Rock n’ Roll Picture Show
Ever wonder what it would be like to go back to a time to when the music scene wasn’t completely saturated with thousands of bands begging you to listen to their music for free online? While some of us refer to this time as the 1990’s, I’m talking about before that. I’m talking about when rock bands were as much a social and cultural statement as they were composers and musicians.
Going on now at the Hackney Picturehouse is the Doc n’ Roll Festival, the ultimate rock and roll film festival for London’s music fans. On now until the 28th of September, check out some of the greatest short films ever made about what it was like to be in a band or even just to live in an age when rock music was much more of a social experiment than a well aimed marketing ploy.
One film being shown tomorrow that gives a fantastic and insightful view of what it was like to live through the many tumultuous cultural shifts that London has experienced over the last century is Julien Temple’s 2012 film London: The Modern Babylon. Temple’s film examines how London, along with the music of the twentieth century, was swept up in the dramatic events that shaped what our society is today. The film features the likes of some of the world’s greatest musicians, from David Bowie and Mick Jagger to newer contributors to London music, such as Lily Allen.
Also on tomorrow is another Julien Temple film titled The Future is Unwritten that seeks to paint a slightly softer picture of punk rock icon Joe Strummer by examining is life all the way back to his younger years when he was still known as John Mellor. Keep in mind that there is more than one film shown on any given night and that although they all generally keep within the theme of the evolution of rock music in a changing world, each film offers its own, unique experience and perspective.
The festival as a whole is bound to be a huge, nostalgic trip down memory lane for those of us who remember watching the moon landing as well as a major source of inspiration for the young and old, alike.
For tickets, show times and a list of all films and directors involved, head over to the Picturehouse website.
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