On the eve of their triumphant return to UK shores at this weekend’s V Festival, NME jets out to Las Vegas to get the inside story on The Killers’ new album ‘Battle Born’. It’s a tale of personal tragedies, atomic bombs, and reducing their producer to tears – and it’s all fed into what might just be the band’s biggest record to date.

Inside their secret east London show to celebrate the medal successes of Team GB. Did the presence of Bradley Wiggins, Jessica Ennis and – yes, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin – spur the Roses on to new heights?

The Cribs frontman has been out in New York, working on an intriguing new side-project.

The news from their sweaty comeback show at the Los Angeles Echoplex

The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon talks influence and inspiration

Yannis spills the beans on the Oxford math-rock heroes’ forthcoming “stinky” comeback

The fast-rising London trio who’ve just inked a deal with 4AD

How the reggae legend’s teachings live on

A healthy creative environment – and a health-and-safety risk

The NME cover stars of 2012 – stick ‘em up on yer wall

Bloc Party, Jessie Ware, Ariel Pink and Yeasayer

Blur triumph at Hyde Park, Peace live in London, Paul Weller and Spiritualized heat up the 100 Club and Light Asylum and Hercules And Love Affair at Antony Hegarty’s Meltdown. Oh – and some guy calling himself… Snoop Lion?

Or more pertinently, does hip-hop, as NME tests the old grey matter of Ice-T

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