
Niall Doherty
Niall Doherty is a writer and editor whose work can be found in Classic Rock, The Guardian, Music Week, FourFourTwo, on Apple Music and more. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Q magazine, he co-runs the music Substack letter The New Cue with fellow former Q colleagues Ted Kessler and Chris Catchpole. He is also Reviews Editor at Record Collector. Over the years, he's interviewed some of the world's biggest stars, including Elton John, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Robert Plant and more. Radiohead was only for eight minutes but he still counts it.
Latest articles by Niall Doherty

I’ve just discovered how many classic seventh records exist and it’s blown my mind... allow me to introduce the magnificent seven
By Niall Doherty published
Are you aware of how many incredible seventh records there are? Introducing the magnificent seven...

Revisiting Thom Yorke’s incredible rant about Muse, of whom he is not a fan
By Niall Doherty published
The Radiohead man was being pretty chill when talking about acts who have been influenced by his band… and then he remembered the M word

The story of Slash’s Snakepit and the album that Axl turned down
By Niall Doherty published
The guitarist’s solo debut It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere turns 30 this week but it could’ve been a GN’R album if he'd had his way

Morrissey and Johnny Marr on how The Smiths made Meat Is Murder
By Niall Doherty published
The indie trailblazers’ second album turns 40 this month and sealed their status as one of the best British guitar groups ever

Tears For Fears are one of the most influential bands ever. Here's ten reasons why.
By Niall Doherty published
If you’ve been wondering what connects Disturbed, Kanye West, The 1975, David Guetta, James Corden, Nas, New Found Glory, Foals, Dizzee Rascal and more then this is the list for you. If you haven’t, you might as well read it anyway.

Reflected glory: the story of the Neil Young and Pearl Jam team-up album Mirror Ball
By Niall Doherty published
The grunge superstars learned a lot when they teamed up with the rock veteran to make his 1995 album, but they regret not putting their name on it

10 classic songs given away from one artist to another
By Niall Doherty published
From Prince to Joni Mitchell and Macca to the Bee Gees, the stars who were in such a creative purple patch that they had classics going spare and shopped them elsewhere.

The Depeche Mode megahit that Martin Gore was dead against, despite the fact he wrote it
By Niall Doherty published
Had he not seen the light, we would’ve been deprived of one of the synth-rock titans’ all-time great songs

The story of Stand Inside Your Love, the last great Smashing Pumpkins single
By Niall Doherty published
The Machina standout, which turns 25 next month, marked the beginning of the end for the alt-rock heroes’ first phase

Michael Stipe on the “psychic energy” it required to play stadium-sized shows with R.E.M. every night
By Niall Doherty published
It’s 30 years since the Athens, Georgia legends began a huge tour to support Monster and frontman Stipe had no choice but to up the flamboyance in his frontman game

The huge Radiohead hit that the band have left untouched for over 25 years
By Niall Doherty published
Thom Yorke first performed the band’s much-loved 1995 single with his previous group Headless Chickens, and there’s video evidence

The story of Mad Season, the grunge supergroup that Mike McCready hoped would save Layne Staley
By Niall Doherty published
The band brought together members of Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Screaming Trees and they emerged with one of the most underrated rock records of the 90s

The punk cult hero who unwittingly became Lou Reed’s drug dealer
By Niall Doherty published
The ex-Velvet Underground leader got into the habit of throwing house parties in West London, and always made sure one man was invited

Pulp guitarist Mark Webber on the band's strangest ever gig
By Niall Doherty published
Jarvis & co. headed all the way down to New Orleans for a show, and then wished they hadn't

Revisiting the time that Willie Dixon sued Led Zep for plagiarism and won
By Niall Doherty published
It’s 40 years ago this weekend that the veteran bluesman took action against the rock icons for borrowing his song...

Mark Tremonti on why side-projects help to keep Creed “healthy”
By Niall Doherty published
The guitarist has a new record out now, and next on his schedule is another Alter Bridge album before returning to Creed duties

The Manics on their new single People Ruin Paintings
By Niall Doherty published
It’s the latest cut to be unveiled from the Welsh trio’s forthcoming 15th album Critical Thinking

How the return of Jane's Addiction was floored by a punch thrown by their singer
By Niall Doherty published
It was all going right until it went very, very wrong

The story behind The Masses Against The Classes, the raucous Manics single that the Welsh trio deleted on the day of release
By Niall Doherty published
The tale of how the Welsh trio's last Number One single, which was released 25 years ago next week, came together.

Revisiting Self-Pollution Radio, Pearl Jam’s chaotic and star-studded radio show
By Niall Doherty published
Thirty years ago, Eddie Vedder & co. aired a live radio show and delivered a cult classic featuring guest slots from their heavyweight grunge pals

Ten brilliant indie-rock records released in the year 2000 that you might have missed
By Niall Doherty published
From Six. By Seven to Clinic and The Delgados to …Trail Of Dead, here’s ten albums released in 2000 worthy of a revisit 25 years later

Why Prince turned down Michael Jackson's request for the pair to sing together on a huge 80s hit
By Niall Doherty published
Michael Jackson wanted the pair to team up on a huge hit but the Purple One wasn’t having it

How Damon Albarn and Noel Gallagher buried the hatchet and became unlikely friends
By Niall Doherty published
The Blur frontman and Oasis leader spent the 90s at loggerheads but a chance meeting paved the way to a blossoming friendship
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