The Grapevine: Fri Jan 29

Keep your eyes glued to the screen as Rip It Up Digital brings you up to speed with the latest music news from around the world.

Thunderstruck

Marvel Pictures and Columbia Records announced this week that the soundtrack for the Iron Man sequel will be made up completely of AC/DC songs between 1976 and 2008. Like we needed another Acca Dacca greatest hits compilation, right?  The Iron Man 2 soundtrack will feature all your favourites like Highway To Hell, Back In Black, T.N.T. and Thunderstruck, and a new video has been shot for the 1980 song Shoot To Thrill.

“Music is an integral part of the Tony Stark and Iron Man experience, and we are pleased that Columbia and AC/DC are taking part in the franchise’s phenomenon,” said Tim Connors, Marvel Studios’ Chief Operating Officer.

Back On The Horse

You may have heard recently that Babyshambles frontman and every-day upstanding citizen Peter Doherty was in court defending himself over some driving charges last December. You may also have heard that as he was leaving the courtroom 13 wraps of heroin fell out of his pocket and he was immediately arrested and charged with possession.

On Wednesday, Doherty was fined $1,400 for his unsurprising act of idiocy and told by the presiding judge that “either this was sheer stupidity or a ploy to get more publicity”. At $1,400 a pop, he’d be better off hiring a publicist.

Little Women…and Pigmen

Oddball American rockers Of Montreal have a penchant for the quirky and bizarre. But who would have thought A-list Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon would be a fan? At a gig in New York on Tuesday night, Ms Sarandon joined the multi-membered band onstage for a bit of a dance and joined in on the \ antics by spanking a couple of pigman dancers with a ruler. It’s like a scene from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Check it out:

Battle Royale

New York math rockers Battles are working on new material for the follow-up to their highly acclaimed debut album Mirrored. The band, which features former Mark of Cain drummer John Stanier, have found themselves a recording space in one of New York’s more unsavoury locales.

“Where we are is really seedy,” guitarist Dave Konopka explained to NME. “It reminds me of old school Midnight Cowboy-era New York. Most of that area has been Bloomberged into consumerism, ESPN zones and Broadway shows, but on the outskirts there’s little pockets of vice. We’re playing right above a jack shop.”

Short, Sharp and Shiny

Local boys The Shiny Brights are on the campaign trail for their sophomore EP Too Many Chiefs and have been out and about spreading the word. They even recorded a snappy promo video for it, which you can check out below. Too Many Chiefs is due to drop next month. In the meantime, a new remix for Triple J-approved track Electric Tigerland has just surfaced on their MySpace. Have a listen, if you’re into that sort of thing. Shit yeah!

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