Line up for Summer: The women taking 2016 plus free festival guide

What, you ask, would it look like if you represented the significant number of totemic female stars dominating the big festivals and live events this summer with an illustration? What if that illustration featured Adele, in an ice-cream van, handing ice-cream cones to PJ Harvey, Beyoncé, Carole King, Ellie Goulding, Rihanna and Sia? It’d look like this, of course. Hats off to Jon Berkeley for the great image.

Inside, Laura Barton looks at what has changed in the music industry. Permanent shift, or something else?

There’s also a full supplement containing all you need to know for summer festivals.

Inside we also celebrate a significant event this week when in one of his first acts as a peer, Big Issue chief John Bird invited a host of vendors into Parliament – an excellent thing to do. Vendor Andre Rostant reports, and John himself explains what he wants to happen next.

I also point you towards Damian Barr’s really terrific piece. Dealing with the crisis in the steel industry he folds in memories of his father and family suffering as the Ravenscraig plant closed. Writing to savour.

Our Letter To My Younger Self is with TV favourite Nick Knowles. He’s very open and honest about his shortcomings and his infidelities.

As TV hit The A Word reaches its conclusion, creator Peter Bowker reflects upon what he wanted to achieve around the nation’s understanding of autism.

Our featured vendor on My Pitch is Bob Paul, who sells in central Cardiff. He’s a Spurs devotee and rather pleased with their current position.

I direct Bob – and you – to a piece we carry from David Sumpter on the central role an understanding of mathematics and geometry brings to playing football.

In Scotland, David Torrance assesses the state of play ahead of May 5 elections. Elsewhere, we grill Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan about their plans for City Hall ahead of London mayoral vote. First question – how do you view your opponent’s campaign so far…