Article Analysis for Kerrang!

The double page spread that I chose from Kerrang! is an exclusive interview with Frank Carter from Gallows, talking about his band’s new album. It has the text on the right side of the page, and the picture on the left. The background behind the text is a grey Great Britain flag, which is used because the Gallows album that they are talking about is called Grey Britain. The text is all black and white and grey, and the picture of Frank Carter is mainly grey, and the only things not grey are his tattoos and his hair and skin. It’s very effective because it looks very boring, and then he stands out a lot more.

The article has a strapline that is a quote from Frank Carter, and it says “this is a fucking depressing album” in very big font across the top. This draws readers in because it’s a quote, and quite a deep one, so it gives the impression that the article is a deep conversation with Frank Carter. There is the word “exclusive in a bold black box with capitals, which makes the reader feel as if it’s exclusive, and available to them, and only them.

The lead section is quite short, which allows the reader to maintain interest for long enough to read about Gallows, so it is a brief explanation of the band and what they’re about. It includes brief quotes which break up text to make it more interesting. After the lead, each paragraph has a subheading to it (the title of songs of their upcoming album) which is outlined with a bold box, which breaks up the text. It’s also in 3 columns which splits it up a lot more. This makes it more visually aesthetic for anyone reading.

The target audience for Kerrang! is 14-17 year old males, but they try to cater to both sexes and all ages. Because of their main target audience, the writing is fairly simple and informal. The use of a swear word could imply that they’re trying to cater to younger audiences, who could potentially look up to people, and it shows the bad attitude and reputation that Frank Carter has. The use of short paragraphs on the different songs is very good for the target audience, as it means it’s so much easier to take in what’s on the page, which is good for young people, because teenage boys are known to have generally shorter attention spans, so it keeps them interested with all of the gaps.

The byline of this article is very subtly to the left hand side of the text, vertically up, in very small font. It’s good that it’s not very noticeable, and also that they don’t include the interviewers questions, and just quotes, because for a reader, it gives a more personal touch and would make it feel like they’re being talked to, and not the interviewer, and all the other readers.