Film Review: Shut Up and Play the Hits

Director: Dylan Southern and William Lovelace

LCD Soundsystem were a band that I'd always liked and listened to it but it was really kicked up a notch when hearing the song All My Friends, the full version is a 7 minute crescendo of clever lyrics and of a superb underlying beat that is just so infectious. My window of opportunity to see the band live in concert was squarely slammed shut when the lead singer James Murphy announced that the band would be retiring at their peak with one final 3 hour spectacular concert in Madison Square Garden.

The documentary is based around the 48 hours around the concert intercut with footage of some of their most popular song live from the concert and an interview James Murphy had with Chuck Klosterman. We follow Murphy backstage and for the hours before when he is in his apartment doing his favourite things of making coffee and tending to his dog. We slow begin to get an understanding of how this big dance rock band can end things on their own terms when so few before have managed to do so.

Cover Poster

The opening of the documentary is a strange mixture of the hectic backstage noise before the final gig at Madison Square Garden and James Murphy quietly sorting things out in his flat the day after the gig. It's one of many moments that shows the calm after the storm of the band that has been his life for the last decade finally ending. The only criticism I'd have of the documentary is that the reverence is very apparent throughout and it almost plays like this is the end of everything, Murphy will still go on to work on other projects (like producing for the new Arcade Fire album) but the documentary seems more like a funeral.

Like with much of the work the band does, the focus of the documentary is on James Murphy the frontman who plays most of the instruments for the albums but calls upon numerous musicians at times although this is mainly for playing live. LCD Soundsystem had always been Murphy's vehicle to express himself and he was always seen as a bit of a musical maverick with his alternative funk sound. The film explores his inspirations and ideas behind some of the songs that made them so popular. He also answers the important questions about why he wants to end the band so suddenly and did Daft Punk really play at his house?

3.5/4 Thrilling and beautifully shot music documentary.