NME: Like An OBE, Only Cheaper (NME)

Member Name: benlepensive

Product:	NME
Date:	08/09/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good coverage

Disadvantages: can be overly scathing

The New Musical Express or NME is one of the longest running Music Papers in the UK. I am a sporadic buyer, in that I will buy it if I have the right amount of change on me, or if I like the list of bands or artists who are featured in it that week.

What Sort Of Music Does It Cover:

The NME has a leaning towards guitar and rock music, so if you're a huge fan of Girls Aloud or Michael Ball, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

Examples Of Artists NME Will Feature:

Oasis, Artic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, Cribs, Florence and the Machine, Paul Weller, La Roux, Strokes, Reverend and the Makers, Iggy Pop, Patrick Wolf, Hadouken, Klaxons....you get the idea.

Style Of Writing:

The paper is put together by a team of writers and reviewers. The articles are intelligently written and the writers are not afraid to be scathing and critical of bands. They will be blunt, honest and sometimes downright rude. I find this refreshing, although it is all subjective of course.

Artwork:

A glossy front cover to get your attention, then inside, you get photos on pretty much every page of the bands. The paper uses its own photos most of the time, so a lot of the images you won't have seen before. Occasionally, there will be full page photos which can be cut out and used as posters.

What Is In The Paper?

We start with a generic newsy bit, updates on new bands and what's been going down in the last few days in music. We then get a handful of interviews or features on specific bands or artists. There are regular columnists who contribute articles each week, often with quite biting content. Then later on, we get the reviews section, where albums and gigs are given a round up. The reviews are my favourite bit, as they highlight new artists and help you make decisions about which bands to check out.

There are bonus bits, like crosswords, competitions and the usual adverts for upcoming tours towards the end of the paper.

Price:

The current price is £2.30 and you get about 70 pages worth of content, so not bad value. The NME is invaluable for anyone who wants to stay on the pulse with new music and for anyone who has a genuine interest in the 'trendy' side of the music scene.

Summary: good paper