Features

After years of covering the NAMM cycle I've never seen flagship gear hit the shelves so quickly - here are 6 of the hottest NAMM 26 releases you can pick up right now

By Matt McCracken published 28 January 26

The biggest stars of NAMM 2026 are already in stock and ready to rock - including the much-discussed Quad Cortex Mini and a gigantic new MPC

“Avril and I thought, ‘Let’s just make up the most stupid opening line for a song’”: Avril Lavigne's “super special” hit

By Amit Sharma published 27 January 26

“I wrote it about my high school experience”

“The sound of his guitar has got that hard edge to it. It’s not clean – it’s nasty!”: Angus Young's guitar heroes

By Paul Elliott published 27 January 26

Plus: the story of AC/DC's greatest blues song

“It’s about a bloke who’s not sure whether he’s died or dreaming. Like a bad hangover!”: Iron Maiden's spooky anthem

By Paul Elliott published 26 January 26

Plus: Bruce Dickinson on the epic Alexander The Great

“On the first album I avoided doing a lot of cutting on the tape”: The perfectionist who's made six albums in 50 years

By Paul Elliott published 25 January 26

“The work in the studio is very high pressure. And there aren’t any breaks”

“The first three times I performed it in public, I burst into tears”: Joni Mitchell's era-defining classic Woodstock

By Neil Crossley published 25 January 26

An anthem inspired by the legendary music festival – by an artist who wasn’t actually there

“The studio bill was £148.50. So with the £1.50 in change we all bought fish and chips”: Def Leppard's low-budget EP

By Paul Elliott published 24 January 26

“It was difficult doing the scream in The Overture on a Sunday morning”

“Lou fixated on her and his vocal was done in one take”: How Foreigner and producer Mutt Lange created a classic hit

By Paul Elliott published 21 January 26

“We put ourselves under a lot of pressure making that record”

“It’s the exact same model Paul McCartney played on Yesterday”: The metal star whose most prized guitar is an acoustic

By Andrew Daly published 19 January 26

Peter Frampton also played this legendary acoustic guitar on a number of classic tracks

“I was like, "I'm not happy. I am tired”: How being alone in snowy Aspen inspired Fleetwood Mac’s sleeper hit

By Will Simpson last updated 18 January 26

Landslide Is back in the charts due to Stranger Things