Macca’s back with a new album called, um, ‘New’, so NME tracked him down to his home studio to quiz him on working with the hottest young producers around, saving Mark Ronson from drowning, being better than Beyonce and getting embarrassed about appearing in history textbooks. But why is he scared of calling Thom Yorke? Which gig helped him ‘get’ hip-hop? And what sort of music would a young Beatles make if they were starting over today?

THAT Kanye West interview gets dissected for nuggets of sense as Yeezus’ motor-mouth squeals donuts all over topics such as fashion racism, rap’s glass ceiling, pop art and being a true rock star.

When The National’s Matt Berninger invited his brother on the road with him to get him out of a funk, he little realised he’d become the subject of a no-holds-barred, warts-and-all, actually-in-his-pants on the road documentary, the runaway hit Mistaken For Strangers. NME goes behind the scenes…

These New Puritans discuss making one of music’s most ‘difficult’ third albums, Egyptian mythology, apocalyptic God freaks and their plans to make a concept record about Essex.

Enter the dark underworld of Radar star Only Real with its illicit boxing rings, urban ennui and, um, mocking Bill Bailey

NME revisits National Wake, a mixed-race band who survived apartheid in South Africa, to talk about fighting fascism with guitars.

Nirvana cause chaos at the cinema! Inside Drenge’s record collection! Irvine Welsh, Peter Hook and Wilko Johnson interviewed! Pixies, Yuck, Haim, Lorde, Swim Deep, Albert Hammond Jnr, Sleigh Bells and The Strypes reviewed! And does spock’n’roll kill braincells? William Shatner takes our quiz!