On April 2nd 2011, LCD Soundsystem played its final show at Madison Square Garden. Documenting this once in a life time performance and an intimate portrait of James Murphy as he navigates the lead-up to the show, the day after, and the personal and professional ramifications of his decision.
You'll need to be a fan to sit through the 108 minutes without glancing at the clock, but Murphy at least has more to say for himself than the average rocker, and he has a very cute dog, too.
An elegiac documentary covering the last 48 hours of the band, it’s an engaging portrait of a frontman unwilling to play the rock star.
Analytical, detailed, yet also heady and wistful – the documentary’s qualities reflect LCD’s most prominent characteristics and make it a fitting tribute to a band that has somehow becomes emblematic of our times.
Southern and Lovelace skilfully interweave footage of the wondrous, thunderous racket of the gig with Murphy’s morning-after reflections on why he bailed out at the height of his success.
A great concert movie framed around a substantially less enthralling interview.
This is the end of a band, not a career. You wonder if they needed to treat the death of a party with such reverence.
Likeable, deadpan and refreshingly self-aware, the inner turmoil and obvious regret of the ageing hipster makes this not only a sad farewell to a great band, but to life as Murphy knows it.
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow on Tuesday September 25, 2012. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/
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