There is some depressing news in this beautifully-made documentary on the Scottish record label Chemikal Underground. It seems 1997 is now sufficiently distant to be viewed in the same sepia shades we might use when considering La Belle Époque. Chemikal was the indie force that brought us such off-centre bands as Mogwai and Arab Strap in the lead up to the millennium. Only the legendary Postcard Records occupies a comparable position in the history of Scottish music.
Niall McCann, who made an excellent documentary on Luke Haines entitled Art will Save the World, structures his film around a journey back to the site of a French festival where, in 1997, some of the Chemikal slate had their Woodstock moment. As you might expect, memories of financing and transport arrangements are sketchy.
Given the tales of excess, it is a small miracle anybody remembers the Mauron event ever happened. Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand (not a Chemikal band) is around to flavour the muddy memories with Guardianista celebrity.
The film is assembled with great skill. Cara Holmes and Nicky Gogan edit concert footage, nostalgic chatter and travelogue material into a seamless package. McCann has (I assume) ploughed through hours of footage to present a coherent lament for a distant Eden.
Lost in France (shout out to Bonnie Tyler for the title, by the way) does, however, feel aimed squarely at the already converted. There is less of Arab Strap than some Chemikalistas would have liked, but healthy helpings of Mogwai's post-punk prog will compensate nicely.
Those unfamiliar with the sound will search in vain for entry-level admission. Those actively hostile to rockist ideology may squirm when Tam Coyle, manager of Arab Strap, complains that Taylor Swift, rather than some rock thing, now appears on the cover of the NME. Some of us felt that the NME lost its soul when, a few years before the ‘97 idyll, it became the house magazine of indie music. Oh well. That’s an argument for another day. Heartily recommended for enthusiasts.
