In 1999 Warren Ellis watched Nina Simone play live at Meltdown. After the show ended he rushed on stage and carefully rescued her chewing gum in a towel from where she'd stuck it to her piano. His new book, sparked off by this incident, is about the alchemy that produces art, obsessiveness and memory
Vol.1 Brooklyn managing editor Tobias Carroll writes on geographical anxiety, the near-reality of the post-apocalyptic science fiction narrative and the contemporary relationship of distrust between man and nature. (Photograph by Carlos Gutierrez)
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
Our friend and colleague Nick Talbot - who recorded under the name of Gravenhurst - died unexpectedly last week. These reflections, both musical and personal, are written by Pavel Godfrey and John Doran. Portrait by Lucy Johnston, live picture by Maria Jefferis