Music Films to Get You in the Glastonbury Mood
The 2017 Glastonbury Festival is underway in Somerset in the Southwest of England. Touted as the largest greenfield festival in the world, this five-day event is a celebration of contemporary performing arts including dance, comedy and theatre.
But above all, Glastonbury is known as a mecca for live musical performances. Leading pop and rock artists have headlined there intermittently throughout the 70’s and pretty much annually since 1981. Hundreds of acts are set to appear this year with a star-studded line-up that includes Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Lorde, The Pretenders and Radiohead.
Of course, most of us won’t be making the trip to this iconic festival. Whether it’s a lack of funds (I've read tickets are sold out anyhow), or an aversion to large crowds and mud, there are some films out there that bring the British live music experience directly to you. Hopefully one of these selections can fill that Glastonbury void.
Glastonbury The Movie (in Flashback)
In 1993 documentary film makers shot a full weekend’s worth of footage at the Glastonbury Festival. As much about the act of attending the event as it is about the musical performances, this 90’s film was reworked with updated cinema technology and re-released in 2012 as a "flashback". If you want to experience festival culture vicariously, check out this documentary on Amazon Prime.
Tonight You’re Mine
If you prefer your music festival with a side order of mutual attraction, you might want to give 2011’s Tonight You’re Mine a try. It stars Luke Treadway (Attack the Block and Fortitude) and Natalia Tena (Harry Potter and Game of Thrones ) as antagonistic lead singers from different bands set to appear at the Scottish music festival, T in the Park. An impromptu argument results in a wacky scenario intended to force the pair to make nice. As one might expect, 24 hours of unremitting togetherness can go one of two ways.
This movie may be a bit harder to find; it’s available through the Netflix DVD service or can be rented or purchased to download from Amazon.
Frank
In this quirky indie film from 2014, Domhnall Gleeson plays Jon, a struggling musician and songwriter. In a strangely fortuitous turn of events, he joins an experimental pop band led by Frank (Michael Fassbender), a reclusive artist who hides from the world inside a big papier-mâché head.
While Jon works to bring Frank’s musical genius to a wider audience, namely the SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas, Frank’s friends - namely volatile bandmate Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) - question the wisdom of such commercial exposure on Frank’s fragile psyche. You can stream this look at the bizarre side of artistry on Netflix.
David Brent : Life on the Road
Ricky Gervais returns as his alter ego from The Office and it would appear that even after all these years, David Brent still hasn’t let go of his dream of being a successful singer-songwriter. So he plows loads of money he doesn’t have into hiring a mercenary backing band, a reluctant tour manager and scheming publicist in order to play unimpressive regional venues.
All this in hopes of snagging a an elusive recording contract. There are no triumphant festival performances in this one, only Brent’s earnest attempts to get pathetically small audiences to adore him. If you’re a fan of uncomfortably awkward moments coupled with songs that try and fail to be deep and inclusive every time, 2016’s Life on the Road might be your cup of tea. It’s available to stream on Netflix right now.
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
By the time the big outdoor music events like the Monterey Pop Festival or Woodstock came into being, The Beatles had already stopped performing live. But if you’d like to recapture the heady fervor of the Fab Four’s touring days, check out Ron Howard’s documentary The Beatles: Eight Days a Week.
It chronicles the story of those exceptional years on the road and the unparalleled connection between a band and its audience that transformed the music into a phenomenon never seen before or since. This 2016 film can be found exclusively on Hulu.
Please consider sharing your recommendations for British flms that feature musicians in the comments section. Or better yet, tell us about your favorite concert experience!
