Originally published on The Film Stage
If you’re a LCD Soundsystem fan and you weren’t at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd, 2011, then I’m sure you caught the shoddy stream of their farewell performance. A DVD of that is planned for a release this year, but a more interesting counterpart will make its debut at Sundance this year.
Directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace followed around frontman James Murphy for a 48-hour period surrounding the band’s last concert and the film that resulted is Shut Up and Play the Hits. We have the first trailer below via EW, which looks to be a gorgeously photographed, intimate look into this slice of Murphy’s life. I’ll be leaving for Sundance in a week and this is high on my must-see list.
Synopsis:
With the release of their debut album in 2005, New York City’s LCD Soundsystem changed the face of dance music, combining equal parts punk, soul, and disco. Their devoted fan base steadily grew, bolstered by Grammy nominations and recognition as one of the best live bands in the world. In early 2011, touring to support their first Billboard Top 10 debut, LCD Soundsystem announced its largest gig to date—Madison Square Garden—and that the concert would be their last ever.
With fly-on-the-wall access, Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace’s concert film captures the final 48 hours of a band in complete control of its destiny. Packed with high-energy farewell performances, narrated by a frank conversation on success and rock stardom between bandleader James Murphy and writer Chuck Klosterman, SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS proves that if you’re hearing about LCD Soundsystem just now, you’ve already missed the party.
Sundance 2012 kicks off on January 19th. Follow our complete coverage from the fest here.
