wearethelastbeatniks

Intoxicated by ‘Cigarettes And Alcohol’? High on ‘Animal Nitrate’? Consider ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ the most, ahem, arresting tune of the ’90s? Twenty years on from the Britpop explosion, NME compiles the Top 100 songs of the era, gets the stories behind the songs from the Britpop high-rollers – Jarvis, Liam, Graham, McGee, et al – and discovers which songs still strike a chord with today’s rock royalty.

The ‘Modern’ classic that started it all, we look back at the making of Blur’s seminal 1993 milestone ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ – the feuds, the fights, the booze, the ill-fated US tours and the graffiti blitzes across Margate that inspired the most pivotal record of the 90s.

Radiohead? Tony Blair? Patsy Kensit? NME writers and Britpop movers and shakers unveil what or who they believe killed off the scene.

With major gigs selling out in seconds and tickets selling for vastly inflated prices online, we investigate the rising secondary ticketing industry – revolution or rip-off?

With the release of The Great Gatsby soundtrack upon us, our own indie Gatsby Fred Macpherson guides us through his idea of the most extravagant 20s-style rave-up imaginable. Who’s on the guestlist? Who’s manning the door? Why are Charlie Dimmock, Mohamad Al-Fayed and Andi Peters all invited?

Proving that massive orange afros can burrow into the brain and eat into the grey matter, Bjork thoroughly buggers up our Braincells quiz.

John Calvert casts a critical eye over the third Vampire Weekend album – does it stand up to ‘Contra’? PLUS! The Charlatans’ new documentary, Var, Mark Lanegan, ‘Grime 2.0’ and The Fall albums come under the microscope and Beyonce, Temples, Two Door Cinema Club, Noah And The Whale, A$AP Rocky and new Wu Lyf project Los Porcos explode across the live pages.

PLUS! The Vaccines and The Stones swap venues, with miraculous results! Emeli Sande goes head to head with The Beatles (and loses, obviously)! The Knife’s mad new live show revealed! Anti-folk Radar star Waxahatchee interviewed! And how YOU – yes YOU – could save your local small venue!