“When I was 18, I thought it’d all be over by the time I was 21,” Paul Weller tells us this month, looking back on a career that now spans more than 30 years. “At 18, 25 seemed like a lifetime away,” he adds. “Then before you know it, you’re 30. Then you’re 40. And all of a sudden, you’re 50.”

If Weller at 50 is somewhat flabbergasted, how, you have to wonder, does Leonard Cohen feel at 74? As he prepares for a second leg of sold-out UK dates on what has become one of the most triumphant comebacks ever, you would have to say he seems in rude health and wit. In our second major feature this month, the legendary singer-songwriter talks about going back on the road for the first time in nearly 20 years and why for him, it was ‘now or never’, while key members of his touring entourage tell us how the tour came together and share their memories of some of its highlights so far.

Elsewhere this issue, we have the latest news on another veteran band, Fleetwood Mac, who are also heading back on tour, Guy Garvey of Elbow answers your questions, New Order talk us through the making of “Blue Monday”, the eternally suave Kevin Ayers looks back on some of the classic albums he’s been involved with, there’s a rare interview with New Country pioneer Guy Clark, Wayne Coyne is at hand to guide us through the new Flaming Lips film and The Cure wonder where their curries are in a Roman amphitheatre in the south of France…

allan_jones@ipcmedia.com