As they release their first studio album for decades and prepare to play the London Scala, Luke Turner talks to Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou about their religious differences, James Brown, playing with Fela Kuti, and their remarkable return
Crafting post-apocalyptic black metal suites with drums and hammered dulcimer, The Botanist's music imagines a future where the remnants of humanity have once again been swallowed up by primordial flora. Louis Pattison digs a little deeper
Two decades since the release of their debut single, 'The First Big Weekend' – and 10 years since they called it a day – Arab Strap are back with a handful of reunion shows, and a new compilation. They give Nicola Meighan a guided tour of their favourite singles, furthest-flung rarities and bizarrest 'self-destructive ideas'