A celebration of the music of the capital
Liz Hainsworth
16:10 4th April 2016

Love music? Love independent film? Think life reaches perfection when you put the two together? Snap. Prepare to be as elated as a five year-old with a cardboard box on Christmas day.

Now, 14 cinematic features will hit London over the next three months as Doc n Roll Film Festival brings Sounds of London to the city’s foremost independent and arthouse cinemas. The festival commits to celebrating the very best, very punk, not so punk and everything in-between in music and film. Featuring Q&As with music-scene aficionados and pivotal filmmakers - you’ll have the chance to ask the director of your new favourite film what gets their creative juices flowing.

With so much to look forward to, here’s six reasons why we will be sitting front row this Spring.

Sounds of London takes place in various venues across the capital, from now until 16 June 2016. Keep your eyes and ears open you don’t want to miss this. Find out more here.

  • 1) ART WILL SAVE THE WORLD: “Someone wants to make a film about me,” says a calm and ponderous voice. “I have a sinking feeling that this is a bad idea.” This 2012 doc offers us insight to the little known world of a prolific and legendary musician and songwriter, Luke Haines as we journey through award nominations to Top of the Pops. Interspersed by the likes of the colourful Jarvis Cocker, writers Stewart Home, John Niven, and more, ‘Art Will Save The World’ is one to watch out for this Spring.

  • 2) THE DAMNED: DON´T YOU WISH THAT WE WERE DEAD: Prepare to be catapulted and slingshot around the proverbial cinematic moon for this one. ‘Lemmy’ filmmaker Wes Orshoski takes on the deep, dark world of The Damned, a psychedelic gothic punk band with 40 years of music service under it’s belt and remarkably has its original frontman, Dave Vanian, intact. But 40 years as a band is no picnic, you’ll see.

  • 3) THE FILTH AND THE FURY: THE SEX PISTOLS: The Sex Pistols - a brand and an iconic whirlwind in danger of being committed to more tee-shirts on our high street than thoughts in our mind. Director Julien Temple takes us back to the beginning as we journey through a resurrection and bold reminder of what ‘The Sex Pistols’ really are.

  • 4) YANGON CALLING – PUNK IN MYANMAR: Under a military dictatorship of oppression spanning 50 years, can the human spirit survive? Filmed in secret over just six weeks, this doc charts the rise of the little known but thriving underground punk scene in Yangon, Myanmar. ‘Yangon Calling - Punk in Myanmar’ promises to not just tell us, but unapologetically demonstrate that the pioneering spirit of punk is alive and still fighting battles for political freedom.

  • 5) TAKEN BY STORM: THE ART OF STORM THORGERSON AND HIPGNOSIS: The Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Muse, Biffy Clyro and Led Zeppelin all have (at least) one thing in common - iconic album covers that created synonymous recognition between music/art, art/music. Meet Storm Thorgerson, the man behind the images that have come to define the visual album-scape of pop and rock.

  • 6) END OF THE CENTURY: THE STORY OF THE RAMONES: Taking its title from the band’s fifth studio album, End of a Century: The Story of The Ramones created by Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia, tracks the formation, fruition and finale of the infamous New York brothers. Some 12 years after it’s creation, this diary-esque record makes it back to the big screen.


Photo: Press