Lost In France

Filmmaker Niall McCann follows up his documentary about Luke Haines, Art Will Save the World, with this loving portrait of rock outsiders, following the rise of Glasgow label Chemikal Underground and culminating in a where-are-they-now reunion of the labelmates in 2015.

"Entertaining in the extreme..."

Back in the late 1990s, a collection of musicians from Chemikal Underground Records hired a bus and headed off on a road trip to a town in rural France to play a one-off gig. Now they are heading back to relive the experience. Included in the group are The Delgados, who launched the label in 1994, Franz Ferdinand’s frontman Alex Kapranos, guitarist/singer RM Hubbert, and Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai. Lost in France, in exploring a small moment in Chemikal Underground’s history, defines what has made the label and its acts so adored by fans around the world.

Entertaining in the extreme, these musicians are great fun to hang out with and the stories which emerge (including drunken shenanigans where one band is set on fire) are just some of the joys of McCann’s film. Shot by Julian Schwanitz (Where You’re Meant To Be) there is also a lovely contemplative theme to the proceedings as everyone mulls over the memories and the times past.

This screening will be followed by a live satellite performance from The Maurons; a Chemikal Underground supergroup comprised of Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand), Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), RM Hubbert, Emma Pollock and Paul Savage (The Delgados).