Quench
24 Hour Party People
Pistols on Mondays
By Sofie Jenkinson
Every so often you stumble across a film that manages to perfectly capture an entire slice of life. The spirit of Manchester circa ‘76 to ‘92 simply oozes from 24-Hour Party People in every way; fantastic for both enthusiasts of the era and for those who haven’t got the foggiest idea what is was all about.
It takes you on a journey from the infamous Sex Pistols gig of 1976 all the way through the stormy seas of Factory Records up until 1992. It paints a fabulously accurate picture of the life and times of all concerned, from Tony Wilson, to Joy Division, the Happy Mondays, and the emergence of New Order. It creates a context in which to understand the music which surrounds us in Britain today, as well as the industry in which it operates.
Michael Winterbottom, Steve Coogan, John Simm et al. do a cracking job of doing justice to this colourful and explosive true story; from punk to Britpop (via the rave scene in the Hacienda) in quite a few, not very easy steps.
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