SLADE IN FLAME

In 1975 glam-rock band Slade were very big in the UK, but instead of cashing in with a crowd-pleasing film along the lines of say 'A Hard Day's Night' they made this gritty warts-and-all attempt to depict the reality of the music business.

It's about a fictional band called Flame (played by Slade naturally).

After some nice comedic moments early on when they are unknowns they attract the attention of a promoter / manager (played by Tom Conti, always watchable) who's not at all interested in their music but sees their potential to generate cash. 

They soon hit the bigtime and the film then takes a surprising turn when their first manager (a nasty bit of work) crawls out of the woodwork because he wants a slice of the action.  He is quite prepared to use violence to get his way, and so Conti decides he's had enough and he hands the band back.  

It's a pyrrhic victory though because unbeknownst to both managers Flame has fallen apart due to festering tensions within the group.  And at this point the film ends rather abruptly, just as I was getting into it.

Dramatically speaking it's all a bit thin.  I wasn't convinced that the band had anything to complain about given that they have adoring fans (mainly young girls) throwing themselves at them, and that moneywise they're not getting ripped off by Conti (which is what I might have expected).

So I don't agree with Mark Kermode that this film is 'the Citizen Kane of British pop music films' but if you were into Slade then this film is a must-see.  

Glam-rock was never my thing but at the risk of damning with faint praise the music here is quite decent even if not always shown to best advantage.  And the band deserves some credit for aiming for something different and genuine.

RATING: x Curb Your Enthusiasm