I've just learned from a friend that tickets for Morrissey's next tour went on sale this week - for once, he's playing in my hometown, but tickets were sold out in 20 minutes. It's a bit annoying, I'd have liked to try and get some tickets for a show like that.

But it got me thinking - I don't recall hearing anything about the gig in advance. I don't really keep an eye on official websites or fansites for artists or bands, and nowadays concerts can sell out so quickly. The only music press I take any interest in is the Word.

So what's the best way to find out about upcoming gigs before tickets go on sale?

I went to see Queen + Paul Rodgers at the weekend - a brilliant show, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes their music. It was a sell-out show in an arena full of 10,000 people, with lights, pyrotechnics, everything. One of the biggest and most spectacular gigs I've ever been to.

But weirdly, I was equally entertained by the couple sitting next to me, who got unbelievably excited at various points in the show - the man was like a child who'd got up on Christmas morning to find that Santa had been and brought every toy in the world. It was slightly strange, but a wonderful thing to see, someone so obviously having such a brilliant time.

Which begs the question - have you ever been to a gig where what's happening in the crowd is just as, or even more, interesting than what's happening on the stage?

Over the last week or so, I've watched two recent films inspired by or utilising music from an iconic pop / rock band - namely Julie Taymor's terrific 'Across the Universe', which features a whole range of Beatles songs, and borrows several character names and plot points from Beatles songs; and 'Mamma Mia!', which... doesn't.

'Mamma Mia!' probably isn't a great example of a pop-inspired film / musical, as it's an original story that has a number of Abba songs stuffed in at seemingly random intervals - though it's fun enough, and is more or less what you'd expect.

'Across the Universe' was rather more interesting, following Liverpudlian Jude and American Lucy in the mid-to-late 60s as they meet, fall in love, get caught up in Vietnam and associated anti-war protests, and so on. There are characters called Sadie, Prudence (who arrives through the bathroom window, which would have been a better gag if the point wasn't hammered home immediately afterwards), JoJo, Max (though I don't think we ever find out what he's majoring in, presumably medicine). It makes interesting use of the songs to tell the story, and I think deserves a wider audience.

All in all, it's a better stab at a Beatles-inspired film than the infamous 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', where Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees (amongst others) proved that just bunging a load of popular songs together wasn't enough on its own in order to make a successful film. It's not as bad as some would have you believe, but even when it's enjoyable, it's staggering to think that anyone thought it was a good idea in the first place. The trailer should explain things...

I wondered if anyone had any thoughts or recommendations for other interesting rock and pop-inspired films. Which ones are worth watching? And which should be avoided at all costs?