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• RIP John Hughes: The Genius Of His Movie Soundtracks Celebrating the music from the definitive 80's films... By David Renshaw on 7 August 2009

  Today is a sad day for film fans the world over. The untimely death of director, producer and writer John Hughes came as a shock to us all and brings back memories of watching VHS copies of The Breakfast Club and the endless repeats of Ferris Bueller's Day Off on the television. John Hughes films are synonymous with the 1980's and have inspired pretty much every teen movie in the past twenty years.

  However, this is Gigwise not IMDB and John Hughes films were not just great stories, they had great soundtracks too. Like the most avid mixtape creator Hughes knew how to blend the tunes around the narrative and held an ability to tie the two seamlessly together. Take Sixteen Candles for example, the 1984 coming of age tale featuring Molly Ringwald. Featuring the likes of 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol, Altered Image's 'Happy Birthday' and the fantastic 'Young Americans' by David Bowie, the soundtrack is both cool and fun showing a strong taste in the alternative but with a strong pop sensibility. The film may have also featured a Spandau Ballet song and inspired a Fall Out Boy track but we will forgive it for those crimes.

  Elsewhere The Breakfast Club, perhaps Hughes best known film, featured a lead single by Scottish band Simple Minds. Rumour has it however that both Billy Idol and Bryan Ferry rejected the opportunity to record 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'. Undoubtedly the high point of these soundtracks is The Pretty In Pink album. The film took it's name from the Psychadelic Furs song which features accordingly alongside The Smiths, Echo and The Bunnymen and the schmaltzy but excellent 'If You Leave' by OMD.

  As testament to how seriously John Hughes took soundtracks, the score for Ferris Bueller's Day Off was never officially released as Hughes felt it did not work as a compilation. The only copies which exist are the ones given to the people who worked in the studio and feature the hit single 'Love Missile F1-11' by Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Hughes had previously shown his love for punk by using 'Blitzkrieg Bop' by The Ramones on the National Lampoon's vacation soundtrack, proving he was a man of great taste.

  Ultimately John Hughes legacy will be in his films, but any aspiring director should also look to his use of music as an example of a man who took full control of a project and reaped the benefits. In the words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. ”

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• Arctic Monkeys Unveil New Material - What Do You Think? Leave your thoughts on the blog... By Gigwise on 3 August 2009

  With new album 'Humbug' set for release on August 24, Arctic Monkeys whet fans' appetite last Thursday night by performing three brand news songs along with a cover of Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand'.

  You can see the performance of new song 'Potion Approaching' and their version of 'Red Right Hand' below.

  What do you think of the band's new material? Post your thoughts by filling out the comment form below...

  'Potion Approaching'

  'Red Right Hand' (Nick Cave cover)

  
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• Who Can Replace Kings Of Leon As The Premier Festival Headliner? David Renshaw looks into the options... By David Renshaw on 3 August 2009

  The Killers and Kings Of Leon. The names roll off the tongue and not just because they begin with the same letter. Pretty much every festival has been headlined by either one or both of them recently and it’s getting boring.

  Obviously festival owners work in such a crowded market they have to book the acts they know will bring the punters in and the Killers/ Kings axis guarantees the £50 Tesco man will be interested. What is worrying however is the lack of competition for these two contemporary giants. Looking across this year’s festival circuit makes for pretty dull reading. Blur reformed and obviously took their rightful place atop numerous bills and Arctic Monkeys are on another level to most indie bands so could probably headline all three nights of Reading/ Leeds were it not for Radiohead. But who else is there?

  Franz Ferdinand only headlined the Leeds and Reading festivals in 2007 because Arctic Monkeys turned it down and their most recent album has been met with muted sales. However, their set at this years Glastonbury as headliners of The Other Stage was a bona-fide success and will hopefully see their stock rise. Elsewhere you have Muse and Oasis who, like Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, operate on another level to most acts around. Both bands have headlined festivals before though so whilst they might break the monotony of Brandon Flowers and the Followills they are nothing risky or new.

  As far as I can see there are three contenders: Kasabian, Bloc Party and Dizzee Rascal. Now before you cough and splutter remember that just two years ago Kings Of Leon were playing on festival bills below the likes of Razorlight. It took a relative punt by Michael Evis for the Nashville boys to establish themselves as a headline band. Riding on the wave of a Mercury nominated third album and a reputation as a mean live band Kasabian must be the most likely to make the next step on the ladder.

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• The Best Single Covers Ever - My Top Ten And why is single artwork often overlooked? By Scott Colothan on 29 July 2009

  We've all read the headlines. 'The Album Cover Is Dead!', 'The Death Of The Record Sleeve!', 'Album Artwork RIP!' and so on. Endless column inches and website space has been wasted by journalists and bloggers spouting their obituaries while anguishing the loss of the “cultural institution” that is the album cover at the supposed grimy hands of downloading.

  Iconic artist Peter Saville, famous for his defining artwork for New Order, Pulp and Suede, even apocalyptically complained last year “We have a social disaster on our hands.” A tad far fetched? I think so.  

  While I love everything about album artwork and don't want them to “die a death” as widely and portentously predicted, if writers are going to waste their time mourning anything then surely it's the physical single cover?

  I won't bore you too much with the stats, but in 2008 the BPI estimated that 95.6% of singles sold were digital in Britain, a number that's certain to rise again this year. Compare that to the measly 7.7% figure which accounts for album downloads and the figures are almost polar opposite. So technically those album purists really don't have much to worry about.

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• Where Have All The Singer-Songwriters Gone? Andrew Almond wonders who will be the next Boss... By Andrew Almond on 28 July 2009

  Last month both Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young headlined Glastonbury to rave reviews. Much was made of the fact that both performers were from the “golden age” of singer/songwriters – a period that saw a plethora of similar artists achieve great success. Such a fact lead me to question, or bemoan, the seeming lack of truly great contemporary singer/songwriters at large today.

  Are there any singer/songwriters of our generation that will achieve the same combination or commercial success and critical acclaim (that both Springsteen and Young have) which will see them headline such a seminal festival in 40 years time?

  It would be foolish to state that there are no contemporary singer/songwriters of talent; there are plenty, but do they have the mass appeal and anthemic back catalogue that will see them reclaimed by a future generation. With the best will in the world it seems unlikely that Devendra Banhart, Sufjan Stevens or Rufus Wainwright will be headlining the Pyramid Stage in 2049. These are not unpopular artists who have have less talent than the likes of Springsteen and Young, but they don't have the tremendous influence. Admittedly the fact that the Glastonbury headliners and other legendary songwriters that are put into the same bracket (Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake etc.) have had such a period to cement their reputations renders any attempt to draw a direct comparison with today's singer/songwriters unfair. But still, the trend at the current time appears concerning.

  Of course the fact the contemporary artists like those mentioned above probably won't have the commercial success of their predecessors doesn't detract from their relevance as musicians, neither does the fact that many of the songs they write don't induce the same fist-clenching euphoria as 'Born to Run' or 'Rocking in the Free World'.

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• If Only I'd Been There: Gigs You Wished You'd Seen In The Flesh Jason Gregory reveals his choice... By Jason Gregory on 23 July 2009

  On YouTube, among clips of skateboarding dogs and Susan Boyle tributes, you'll find an interesting video of a young American band trying to make a name for themselves on the New York music scene. The gig footage, shot with what appears to be a home-made video camera, is grainy; the noise is often muffled; and the darkness which looms over the stage is frequently impenetrable, rendering the band, at times, as good as invisible.

  Yet, even with the technical deficiencies, every second of the 27-minute gig is relentlessly captivating - the sort of spectacle you'd have sold your mother to attend in person.

  The band in question is The Strokes, and the gig was their tiny show at Arelene's Grocery on the Lower East Side in April 2000 – more than a year before the group's debut album 'Is this It' shaped the entire musical course of the current decade.

  Like most people's own experience with YouTube, I stumbled across the footage by chance a couple of years ago. It initially caught my eye because the gig shared the same date as my birthday, but also due to the fact that the accompanying description claimed the set featured four unreleased songs.

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• The 2009 Mercury Prize Nominees Are The Worst Yet Jon Thomson annihilates this year's albums... By Jon Thomson on 21 July 2009

  It seems the old adage rings true, tremendously depressing bad news comes in threes. Yes, the economy is still fucked, swine flu is going to kill us all and just in case anyone was in any doubt that the British music scene was a little more than stagnant, Kasabian have been short listed for the Mercury prize. It’s true! Unbelievably, riding on the back of their poorest album to date (and that’s saying something) the arrogant, over-achieving, under-performing cretins have secured a nod from what was (once) considered a highly respectable awards ceremony.

  What else is on off then? Well, fans of the Latino demo mode on early 90’s keyboards will rejoice as the “euphoric, dance-floor fillers” Friendly Fires sneak themselves a spot on the list. As do Jesus and Mary Ch.... oh no wait, these songs are terrible, must be indoor sunglasses-wearing miserablists Glasvegas.

  The token urban nod goes to Speech Debelle (...?) and the “outsiders” include Led Bib, Lisa Hannigan, The Invisible and Sweet Billy Pilgrim. Aside from Damien Rice backing singer Lisa Hannigan, I haven’t heard anything by any of these but can safely assume that even if their albums consist of recordings of arses being rubbed against various hollowed out wooden objects whilst howling, it’s a considerably better work than 'West Pauper Ryder Lunatic Asylum'.

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• Adam Ficek: Don't Fear, Indie's Future Is Bright Babyshambles' drummer speaks about his beloved genre... By Adam Ficek on 6 July 2009

  Well here I am again and this time around I've decided to have a look into the tea leaves and try to foresee the future of this genre we call 'Indie'

  I reckon we're going pre-Beatles/Elvis rock'n'roll – a time before the shiny days of early pop music when it was the norm for bands and musicians to make their living by touring and more touring. Before the teenage market of pop, and the mass production of recorded music, musicians had to hit the road to earn a living – if you couldn't cut it live, it was over.

  As the 50's crept in it became apparent that there was now money to be earned in other areas. Thus, the growth of the big labels and music model we have today was born. The business men of the time realised that they could make records and all the associated merchandise, and market it to the teenagers. With such high demand for pop music, it was a highly lucrative business. Making records, making bands, selling them - BOOM!

  So what? Forward to today, people aren't buying as many records – load of “sharing” is going on. It's as simple as that. Right or wrong, it's happening. In today's poptastic bubble these diminishing sales are hitting labels hard – the money is drying up! The Big labels are struggling. I might be wrong, but the MP3 sharing world is not the same as the cassette influx of yesteryear.

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• Michael Jackson's Rehearsals Showed A King Desperate To Regain His Crown Just days before his death... By Jason Gregory on 3 July 2009

  On June 25 2009, Michael Jackson fans around the world plummeted into a state of shock and despair following the star's sudden death in Los Angeles. It was a tragic end to a unique pop career, as Jackson's final breathless moments were played out – like so much of his life – under the glare of the media's spotlight.

  We still don't really know what happened, of course. Ever since his brother, Jermaine, announced that Jackson had died of a suspected heart attack, reports have claimed the star's death was altogether more sinister. Drugs, of the sort that aren't readily available over the counter, are said to have been found at the his rented home in Holmby Hills; doctors have been questioned; and, on Wednesday, the Drugs Enforcement Agency was brought in to add weight to the already high-profile investigation.

  But poignantly, for a moment yesterday, this was all forgotten when footage of Jackson in rehearsals for his comeback shows, which were due to begin on July 13 in London, was released exactly seven days after his death.

  If there's one thing Michael Jackson fans have come to learn over the course of the star's career, then it's that you should always expect the unexpected. And so was the case with Jackson's performance of 'They Don't Care About Us', which, over the course of the one-and-a-half minute exert, showed a King desperate to regain his crown.

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• Theoretical Girl's Glastonbury Photoblog Amy Turnnidge on her Worthy Farm experience... By Amy Turnnidge on 2 July 2009

  The quite magnificent Theoretical Girl – aka Amy Turnnidge – braved Glastonbury Festival last weekend and took the time to write a nifty photoblog for Gigwise along the way. Follow her exploits on Worthy Farm below. Meanwhile, Theoretical Girl releases her debut album ‘Divided’ on the 17th August through Memphis Industries, preceded by new single 'Red Mist' on the 10th August – make sure you buy both by the bucketload.

  
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