July’s offering includes a chat with the usually elusive Bloc Party frontman Kele, who has unveiled his debut solo album and is preparing to visit Birmingham as part of his biggest lone tour yet.

Also inside this month’s pages are much-hyped New Yorkers The Drums, psych-pop statesmen The Coral and Off The Cuff Festival headliners Chapel Club.

Plus we here from two of the Midlands’ finest emerging acts The Traps and The Arcadian Kicks on their latest moves and get the lowdown on this month’s Birmingham International Jazz & Blues Festival.

Those of you with a sweet tooth can learn how to make a South American themed treat courtesy of food pioneers Soul Food Project, while Birmingham boozer The Victoria helps you get into the spirit of cider season.

And of course your plans for July will be more than sorted with our comprehensive gig guide and top tips for clubbers…

Read the July issue online here.

Brum Notes Magazine is published monthly and available from more than 200 clubs, pubs, bars, shops, galleries, offices and other venues across the West Midlands. If you are interested in stocking the magazine please contact us.

This month, we chat to Foals about the trials and tribulations of making one of the albums of the year. Plus, we talk tattoos with New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem and find out about indie popsters Delays‘ dreams of arm wrestling Craig David. Corrie star and BBC 6 Music DJ Craig Charles shares his love of soul and funk, while three familiar looking Birmingham bands spill the beans on their new projects.

And we’re getting into the spirit of a summer of football and festivals, with our alternative festival survival guide courtesy of bitter ol’ blogger Jeff Stuka as well as a look ahead to the best events coming to Birmingham, while there’s also our tips on the best places to watch the World Cup and a rundown of the unique beast that is the football pop song.

Add to that our usual mixture of news, reviews, cocktail recipes and the biggest and best gig guide around and there’s plenty to keep you entertained until the football starts.

Plus, if you’re feeling lucky and filled with dread at the idea of a month of the beautiful game, then we’re offering you the chance to win a £200 spa break escape for two or a night out with food and drinks at The Glee Club.

Enjoy and good luck!

Read the June issue here.

Don’t worry if you haven’t caught up on May yet, you can still read all our previous issues here.

But with his latest solo offering again attracting a fresh wave of critical acclaim, the iconic frontman has cemented his reputation as a vital musician in his own right.

As he prepared to hit the road on a full UK tour next month, Brown spoke about his most personal record to date.

“I feel it’s my best work, yeah, I certainly put the hours in,” he said.

“I started writing it about this time last year, not constantly, but on and off. We worked right through the winter, started recording it in early spring and finished it on July 7, so we’ve gone through all seasons.”

From the social commentary of previous LP The World Is Yours, Brown has taken a more introspective approach to My Way and Brown admitted it was a conscious effort to take a more “autobiographical” outlook on his writing, even addressing his Stone Roses days within the songs.

“We thought, right it’s gonna be a “My Way” album-I’m gonna write about my life in music. I’m gonna write about coming off the dole, going into music, what happened along the way-that was my brief.

“It’s not nostalgia to me, it’s my life and all things come around. There’s a point to everything and everything comes around in a circle eventually.

“By nostalgia I mean repackaging, remastering, reselling, squeezing a lemon. That made me think about the Roses, as I’ve never addressed them in songs before.

“It was easy-I feel great about the Roses, I don’t feel bad about it.”

As he prepares for another round of UK dates, despite a career of stellar tours, it is a festival appearance which stands out as a career high.

“Glastonbury 05 was probably my favourite show because it was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played to. It was pretty emotional and everyone was singing along. There were thousands of people bobbing up and down and we played really well that night.

“Usually I do a show, I feel great about it and the next day I’ve forgotten it. But one day, if I make it, when I’m 90 and I’m sat out in the back chair with my Filipino nurse putting a blanket over me, maybe I’ll think about when I played Nottingham Rock City on my birthday, or my first Brixton Academy, but Glastonbury’s the show that I think about every few weeks and think “Wow, that was ace”.

Ian Brown plays at the O2 Academy Birmingham on December 18.