Interviews

What happened when XTC's bass player accidentally wrote their first big hit

By Paul Lester published 11 February 26

Making Plans for Nigel established XTC as the intelligent arm of the post-punk movement – and it's still being directed at current Nigels

The southern rock legend who quit Lynyrd Skynyrd before they became famous and then rejoined 25 years later

By Paul Rees published 7 February 26

Rickey Medlocke has been involved in not one but two iconic Southern Rock bands

The story of the Orange Crush, R.E.M.'s anti-war commentary disguised as a four-minute pop song

By Rob Hughes published 2 February 26

R.E.M. countered accusations of selling out to a major by using their commercial clout to promote their political activism

The story of the UFO classic inspired by a pair of murderous twins

By Neil Jeffries published 26 January 26

For a much-loved ballad on 1981's The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent, UFO turned to the criminal underworld for inspiration

The 80s pop culture icon that bizarrely tried to join Metallica

By Merlin Alderslade published 23 January 26

This week, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan passed away aged 71. We revisit one of the strangest stories involving the Hulkster, which included the world's biggest metal band

How Therapy? ram-raided the mainstream with an ode to the soap opera of teenage existence

By Henry Yates published 23 January 26

Inspired by Irish punk and the Smash Hits Awards, Screamager brought Therapy? unexpected fame

The story of Feeder's breakthrough hit, a song its writer doesn't want to talk about ever again

By Henry Yates published 22 January 26

Drink cider from a lemon? Grant Nicholas reveals the real inspiration behind Feeder's hit single Buck Rogers

The story of the joyous breakthrough hit inspired by Thin Lizzy, Star Wars and Dutch cigars

By Henry Yates published 20 January 26

From school to hellraising in short order – all enabled by a story of a whirlwind intergalactic romance

How Thin Lizzy made the albums that saved them, only to be plunged into chaos

By Alan Byrne published 20 January 26

Thin Lizzy went from being stone broke to recording the two albums that came to define their career, but bad luck always seemed to be lurking in the shadows