They’re the humble Northern Irish rockers catapulted to megastardom by the devotion of their web fanbase, the Basement People – and they’re about to get a lot bigger, especially give that frontman Alex Trimble only got bloody picked to sing in the Olympic Flame at the London 2012 opening ceremony. As Two Door Cinema Club prepare to release new second album ‘Beacon’, NME joined them on the road in Europe to experience a cult in the making.

The sun is always out with this week’s posters, with classic summertime images of Lily Allen, Nirvana and Friendly Fires.

NME goes behind the scenes of Third Man Records to learn all about what goes on behind the scenes of the former White Stripe’s magical hit-factory – and speaks to both Jack and the bands who’ve recorded there and put music out on the label.

Rap has long had beef with gay people – but with Frank Ocean’s articulate coming-out note hailed by everyone from Jay-Z to A$AP Rocky to 50 Cent, it feels like times they are a-changin’. NME charts this sea-change, and profiles the new generation of rappers including Zebra Katz, Angel Haze, Cakes Da Killa and Kreayshawn.

We catch up with the buzziest of buzzbands as they prepare to follow up 2009’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ with brand new album ‘Centipede Hz’.

Get acquainted with scuzzy anipodean grungers Splashh.

Bed Drew gets back to his grimy rap roots by launching his new album in a London car-park.

We get judgmental over new albums by The Midnight Beast, Eugene McGuinness and Antony & The Johnsons… and R Kelly’s mind-boggling new book Soula Coaster: The Diary Of Me

Why Milk Music are the most exciting rock band on the planet right now… plus AlunaGeorge, Frankie & The Heartstrings and Future Of The Left live at Tramlines, Angel Haze in New York, and Razorlight live at, erm, Epsom Racecourse…

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Bloody hell – it’s Will.i.am.

All that and more in the new issue of NME, which hits the streets Wednesday 1 August.

NME.COM blogs contain the opinions of the individual writer and not necessarily those of NME magazine or NME.COM.

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