Lost In France (15) FOUR STARS
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BACK in the 1990s, bands like Mogwai, The Delgados, Franz Ferdinand and Arab Strap, to name but a few, led the way in the rising Scottish independent music scene.
They created, under the aptly named cult label Chemikal Underground, a special moment in time that’s lovingly looked back on in Niall McCann’s passionate and highly entertaining documentary.
This unashamedly nostalgic film follows the band members as they meet up for the first time in many a year to recreate a trip they all made two decades prior to the small town of Mauron in France. Most of them don’t remember most of it, just the fact that they all ended up on a bus and they played the music they loved.
Through a mix of talking heads interviews, archival footage (and sounds) and just the group sitting around on the bus or in a pub reminiscing about the good old days, McCann creates an affectionate, enjoyably anarchic exploration of a not-so-quietly revolutionary time in Scottish indie music.
It takes us on a journey using the bands as anchor points, focusing on them one at a time, exploring how and why they made an impact – the catchiness of Franz Ferdinand, the melodically anthemic quality of The Delgados, the primal live power of Mogwai – as well as how the members see themselves looking back at it now.
In one distinct moment, Alex Kapranos is asked if he feels guilty for Franz Ferdinand having the chart success that his fellow bands didn’t. “I know why us,” he bluntly says. “Because we wrote some catchy songs and it was cool. But I do often wonder why not them as well.”
It’s a film that feels more for the people who are already fans of the music, able to mouth along the words and get all the little jokes about the differing styles and idiosyncrasies of the bands and the members within them.
But it’s far too energetic, funny and lively for it to ever be considered boring. What comes through is the sense of friendship that was bonded through their mutual passion for making the music that practically runs in their veins.
Lost In France will be playing as part of the upcoming Glasgow Film Festival (February 15-26). There are still standing tickets available for the first screening on February 21 at the 02 ABC, which will be followed by an exclusive live reunion gig. The whole thing will also be simulcast in cinemas nationwide including Odeon, Empire, DCA, Picturehouse and many more (see local cinemas for details). There will also be a second regular screening on February 22 at GFT.
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