabling us to keep on Black Sky Thinking,

With love from Luke, John and all at tQ.

*depending on location etc.