There aren’t many people who read the New Musical Express regularly for any length of time that have ever truly shaken off its grip.’

That was former NME stalwart Pat Long, writing in his 2012 book The History Of The NME. His words will chime with anyone who’s ever felt the excitement of picking up the magazine, which was founded in London in 1952. On March 7 this year, the title that Long and many others served with such passion ...