Whatever way you look at it, we're already onto a winner with Summer '23 – with star-studded festivals and major outdoor gigs set to dominate our calendars over  the days, weeks and months ahead. Among those eagerly anticipated events is Longitude in July and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in August. So, to celebrate, we're thrilled to present a special Double Cover edition of Hot Press – starring both the Mancunian music icon, and the stars of the Longitude line-up!

Council Skies might just be Noel Gallagher's finest collection of songs yet – and in a similarly epic interview, he talks to Stuart Clark about Johnny Marr, Robert Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Strummer, Irish passports, marriage breakups, "Oasis-y" tunes, and a whole lot more...

Inside the new issue, you'll find the Longitude 2023 Special Feature, featuring a full 16 pages of brilliant content in the run-up to the festival – including in-depth interviews with some of the most exciting acts on the line-up, like MK, Jazzy, TraviS X Elzzz, Joel Corry, Songer, RAYE, Fionn Curran and Multunes.

Jazzy

We’re also breaking down the other names set to play across the weekend – so you can plan your perfect day-by-day schedule by the time July comes along....

Elsewhere in the issue...

Returning after her Mercury Prize win with her boundary-pushing second album, My Soft Machine, Arlo Parks discusses drawing inspiration from Fontaines D.C., her creative connection with collaborator Phoebe Bridgers, and her special relationship with Ireland...

Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine

With brilliant new novel The Happy Couple set to confirm her as one of Ireland’s leading young novelists, Naoise Dolan talks relationships, marriage, Tár, Martin Amis, Irish politics and life in Berlin...

We catch up with pop maestro Tom Grennan – whose unstoppable ascent continues with his latest album, the irresistible What Ifs and Maybes...

As part of a special Forest Fest feature, we also speak to James' frontman Tim Booth, and The Proclaimers' Charlie Reid...

After signing to UK label FAMM, Bricknasty have unleashed their groundbreaking and deeply personal debut EP, INA CRUELER. The band’s frontman Fatboy talks Ballymun, division, getting sober, and finding a champion in Maverick Sabre...

Back with their first new album in seven years, Bell X1 discuss the making of a project that finds the band at their creative and collaborative peak...

Bell X1. Credit: Ellius Grace

With Ezra Williams’ much-anticipated Supernumeraries shortly to arrive, the rising singer-songwriter talks CMAT, Other Voices, intense fanbases, privacy and more...

In our special Forever Young preview, Kate Brayden catches up with Andy Bell of Erasure, The Specials legend Neville Staple, Bananarama, Hothouse Flowers man Liam Ó Maonlaí and more...

And that's just for starters! You'll find plenty more interviews, previews, reviews, news, tributes, specials and more, in the new issue of Hot Press – in shops now, and available to order online below: