Magazine Analysis - Kerrang! Article

This is an article from Kerrang!, a rock music magazine that is aimed at young adults. The first part of the article readers are attracted to is the image which shows the focus of the article since they are the only image on the page. All three members of the band are looking at the screen and therefore create an entry point for the audience as well as a direct mode of address which allows the readers to feel as though the band are directly talking to them. This makes the readers feel close to the band and gives them a sense of good feeling towards them.

There is no mast head because most of the people that would read the article would already recognise the band from the image but there is a pull quote which is situated where a masthead usually would be. This makes it clear to the reader what the article is about and also clarifies to the reader that it is an actual interview and not just a review of the band.

The layout of the page is very simple since all the text is enclosed by boxes or written in collums which is a covention of all media text, not just music magazines. There are very small captions to each image and bylines so that the reader can read what is happening and who took the images, but are not distracted from the images themselves. There are two collums of text for the main bulk of the article but a third colum with small extra infomation about the band.

The background of the main image is what appears to be the studio of the band, making them appear relaxed and calm in their own enviroment. This makes it easier for the audience to relate to them. The two smaller images on the second page help connote that they are in the studio as there is an image of Mark Hoppus with his signature guitar. This makes certain readers feel as though they are part of an exclusive club since they recognise the importance of the guitar but they also relate to the article since it describes their stuggles in music and also their new tracks and times spent in the studio so readers that do not understand the guitars significance are not hindered by the image. Also, the fact that they are in the studio allows the reader to see their personal space, giving them a privileged position.

The opening sentence of the article is 'There's a surveillance camera trained on an alleyway behing the hollywood recording studio where blink 182 are making their new album'. By using this sentence, both drama and expectation is produced, making the reader what to find out both why there is a surveillance camera and also find out about the new album. This is a very clever use of sentence structure since it first pulls the readers in with the excitement of the camera and then the promise of information about the new album. The readers are then kept interested throughout the article through a mix of information about the band and what they are doing, and speechs and opinions from the band.

The small box on the side of the article gives information about the band that isn't strictly relevent to the interview but is still interesting and relates to the band.

The sentences are often quite short and in small chunks of information which is perfect for the 'MTV generation' that the target market of Kerrang! is.

The language used in the text makes the reader feel as though they are chatting to a friend rather than reading a magazine and encourages them to relate to the band. This is done by the mode of address which is very calm and casual, using slang and some music jargon but not too much to scare readers away. The language is easy to understand for both muscially inclines readers and those that are interested in the artists themselves. There are also several colloqual phrases used such as 'Travis has to pull another all-nighter' appeals to the young target audience as it addresses them in a conversational tone.
Both formal and informal language has been used so as to appeal to both the young audience and the slightly older audience, both of which are interested in rock music.

There is a lot of speech in the interview, with the band telling the story more so than the interviewer, which emphasises the idea that the reader is feeling close to the band, rather than just reading an interview.

There is direct mode of address used by the band since they are all looking at the audience, making them feel more involved in the article

The style of writing is informal, using colloquial phrases and swear words such as would be used in normal conversation, so as to appeal to the target audience who would read this article for pleasure, aswell as to inform them about the band. However, the writing is also formal at times so as to appeal to the slightly older audience. Mixes of both complex and simple sentences have been used so as to make the interview flow and gives it a strong structural pattern.

The background of the page is a metallic grey colour so as to relate to the colour in the background of the image of the band. This connotes that the band are quite cold and emotionless which is an unusual connotation of a music magazine. It also relates to the silver of the guitar. By using the plain, grey background, there is no attention diverted from the article or the images and the black text is easily visable.

In conclusion, Kerrang! follows a lot of conventions within the article such as the subheadings and having a single main image. However representation of the band within the pictures is unconvential of the music genre as it shows the band looking quite placid, breaking the steriotype of rock muscians.