EDGEPLAY: THE STORY OF THE RUNAWAYS
The rise and fall of the 1970s girl-rock band the Runaways, whose members included Joan Jett and Lita Ford, features rivalries, a domineering manager and a deluge of drugs and alcohol. Made by the group’s second bassist, Victory Tischler-Blue, the film explores the chemistry that made the band such a dynamic act on stage and such a self-destructive “family” off. Also includes previously unreleased songs by Ford and Suzi Quatro.
HANK WILLIAMS: HONKY TONK BLUES
An evocative biography of one of the superstars of the pre-Elvis 1950s, including rare footage of Williams from home movies and in performance, and interviews with his contemporaries, including various members of his band and his second wife. Considering that his musical influence is still felt today, it’s surprising to be reminded that he died at the age of 29.
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KILL YOUR IDOLS
Documentary about New York’s art-punk scene of the late 1970s and the influence of this so-called “No Wave”. Sonic Youth and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are featured.
THE LAST OF THE FIRST
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A fascinating look at American jazz through the memories of members of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, formed in 1973 to give musicians from the big bands of the 1920s and 1930s the chance to play together.
THE NOMI SONG
Andrew Horn’s film pays homage to Klaus Nomi, a German-trained opera singer whose idiosyncratic covers, from arias to pop, made him a fixture of New York’s underground club scene in the late 1970s. His big break came when David Bowie asked him to design costumes and to sing back-up for a Saturday Night Live appearance but Nomi’s own subsequent tour flopped and consigned him to being a footnote in pop history.