In spite of still being at the peak of their popularity, in the February of 2011, LCD Soundsystem announced the date of their last ever show – 2nd April 2011. Tonight, Shut Up and Play the Hits, a documentary that chronicles that show, as well as the day following it, opens at select cinemas around the country.
The instantly sold out, near four-hour extravaganza did just that, moving the thousands in attendance to tears of joy and grief, with NEW YORK magazine calling the event “a marvel of pure craft” and TIME magazine lamenting “we may never dance again.” SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS is both a narrative film documenting this once in a life time performance and an intimate portrait of James Murphy as he navigates the lead-up to the show, the day after, and the personal and professional ramifications of his decision.We recently spoke to the directors of the film, Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern (who were also responsible for the Blur documentary No Distance Left to Run) about the film, the artifice of making a documentary and using feature film-quality cameras to make a documentary.
Shut Up and Play the Hits in cinemas from 4th September. DVD and exclusive items on preorder can be purchased here www.shutupandplaythehits.com.
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We also spoke with former LCD Soundsystem front-man (or indeed, the entire LCD Soundsystem, depending on how you look at it) James Murphy to find out what he thought of the film. Check out his answers below.
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Shut up and Play the Hits is out in UK cinemas today!
