Lower Than Low: An Exercise in No-Budget, DIY Punk Zine-ism

If you’re looking for a glossy, high-production guide to the best punk music in 2026, you’ve arrived at the wrong place. Lower Than Low started as something its authors describe as “one crappy no-budget DIY punk zine too many.”

Published by old punks Hans von Seydlitz and Ferry Kortenbeek, the duo behind the Subunderground C.A. label, this zine values words and substance above all else. The creators aren’t interested in the fancy look of modern media, let alone being on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, podcasts, and all that crap. Lower Than Low is manufactured entirely on a home PC and an old printer-slash-photocopier. Hans openly admits the layout consists of spreading text and images in “logical order” using “randomly chosen” fonts.

Printed on the cheapest paper from the HEMA chain store, these A5 booklets are sold at printing cost for €2. With three issues released in a short time, it’s a scruffy, unpretentious attempt to point other punks toward music that hasn’t been tainted by hype and compromises. The Subunderground C.A. label reinforces this stance by existing in total digital isolation. To my knowledge, the label has no website, is not on streaming platforms, and doesn’t even have a Bandcamp presence.

Lower Than Low #2: Fresh Adventures in Zineland

Lower Than Low #2 opens with a candid foreword about the “point of no return” in zine-making. Hans recounts how after rushing a “fancy” second printing for the Nederpunk event at Paradiso (live venue in Amsterdam), the distributor sold “Zero! Zilch! Nothing at all! Nada!”

Rather than quitting, they doubled down. This issue offers a glimpse into the current scene, with interviews featuring:

• Tony Whatley of the UK anarcho-punk trio Abrazos, discussing the band’s anti-capitalist stance and their nod to classic punk artwork like X-Ray Spex. Tony also talks about how being “polite” never changed anything in the UK anarcho-punk scene.
• Swie Tio of Dutch pioneers The Dummies, with a historical look at the first generation of Dutch punk.
• Bart van Gageldonk of Two Star Review, who discusses the band’s Wipers-influenced sound and their disdain for modern “rating culture.”

The zine also includes a “MAGA sucks, ZINES rule!” section, reviewing other DIY publications like Gadgie, Suspect Device, and Issue Punk Zine (all well worth checking out).

Lower Than Low #3: The “Current Affairs” Comp Special

Lower Than Low #3 serves as a special companion to the Current Affairs compilation CD released by Subunderground C.A. in 2025/’26. It’s designed to celebrate 50 years of punk rock (1976–2026) by focusing on the healthy state of the genre today. The compilation features 17 tracks from 10 bands from the Netherlands and the UK, and Lower Than Low #3 provides background on every artist involved.

• Mouser, a Delft-based band discussing their fascination with the Spanish Civil War and the anti-fascist origins of their song “¡No Pasarán!”
• GeezaPunx and Krust Worthy, two projects by Neil Duncan that combine old-school punk rock with anarcho-crust ideals.
• Stresssysteem, a Groningen-based crustcore unit that performs exclusively in Dutch to better express frustration with modern politics and environmental decay.
• Old Age Spies, a project by Hugh Duncan that traces a path from school musicals to anthemic punk bangers.

This issue also covers the collaboration between Dutch veterans Scoundrels and English space rocker Kev Ellis, as well as the history of the label’s “in-house band,” Ford’s Fuzz Inferno.

Both Lower Than Low issues include the “And Another Thing” column, where Hans offers biting commentary on everything from Dutch parliamentary elections to local infrastructure. In Lower Than Low #3, he addresses the controversial dissolution of the village of Moerdijk to make room for industrial expansion, using it as a springboard to criticize the mechanisms of modern capitalism.

Lower Than Low is a reminder that while the world is a totally fucked up mess, the DIY drive continues to propel punk through words and message rather than aesthetics. If you want to support this mission, or order the Current Affairs CD and its accompanying zine, you have to do it the old-school way.

Get in touch with the label directly at [email protected].