no. i only know about the Bluetones because of Spaced.

that was all a bit too try hard The Who of the 90s or something. Talented blokes but it just wasn't "in", especially since the 00's.
At least they weren't Kula Shaker or whatever they were called.

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Thanks kr for the subscription! Much love..

Magazine sales in general are down due to a tightening of wallets.

Typically, sales are low during 4th quarter, because of winter/holiday shopping season in the Northern Hemisphere. Magazines sell well during the summer when people have more time to read them.

I'm pretty sure IPC are aware of market trends.

Well yeah. I'm thinking someone at the NME doesn't though, since they're putting bands like Gallows - who aren't especially photogenic and unlikely to motivate anyone who was wavering to buy the mag on a whim - on the cover. I've had arguments with people about this, who were complaining that various bands they liked weren't featured on mag covers. The whole point of the cover is to be attractive to people who weren't going to buy the magazine otherwise and who are more easily swayed by images, meaning it'd probably be enough to just put Gallows' name on there somewhere, and save the cover photo for ... well, basically for bands that 13-18 year olds people like because the people in them are hot in a vaguely androgynous way that appeals to their teenage gender confusion. Also kids have money.