Jumbo's favourite music documentaries

Sympathy for the Devil (1968)

"In Jean-Luc Godard’s 1968 film Sympathy for the Devil, The Rolling Stones are not his primary concern. Godard jettisons his subject, interrogating the political disharmony of late-60's Britain, taking the rock-doc formula to Deleuzian depths.

We flit between the band recording in London’s Olympic Sound studios, a construction site run by Black Panthers, an interview with a woman named ‘Eve Democracy’ in a park, and a fascist-run sex shop in which we’re subjected to readings from Mein Kampf. Its structure is as fragmentary as the times, our times, all times. Sympathy for the Devil is a documentary, a fiction, a Marxist polemic and an experiment. An experiment that forever creates, annihilates, comes into being and passes away. Like cinema.

Two years later, Jagger would go on to star in Nicolas Roeg’s masterpiece Performance - a film that shares Godard’s revolutionary spirit. Both films make for a riot-inciting double-bill. Make it happen, Picture House!" - Jack.

Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out (2006) 

"Picture the scene, Stuart Copeland (the drummer in The Police) was an avid photographer and amateur cinematographer too, often seen onstage and backstage with his Cine 8 and Super 8 cameras and years and years after The Police split he was asked what he did with all the footage he took. What Stuart decides to do with the 50 odd hours of footage is make a film plotting the very beginnings of a band, through to their stellar accent conquering America, England and finally the planet and then finally their break-up. When I first saw it I felt as if I was taken on a wild ride though a journey of intimate footage and very human interactions, I felt as if I was really THERE with them. Now of course with Peter Jackson’s Beatles Doc or Chris Smith’s Wham! Film this style of music film is much more common but I feel as if Stuart Copeland really created the space for this kind of film. Even if you’re not a fan or haven’t even heard of The Police beyond Roxanne, I think it would appeal to anyone who wants to experience what it’s REALLY like to be a band propelled into super-stardom. A gripping watch that leaves you rooting for them all the way." - Matt.

You're Gonna Miss Me (2005)

"A very sad film about psychedelic pioneer Roky Erickson of 13th Floor Elevators, covering his rise to fame, LSD use, struggles with schizophrenia and his descent into poverty, living in isolation as a recluse. It’s not so much of a voyeuristic look at Erickson’s decline than it is a castigation of the failures of the American healthcare system. Yet, peppered amongst the bleakness are moments of light as Rocky returns to music." - Aidan.

Mistaken for Strangers (2013)

"I saw Mistaken For Strangers at Hyde Park Picture House when it was released back in 2013. It’s a tour documentary of The National directed by Tom Berninger (Matt’s brother). With a complete absence of reverence for the band, the film is insightful, chaotic and super fun. It's also a touching study of the relationship between the rock star older brother and his underachieving sibling. I think it’s the only music documentary I've seen where the person making it is sacked during the making of it for over-sleeping!" - Nick.

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

“Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a documentary directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson about a series of six concerts that took pace as part of the Harlem Cultural Festival in the summer of 1969  that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. It features footage of electrifying performances for the likes of BB. King, The Staple Singers, Sly & The Family Stone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Nina Simone and many more. The documentary captures the spirit of the event in an almost visceral way – the artists all sound sensational, and there is a palpable feeling of exuberance from the audience and the performers alike. Bringing things up to date, there are touching interviews with some of the artists who recall their experiences performing and Questlove educates us on the societal context for the concerts juxtaposing the joyous celebration within the injustice and unrest faced by the Black community at the time." - Nick.  

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

"Like Nick, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is one of my favourite music documentaries, but one I feel eternally grateful for is Searching for Sugar Man. It introduced me to one of my favourite musicians, Rodriguez. It seems baffling that I didn’t know him before because it feels like he should have been held in the same regard as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. However, as the film reveals, for much of his life he had shockingly little commercial success in America. Thankfully, this Oscar-winning film helped to raise his profile.

Rodriguez’s story is a fascinating and inspiring one for artists because, while he was a nobody in America, he was practically a saint in South Africa – bigger than Elvis Presley and he even had a big impact in inspiring people to speak up against apartheid. This is one brilliant aspect of the power of music depicted in the documentary – the power to ignite change. Passion for music can also bring such great drive and motivation, just as it did for the South African fans in this documentary who undertook thorough detective work to try and uncover the story of Rodriguez. They had to dig into song lyrics for clues because, despite his popularity there, Rodriguez was a mysterious figure to his South African fans. Rumours even developed about him committing suicide on stage when he was really back in America unaware of his overseas fame. So, it’s definitely a film I’d recommend to unjustly small bands who can hopefully convince themselves after watching that even if they’re not popular here and now, maybe they will be in a different country or a different time." - Martha.

Crass: The Sound of Free Speech is showing at HPPH on Fri 21 June at 6pm with a pop-up Jumbo record shop and a live director Q&A. You can find out more and book tickets here.