Personally, professionally, politically, socially, this year has repeatedly been a shit pie. There’s also been a lot of good, though, and for the magazine it feels like we’re ending 2018 on an upswing. That is thanks to you, our readers, who responded last month to our inevitable we-need-your-money post. In it we echoed the same boring story of the struggling independent press (although for the first time ourselves) and launched a new subscription model where you can support us from £3 per month and receive our next 9 issues in the post. We’ve been too embarrassed to outright ask before, truth be told. Into 2019 we’re keeping the mag free, but if you really like it your 3 quid(s) will protect our independence get L&Q dropping through your front door on a regular basis.

A good place to start is with our final issue of 2018, which goes into stores this coming weekend.

For it, Nilüfer Yanya hosted us in Penzance, a place that’s key to her life and the debut album that she’ll be putting out in early 2019.

Daniel Dylan Wray went further, to Amsterdam to meet Jacco Gardner in a planetarium, and I went all the way to Lewisham for Goat Girl to show me around their home.

We have some guest columns from Shame‘s Charlie Steen and Anna Von Hausswolff, and interviews with new artists Glows, Vera Sola and The Murder Capital. Jessica Pratt too.

Gazelle Twin, Geoff Barrow, Richard Dawson, US Girls, Chris Carter, Evangeline Ling and Jason Williamson answered out 2018 survey on how good or bad it’s all been.

In stores Saturday. Available for pre-order here.

Or start that subscription and get it for a little as £3 to wherever you call home.

Thanks for reading this year. From all of us here at L&Q.