Spike Island

Stylish with good acting, but unfortunately telling a story that isn't particularly interesting or original. A bunch of people have a concert be a life-changing experience - the point at which they move on with their lives. Yay.

Two films taking place in parallel here. One pretty good one about a gang of friends trying to get to a gig, really embedded in the music and attitude of the era, and the other is a sub-Ken Loach drama with hardship and misery at every turn. The two don't mesh at all, and really detract from each other. The original songs by Ash's Tim Wheeler (among others) do a great job of evoking the sound of the time and place.

Spike Island was a film I was looking forward to following the amazing experience of seeing The Stone Roses at Heaton Park. I hoped this film would feel relatable and give me feelings of nostalgia. Sadly however other than the music, the wrest of the film had little effect on me. I didn't find the characters particularly engaging and it wasn't as funny as I'd hoped. If the film focused more on the experience of the concert rather than the shenanigans of getting there it would of been more fun.

Lads road movie.