On the cover: Pete Doherty was released from Wormwood Scrubs last week stepping straight from prison into NME’s car. We’ve got his only interview plus private images from his prison diary. We also find out what’s next regarding new songs, Babyshambles and staying clean - all exclusively in our spanking new-look magazine.

In our bumper edition of News, Ricky ‘Kaiser Chiefs’ Wilson explains why their homecoming gig at Elland Road next week will be too good to miss, despite the fact they will lose money playing there. Make sure you catch our unrivalled coverage of the Kaisers gig on the website and in the mag in the coming weeks.

Noel Gallagher tells us why he’s not worried about Oasis’s tunes being leaked online and former Joy Division drummer, Steven Morris, gives a frank insight into why the band were ‘doomed’ even before Curtis’ suicide in 1980. Plus The Ting Tings reveal the identity of ‘That’s Not My Name’, Agyness Dean plots her music career, Justice deny rumours that they are Daft Punk’s Puppets and Ladytron discuss their secret album. You can also win tickets to the sold out Reading and Leeds festival.

Thom Yorke has been snapped dressed up like Miami Vice’s Don Johnson and The Maccabees fear for their lives in our Gutter section. Drew McConnell makes a guest appearance in our Vocals section and we delve into the musical history and influences of Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis in My Music.

Florence & The Machine, A Place to Bury Strangers and White Lies are all caught on our extended, new music Radar this week and we profile the Holy Mountain record label. White Lies are currently playing the Topman NME New Noise Tour with Crystal Castles, Team Waterpolo and Friendly Fires - get all the reviews, interviews, videos and more on NME.COM. We’ve also got the lowdown from the opening night in Live.

In Features, we ask the likes of Muse, Metallica, Paramore and Johnny Marr (amongst loads of other big names) about their first gigs and we talk to The Subways, ahead of the release of their forthcoming album, about how a love-split and career-threatening surgery nearly sent them over the edge.

The quality of The Ting Tings new album leaves us a little disappointed in Albums, whereas The Futureheads come-back is described as ‘triumphant’. We assess whether Spiritualized, The Zutons and The Young Knives latest singles are worth spending your beer money on and NME’s Hamish McBain looks at the influences behind Lightspeed Champion’s ‘Falling Off The Lavender Bridge’.

In Live, we see if the Radiohead ‘In Rainbows’ world tour has been worth wait the wait as they set-off in America. Plus we review The Pigeon Detectives homecoming gig at the Millennium Square and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds rock the Carling Academy in Glasgow.

And last but not least, we find out what connects David Bowie to Father Ted and The Divine Comedy in 12 Steps and have 636 gigs listed in our guide for your perusal. Buy it now!

On the cover: not only have we launched a brand spanking new-look magazine this week that’s seen us strip everything back to let the words and photography shine through, we’ve also added a whole load of new features to give you even more news, bands and gigs than ever before. Plus, to top it all off, the pièce de résistance is a FREE, 7-inch vinyl copy of Coldplay’s new single, Violet Hill. The 7-inch also features an exclusive track – A Spell A Rebel Yell – that will only ever be released by NME and, if that wasn’t enough, we’ve bagged a world exclusive interview with the band to mark their return. And that’s just for starters.

In News, we have an exclusive date for The Last Shadow Puppets debut live shows, The Mighty Boosh tell us all about their summer festival and their plans to headline the event and we find out why Damon Albarn’s new album will feature 100 musicians and be sung entirely in Mandarin. Plus, Dizzee Rascal placates his fans by explaining why exactly he’s collaborating with Calvin Harris. Scarlett Johannson lets us in on how she got David Bowie to sing backing vocals on her debut album and new to this week’s edition is Nanos– eleven bite-sized chunks of music news full of band, festival and gig gossip.

Sergeant, White Denim and Johnny Foreigner are all caught on our new extended music Radar and we launch our scene profile which, this week, looks at all the up-and-coming fem-punks making waves across the UK.

In Features, Coldplay exclusively tell us about their music revolution. Yannis Philippakis opens up about Foals past, present and future. We discover why Be Your Own Pet has been labelled the most dangerous band in America and see for yourself whether NME’s Alex Miller is scarred for life after an encounter with Black Lips.

We take a look at Santi White’s latest offering to the world of music with her debut album as Santogold and see if her musical past has helped produce something a little bit special. Plus we put the Flight Of The Conchords, Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip and Adem’s new albums through their lyrical paces in Albums.

The festival season has well and truly kicked off and we’ve got all the gossip from the Californian offering, Coachella, as well as the Love Music Hate Racism Carnival in our fair Capital. Blood Red Shoes blaze up Paradiso in Amsterdam and Club NME in Hamburg and Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong continue their tour of student unions, this week landing on Bournemouth.

Finally, it’s time to introduce our new features. My Music asks our favourite musicians about their musical tastes and this week we stick a microphone in the ear of Carl Barat. Billy Bragg is our guest columnist for our first-ever Vocals section. NME’s Hamish McBain traces the influences of Vampire Weekend’s self-titled album in Roots and we discover how Radiohead are inextricably linked to The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand and Nicole Appleton in 12 Steps.

All rounded off with 609 gigs across the UK and Ireland for you to help plan your week’s music fix.

On the cover: we’ve crossed the Atlantic this week to bring you some of the hottest music news from the States. Jane’s Addiction reunite just in time to win the Godlike Geniuses Award at the first-ever stateside NME Awards. We get backstage access and ask who they think deserves the coveted title.

Read the rest of the gossip from the ceremony and see whether the bands that were hotly tipped to win actually did in our NME Awards special. And you can watch all the chaos that ensued from Kelly Osborne spitting at the host to Mark Ronson falling off the stage in our Awards video.

And if that wasn’t enough US gossip, Greenday’s Billi Joe talks Foxboro Hot Tubs, secret live performances and if they can really top American Idiot with their much-anticipated comeback.

In News, CSS’s Lovefoxx talks exclusively about why their bassist quit and why their new album, released July 21, is so disturbing. Chris Martin reveals the secrets behind Coldplay’s forthcoming album. Plus – Lightspeed Champion’s Dev Hynes explains his plans for a Michael Jackson tribute at this year’s Reading and Leeds, Albert Hammond Jr denies that his reggae-tinged solo album spells the end for The Strokes and we find out why music ticket touts are still at large. Make sure you buy next weeks new-look NME for a free seven-inch vinyl from Coldplay, with an exclusive track not available on Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends.

The Envy Corps appear on our Radar this week talking facial paralysis, jail and divorce. In Features, NME’s Sam Richards finds out whether there’s more to Cajun Dance Party than underage shows and exam timetables. We also interview Portishead about their aptly named new album ‘Third’, why it’s taken a decade to hit the road again and get the gritty truth about where they’ve been and if they’ve still got it.

Liam Fray has received a bit of a backlash since The Courteeners featured on our cover and Emily Mackay catches up with the Mancunians backstage as they play a swaggering, homecoming gig to a sell-out crowd at Academy 1 in Manchester. Camden becomes drunker and indier than normal as the annual Crawl comes to town. We also go back across the pond to catch The Raconteurs in Nashville and Tokyo Police Club in New York, including backstage access to Dave Monks from the latter.

Crystal Castles new album is put through its paces this week to see if it lives up to the hype and we give you the chance to see for yourself with five copies of their self-titled album up for grabs. Along with debuts from screen siren herself Scarlett Johansson and 80’s soul enthusiast Sam Sparro getting the NME seal of approval. Make sure you check out Scarlett’s impressive new sounds now on NME.COM.

Oh, and last but not least there’s bound to be something to tickle your musical tastebuds in our comprehensive gig guide with 554 gigs across the UK and Ireland. Buy it now!

On the cover: our 12-page special takes a look into the future without the help of Mystic Meg and names the bands that are making 2008 so exciting.

We name 50 artists including Crystal Castles as well as the inventors and re-inventors that are shaping the future of music. It’s like the birth of a new breed of zombies, but better – a must read.

Make sure you listen to Crystal Castles debut album now on NME.COM and see them headline Topman NME's New Noise Tour next month. Tickets are available now, but we can't guarantee for how long, so be quick.

In News, Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams finally breaks the band's silence and confesses all from how the band nearly split and the tour cancellations to how they have overcome their difficulties and are now looking forward to a bright future – together. Does It Offend You, Yeah?'s guitarist denies rumours that he is only a session musician following the announcement of his side-project with Foals. Plus – Jarvis Cocker plans to record a new album for 2008 – with sex as the theme. The Last Shadow Puppets finally play live for the first time along with an orchestra for BBC2's Later With… Jools Holland. All that plus the latest in the Oasis saga as legendary Gallaghers Noel and Liam now refuse to even drink together.

The mammoth Muse take on the Royal Albert Hall for an unbeatable live show and even without the props, their title of NME's Best Live Band is well deserved. Elsewhere in the country Hard-Fi travel across the pond to play JD Set Legendary Mash, with whiskey thrown in for fun. We also report back from Sheffield and London as Reverend & The Makers and HeartsRevolution play out to the masses.

And in Albums, we provide some truly interesting Hadouken! facts, the new Portishead album gets reviewed nicely along with Cajun Dance Party, and Madonna gives us 'Hard Candy'.

All that, plus - the UK's biggest gig guide, your letters and your free Euro Festival Guide. Oh and you could win tickets to every festival this year. Buy it now!

On the cover this week: It's a proud day for The Enemy as they return to their home town of Coventry and perform in front of 16,000 fans, including NME's very own Dan Martin, who gets the low-down from behind the scenes.

In News, Babyshambles frontman, Pete Doherty completes his first week behind bars and our journos ask those close to him – how will he cope and will he be able to avoid drugs for the duration? Plus, we turn our focus to festival season as we interview Emily Eavis, the lady behind Glastonbury and find out why the slow sales are in actual fact a good thing for this year's bash. And for those lucky blighters amongst you, tickets are up for grabs to attend Liverpool's first ever Sound City festival conference with Hercules and Love Affair, Does It Offend You, Yeah? Laura Marling and Telepathe as just a few of the top bands topping the bill this coming May. Nice.

It's back to the eighties era in Radar this week as Ladyhawke grabs our attention, definitely catch her at Red Stripe's Camden Crawl this weekend. In Features, NME's Alex Miller meets Santogold for a frank interview, on everything from her punk roots to her political stance and from the romance in her life to an ever growing list of parties – get the gritty truth in this week's issue. We also interview Scott Walker and look back fondly over ten wonderful Walker moments whilst NME’s Gavin Haynes asks what lies beneath the intriguing duo that is Blood Red Shoes. With the release for their debut album, it's seems like a good time to ask…

For those of you that didn't get a ski holiday in this season, our Live section will turn you green as Dirty Pretty Things, Lightspeed Champion, The Metros and The Pigeon Detectives hit the snowy-slopes of Austria for a festival like no other.

Finally, it's time to find out if one of the most hotly tipped album releases of the year - The Last Shadow Puppets - lives up to the hype.

Enjoy!

On the cover: we've gone Northern crazy. NME's Dan Martin visits The Courteeners in their home town and finds out if they are indeed Manchester's next messiahs and Liam Fray names his top five Manc icons. Plus, we get all psychedelic with The 13th Floor Elevators as we meet the band that defined the word.

In News this week, NME goes backstage at the London Astoria with Coventry's finest, The Enemy following their six show set as they beat residency record while saving the venue from the bulldozers (temporarily). Razorlight's Andy Burrows gives NME his first solo artist interview and gives the low-down on his acoustic album, set to be released next month. We've also teamed up with Download Festival to give away three pairs of tickets to start the festival season off nicely. Then, Doherty and co unveil all about their new DVD release and the inspiration behind it.

We get In The Studio with Miles Kane as he gets back to work with The Rascals and angry fans criticise Keith Richards' smoking views. In News Gallery the hilarious duo, We Are Scientists take to the peaks of Wicklow Mountain in Dublin armed with four pooches. Find out the secret to Sam Sparro's success in Radar as we introduce him when he is already topping the charts.

Following the murder of Sophie Lancaster, NME focuses on the dangers associated with subcultures. From mods to MCR, what is the resolution behind this subjective abuse? Gavin Haynes investigates.

Taking to the stage this week: The Teenagers invade Islington's Central Library, Simian Mobile Disco, The American Museum of Natural History and The Futureheads play an acoustic gig in Newcastle. Plus - we get backstage access at all of the above.

The Kooks follow up album is put through its paces this week along with The Long Blondes, The Breeders and Fall Out Boy. We also deliver the biggest Live Guide with over 480 gig listings, so find out who is playing in a town near you now.

Enjoy!