The Song is Nearly Over

The Song is Nearly Over is a memoir by Stuart Bailie, a music journalist and NME Veteran. The book recalls 40 years of insights, interviews & shenanigans.

He talks about the rise of Radiohead and messy times with Oasis. He recalls stories about Nirvana, Primal Scream, The Manic Street Preachers, Tom Waits, Shane MacGowan, Nina Simone, Björk, Sinéad O’Connor and Dave Grohl. The book is his collection of stories and original articles, a record of fast times in popular culture.

I was commissioned to design the cover in 2025. I knew this book needed to be special and eye-catching. I wanted to convey the exclusivity and excitement of the stories inside. After seeing his archive of colourful and unique concert press passes, I knew they would be perfect for the cover. There are these colours and logos that we immediately associate with the artists that they belong to. It also conveys the sheer amount of time and commitment in these artists’ worlds that Stuart experienced.