First Issue Review – Deluxe
The groans of despair were audible when it was announced that yet another magazine would be launching into the burgeoning men’s lifestyle market (subscribers see Wagadon To Launch Men’s Mag). Many wondered how Wagadon’s Deluxe could possibly compete with the likes of Loaded and FHM, despite its claims that it would be ‘different’. This pronouncement was met with a healthy dose of cynicism along the lines of “they would say that wouldn’t they.”
Well, the good news is that Deluxe is actually rather good and is indeed different from the other titles in this market. It does a good job of putting its editorial where its PR-mouth is because it appears to have found a niche somewhere in between the loud and brash FHM and Loaded and the older, more elitist GQ and Esquire.
What this essentially means is that Deluxe is certainly up for a good night out, more than a few beers and a ruby/club, but it won’t end up leering over the nearest girl and making a pratt of itself. As the editorial in this first issue says: “You want to live the good life – you want to dress well, party hard, impress the ladies, be the life and soul, live it up. But you’d like to be able to look yourself in the eye in the morning, too.”
What really stood out for me is the angle from which many of the stories are written. For example there is a great piece on the way everybody, from the Gallagher brothers to louts on the street (not much difference there I’ll grant you), all want “respect” without wanting to earn it. There is also a feature on sex myths written from a female point of view by (shock horror) a female. Other “different” items, which FHM would no doubt find too boring, focus on how to make the most of your money and where Britain’s next war might be fought.
There is also a good deal of music coverage, with an in-depth Jarvis Cocker interview being the first issue’s centre-piece. Other items cover Spiritualized, Tori Amos, Cornershop and Montell Jordan. There is also a very good bit on the latest Verve, Radiohead and Spiritualized albums where they are analysed by a poet, a musician and a musicologist.
Being saddle-stitched and having a matt-finish cover, the magazine certainly looks different from other titles in its market – it even has a bloke on the front (Jarvis Cocker). It does, however, bear a striking resemblance to Emap’s film magazine Neon while on the inside it looks quite similar to IPC’s ill-fated Eat Soup. This may, however, have a lot to do with the same cartoonist being used. Overall however the magazine has a quality, slightly “arty” feel about it with uncluttered text and plenty of colour photos.
The one complaint about the magazine? Its daft name.
The ad:ed ratio is 25:75 with adverts from Molson, Smirnoff, Tommy Hilfiger, Caterpillar, Virgin Megastores and Xfm.
Reviewer: Phill Knightley
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