The Best Summer
★★★★
Dir: Tamra Davis
VISIT FILMS/LONDON DOCK ‘N ROLL FESTIVAL
“There are no cute boys on tour,” laments Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna at 1995’s Summersault Festival in Melbourne. “What about Pavement?” her friend Tamra Davis suggests. Hanna looks doubtful. “I don’t know about them… they’re preppy!” Made from recently discovered camcorder footage shot for fun by director Davis while accompanying husband Mike D across Australia, 30 years later this travelling circus of backstage fun and on-stage action captures a charmed moment, when alt-rock’s best and brightest navigated the encroachments of fame. Hanna’s presence is pivotal: tasked with interviewing her tourmates, she draws telling insights from Kim Gordon, while Dave Grohl admits “I hate having to talk to the audience”. Then she gets to Adam Horowitz and falls in love on camera. Warm and bittersweet, like all the best summers.
The Best Summer screens at London Doc ‘N Roll Festival October-November. More info HERE.
Get the definitive verdict on all the month's essential new releases, reissues, music books and films in the latest issue of MOJO. More info and to order a copy for delivery wherever you are HERE!
