Robert Plant, REM, Tom Petty and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard feature in the new issue of Uncut, dated December 2017 and out on October 19.

Plant is on the cover, and inside, the Golden God pops down to his local to discuss his new LP, Carry Fire, John Bonham and plans for the 50th birthday of Led Zeppelin. “[Let’s] hold hands and contact the living,” he says. “What else can you do, really?”

The issue also includes a free CD curated by Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters, Golden Gods, featuring tracks by Buddy & Julie Miller, Thee Oh Sees, Bert Jansch, Patty Griffin, Konono No1 and more.

25 years after the release of REM‘s Automatic For The People, Uncut tracks down the major players to uncover the secrets of an unlikely rock masterpiece: “You don’t always have to make a high-energy pop record for it to be good,” says Mike Mills.

The great Tom Petty, and his life and work with the Heartbreakers, Mudcrutch and the Traveling Wilburys, is remembered in a tribute feature: “We were always glad to be one of the bands. That’s all you can do,” he told Bud Scoppa.

Uncut joins up with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in Nashville to discover just how these seven young Australians are becoming garage-rock’s biggest new cult. “I’ve never been super-interested in writing songs that I feel already exist,” explains “band director” Stu Mackenzie.

We also explore the rare strain of late-’70s suburban punks, talking to trailblazers in Peterborough, Carlisle and more, examining how a radical passion could be nurtured in the face of local bafflement and hostility… “Punks weren’t liked. We stuck together. That’s why some of us have never left punk.”

Ronnie Spector, Darlene Love and more recall the making of The Ronettes‘ classic “Be My Baby”, remembering how Phil Spector‘s ‘Wall Of Sound’ production created a pop landmark; elsewhere, Bootsy Collins takes us through the peaks of his career as a cosmic funk bassist – from James Brown & The JB’s and Funkadelic to Bootsy’s Rubber Band and his new solo album, World Wide Funk.

Perfume Genius reveals the records that have shaped his life, while singer and actor Charlotte Gainsbourg answers your questions about her new album Rest, her parents Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, and working with Beck, Paul McCartney, Air and Jarvis Cocker.

Our Instant Karma front section features Bruce Springsteen, William Eggleston, Girl Ray and The Professionals, featuring Paul Cook and Steve Jones.

In our expansive reviews section, we take a look at new albums from Sharon Jones, Morrissey, James Holden, Mavis Staples and Gun Outfit, archival releases from Hüsker Dü, Davy Graham, Tim Buckley and Talk Talk, live sets from Bon Iver and Suzanne Vega, and DVDs and films on Mick Ronson, Grace Jones and Bert Berns.

The new Uncut is out on October 19.