With his new album going stratospheric, friends in high places, and a burgeoning Brazilian acting career, life is pretty sweet at the moment for Gavin James. In our full cover story with Stuart Clark, the Irish singer/songwriter-of-the-moment gets personal as he talks about love, family, touring and the songs that made him cry.

In the Hot Press Interview this issue, Jason O’Toole sits down for a frank, sometimes difficult discussion with Peter Casey. Casey seemed like a Presidential no-hoper until he took a swipe at Travellers – and objected to the fact that the State has granted them the status of a separate ethnic group. As a result of what were widely considered racist remarks, he was given maximum media exposure – and raced into second place, with more votes than the four other contenders below him combined. But did the people who put an ‘X’ opposite his name have any idea who or what they were voting for? We try to find out what exactly Peter Casey stands for.

Also in this issue, we have a full six-page tribute to Irish music industry giant John Reynolds. We sit down with Leonard Cohen’s former manager Richard Kory to talk about Reynolds bringing Cohen to Ireland; Gale Scanlan talks about the music promoter's part in setting up some of Ireland’s most iconic festivals, including the landmark gigs at the Irish Museum of Modern Art; Nick Cave pens a tribute to the man; and Louis Walsh shares personal memories of the man he called a close friend and confidant.

Elsewhere in our music section, Peter McGoran catches up with Mumford & Sons ahead of the release of their new album Delta, which they call their “most important” one to date; Pat Carty and Stuart Clark break down U2’s triumphant return to Ireland, by reviewing their Belfast and Dublin gigs; and we bring you coverage of all the action at Metropolis 2018, which was a fitting send-up to the memory of organiser John Reynolds.

In our film section, Roe McDermott talks to Irish filmmaker Rebecca Daly, whose new film Good Favour explores religion, psychology and politics. We also bring you reviews from the latest releases, including Wildlife, Widows and Juliet, Naked.

In our TV section, Ed Power talks to Lynn Rafferty, star of a new thriller from Love/Hate’s Stuart Carolan, which casts a cold eye on Ireland’s treatment of asylum seekers.

In our book section, Pat Carry meets Declan Lynch, who talks about how his latest book, Notes From A Lost Tribe (co-written with Arthur Matthews), explores the ills of modern society.

We also have an extensive Hot Press Christmas Gift Guide to kickstart the festive season! Whether it’s practical buys for the house, the latest must-have gadgets, or gifts for that special someone – we’ve got you covered on all fronts this Christmas.

As well as that, we’ll have all the news, reviews, interviews and previews that you’d expect from Hot Press, including interviews with Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears and Dublin indie-rock band We Cut Corners, as well as album reviews from Muse, Robyn and The Good, The Bad and The Queen.

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