Good Vibrations
I caught Good Vibrations last night. The film follows Terri Hooley, who establishes the titular record shop on Great Victoria Street in Belfast (nicknamed "Bomb Alley") during The Troubles. It provides an interesting insight into a period and subject I don't know an awful lot about.
One night, Hooley attends a show from a punk band called Rudi, who sing "We Hate The Cops" when the Royal Ulster Constabulary arrive at the performance. As Hooley notes, they ought to have other things to be concerned about. The gig proves a life changing experience and he offers to record the band's single. His new life as a music impresario doesn't impress his communist father who describes the business as "the most rotten industry there is". As the impulsive risk taker who is later dubbed "the godfather of Belfast punk", Hooley is a likeable character. To an extent though, the film glosses over the consequences of his actions, particularly the impact on his relationship with his wife Ruth.
The section where Hooley takes his bands on tour is particularly well executed, highlighting the musical awakening of the young people of Northern Ireland to the exciting escape that punk offered. Another young band, The Undertones, beg Hooley to put out their single. The studio producer informs him that the band have just recorded the best track he'd ever heard there. He hears "Teenage Kicks" for the first time and is transported. Famously, the track then makes its way into the hands of John Peel who took the unprecedented step of playing it twice in a row.
It's strange to think there was a time when being played by a BBC DJ could break a band into the public consciousness. Ultimately success goes to Hooley's head and he finds himself unable to meet his various commitments, eventually separating from his wife and facing financial ruin amidst a backdrop of continuing domestic trouble. Nonetheless, he has his rock star moment in front of 2000 people at the Ulster Hall in a great final sequence. As his father tells him, "Victory doesn't always look the way other people imagine it".
Admit the chaos and conflict in 1970s Belfast, the spirit and ideals of punk rock seemed even more vital for those caught in the crossfire. Good Vibrations will resonate with anyone who has ever found refuge in rock.
One night, Hooley attends a show from a punk band called Rudi, who sing "We Hate The Cops" when the Royal Ulster Constabulary arrive at the performance. As Hooley notes, they ought to have other things to be concerned about. The gig proves a life changing experience and he offers to record the band's single. His new life as a music impresario doesn't impress his communist father who describes the business as "the most rotten industry there is". As the impulsive risk taker who is later dubbed "the godfather of Belfast punk", Hooley is a likeable character. To an extent though, the film glosses over the consequences of his actions, particularly the impact on his relationship with his wife Ruth.
The section where Hooley takes his bands on tour is particularly well executed, highlighting the musical awakening of the young people of Northern Ireland to the exciting escape that punk offered. Another young band, The Undertones, beg Hooley to put out their single. The studio producer informs him that the band have just recorded the best track he'd ever heard there. He hears "Teenage Kicks" for the first time and is transported. Famously, the track then makes its way into the hands of John Peel who took the unprecedented step of playing it twice in a row.
It's strange to think there was a time when being played by a BBC DJ could break a band into the public consciousness. Ultimately success goes to Hooley's head and he finds himself unable to meet his various commitments, eventually separating from his wife and facing financial ruin amidst a backdrop of continuing domestic trouble. Nonetheless, he has his rock star moment in front of 2000 people at the Ulster Hall in a great final sequence. As his father tells him, "Victory doesn't always look the way other people imagine it".
Admit the chaos and conflict in 1970s Belfast, the spirit and ideals of punk rock seemed even more vital for those caught in the crossfire. Good Vibrations will resonate with anyone who has ever found refuge in rock.
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