All together now
It's festival season and everyone has their own special memories of life-changing events in muddy fields. David Bowie, Howard Marks, Jade Jagger and a full supporting cast of stars recall the high and lows of lost weekends in the countryside.
'Yeah, but Noel, but...'
When David Walliams met Noel Gallagher. Portrait by David Bailey.
The Gallagher interview in full
Noel on Liam
Hallowed be thy game
The hunters of Mali are deeply spiritual and rarely seen, although their primal music has been a huge influence on many of Africa's biggest stars. When Mark Hudson tried to track them down, he entered a world of big beasts, strange sounds and sporadic gunfire.
If you go down to the woods today
... then you're sure to meet Britain's finest neo-medieval psychedelic folk-rock band. Or you are if you're author and journalist Tom Cox, who for the best part of a decade has cultivated an unlikely bond with Circulus that has survived their differering tastes in fashion, recreational pursuits and - most alarmingly - his relentless championing of their music.
Hey Mr Writer - are you too close to me?
Give and take
The hubbub around Live8 can't still the thought that celebrity and charity often sit uneasily.
Keep it Dusty
A shy yet bolshy perfectionist who loved a good food fight; an anti-apartheid champion; and a conundrum even to herself. Novelist Ali Smith sings the praises of Dusty Springfield, the star who couldn't stand to hear her own voice.
Flash-forward
Editors can be sombre, but love a good tune. So, they tell Kitty Empire, they aren't 2005's Joy Division. For a start, they're from Birmingham ...
Flash-back
Stuart Nicholson on the tensions between trad jazz fans and modernists that erupted in a festival riot on a Bank Holiday in 1960.
Chapter and worse
Madonna and Sir Macca have written children's books. Who's next?
Download of the month
'Milk Bottle Symphony' by St Etienne
Romeo Stodart
Emily Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, thinks the Magic Numbers will be the band to check out at the festival this month. Here she quizzes singer Romeo Stodart about campfire singalongs, Brian Wilson, and keeping it in the family...
Rio Ferdinand
Not much gets past the England defender, on the pitch or off it. But now that he's looking to sign acts to his record label, perhaps Peter Paphides can be of some help.
Glastonbury girl
It's not as surreal as it used to be, thinks Lucy, before passing out in the Sacred Space again. Tom Cox enters the magic kingdom with her.
What I'm listening to:
Patrick Neate, author of 'City of Tiny Lights'.
What we're listening to
The Observer Music Monthly's playlist
Barometer
The Archers claims a new celebrity fan: according to his spokesman, R Kelly is an avid listener.
Email and letters
Letter of the month
Last Month's 10: the letters
Neil Spencer picked the 10 most X-rated records:
