AU (formerly Alternative Ulster) was a magazine written, designed and published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which began life in 1977 as a fanzine and later radio show.
Although predominantly a music magazine, AU covered other aspects of popular culture, such as movies, comics, games and the arts.
[3] The magazine underwent a massive redesign and relaunch in February 2007, when the name officially changed from Alternative Ulster to AU.
A number of Northern Irish acts appeared as cover stars of the magazine, including Two Door Cinema Club, Snow Patrol, Therapy?, Ash, Duke Special, The Answer, Panama Kings, And So I Watch You From Afar and David Holmes.
Its members distributed stickers and back issues into waiting rooms and ran stalls at gigs in towns and cities around Ireland.
It also occasionally featured writing by musicians and others, for example Jetplane Landing frontman Andrew Ferris and BBC Radio presenter Rigsy.