Language: By using bold serif capitals writing as a masthead for the left page of the double page spread it ensures that you see it and also that it still retains it formal and refined roots from the start of the magazine. The colour scheme words well for this part too because it is using NME’s trademark colourings and also it keeps it from looking tacky while not letting it be dull. The main image spread across the whole of the right page works well because Liam Gallagher is an instantly recognisable character, especially because of his leery look with Beatles-ish glasses and Paul Weller hair, which only a true fame monger can pull off. There is a short paragraph or so tagline below this masthead which tells you about the article and him before you begin to read the whole lengthy article (around 3 pages of writing) also this serves as an introduction to the piece. The writing is organised into columns which are arranged in thirds of the page, this is quite unique to NME as most other music magazines conventionally use wider columns which take up more of the page. Unconventionally NME use this in order to give it more of the feel of a newspaper article and it could be connoted from this; the feel of it being more serious news which must be read, rather than just being a music magazine. Liam appears here promoting his new band ‘Beady Eye’ and it could be argued that the use of circles in the piece supports this, for example the article begins with a large O and also a quote from his is seen inside a circle which I think could be a subconscious reference to the name of the band, and you could even go as far as to say that his sunglasses also support this theory.
Institution: NME is controlled by IPC media, an expansive company which controls magazines which are all aimed at specific audiences which can be seen here because it is aimed at people who are older (younger people don’t need so much refinement in a magazine) and also because I think that this issue is also aimed at consumer who are not weekly readers because it has him on the cover, which will be aimed at an older generation or at least people who grew up listening to his music.
Ideology: The ideology of the magazine is to provide a good, refined interview with Liam Gallagher which reflects the age and maturity of his new band, while making it look good, clean and like a fresh interview, rather than ‘just another’ Liam Gallagher interview. This interview has to attract both young and old audiences because he is a figure who is sort of in the ‘twilight’ if you will because he is in-between both age ranges / generations. The language of the interview is kept very informal, which is conventional for all music magazines, however NME seems to deviate from music a lot more than other magazines; for example Q magazine highlights all bands when mentioned whereas at least on this page not one other band is mentioned, showing that NME is more obsessed with celebrity and almost ‘gossip’ than magazines like Q. However, this could be put down to it being aimed at a younger audience whom want to know more about their idols personally, strengths, weaknesses and opinions. The main image portrays Liam in a classic pose, fairly leery or at least imposing with classic hands in pockets and leaning forwards. The clothes are over the top, but this is to show and emphasize his own clothing brand and because he has always been quite a controversial dresser.
Audience: I think that this piece is aimed at both the weekly NME readers who read for other features and also at Oasis/Beady Eye fans because NME’s typical readership are young people aged around 16 -25 however a lot of Oasis fans are older than this, therefore Liam’s interview being so big means that it could probably have been used in order to pull in other readers more interested in him than the rest of the magazine. Because of this, NME has to fine tune a balance which caters for both types of readers. They have done this by using a formal styles coupled with simplistic and minimalist styles for younger readers as to appeal to the too.
Representation: The pages represent Liam and the magazine similarly, in a very informal, yet matured and refined style. It does this to Liam because of the topics chosen and the photos which are used for him, and it does this for the magazine by using serif typestyles which even when work emboldened very well and look very refined. The white pages works very well because they are quite formal yet look clean and fresh, which is how they are trying to portray a renewed Liam Gallagher and his band.
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