Flexipop! may have had its regular features like Testament of Youth and Welcome to the Working Week but there was also room for more orthodox articles, albeit with typical Flexipop! twists backed up by some stunning, and sometimes shocking (as in subject matter not quality!) photos, usually taken by Neil Matthews.

In a Cure For Christmas (Flexipop! 13, December 1981), Robert Smith reminisced about his first ever gig – fronting the pre-Cure Malice at his school’s Christmas Concert – that turned into a disaster. Robert also waxes lyrical about Christmas in general.

For The Winter Collection (Flexipop! 25, December 1982) Flexipop! took the ever reliable Buster Bloodvessel down the Kings Road for a fashion spread. Describing the Bad Manners front man as a leading exponent of ‘Nouvelle Grosseur’, the Fat One posed in outfits from Boy, New Masters, World’s End and Johnson’s.

The Devil’s Advocates (Flexipop! 29, April 1983) saw Kris Needs interviewing supercool Nick Cave about evil, Berlin and violence. Kris had just taken over the editor’s helm at Flexipop! and his Gothic influence became stronger with each successive issue.