ESTIVAL EXPRESS
(Smeaton / USA / 2004 / 89 mins / 35mm / cert 15)
(fri1st+sun3rd-tues5th @7pm /sat2nd @2pm /wed6th-thurs7th @9pm / £4/3/2ttt)
In the summer of 1970, a number of rock bands including the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and Buddy Guy played a series of festivals across Canada. Instead of flying the musicians from show to show, the promoter rented them a train, thus providing the opportunity to relax and jam with their colleagues and maintaining the energy of the gigs between shows. The whole thing was captured on 16mm, with the negative only recently unearthed and the footage
re-assembled using montage and split screen effects truthful to the period.
This is a fascinating, jaw-droppingly candid document from an age before the mass consumption of 'real footage'. The countless knockout performances are undoubtedly fuelled in part by intoxication, but also the sheer passion for the music of all involved. Most documentaries you'll see these days (at least the ones you'll see at The Cube!) carry a marked political sensibility; FESTIVAL EXPRESS provides an antidote to such world-weary feelings yet always resists misty-eyed nostalgia. In the current climate of rock star burn-out and industry meltdown this might be one of the most timely docs of the year.