181. Viva The Underdogs - A Parkway Drive Film; movie review

VIVA THE UNDERDOGS - A PARKWAY DRIVE FILM
Cert 15
74 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very strong language

As tens of thousands of heavy metalists bayed beneath him in one of the biggest mosh pits in the world, Winston McCall struggled to keep his emotions in check
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the Parkway Drive's frontman bellowed as his band wound up their dream festival headliner gig at Wacken in Germany.
Viva The Underdogs is a reflection of how this hard-working Aussie quintet see themselves.
In the past 15 years, they have developed from a group of surfer dudes whose raw act was being played at tiny hall venues.
They have ploughed money, heart and soul into creating one of the most flamboyant live rock acts in the world.
The pinnacle of their efforts was to be headling at the Wacken festival - accepted as the premier metal gig in the world.
Allan Hardy's film is a fly-on-the-wall documentary which goes behind the scenes with Parkway Drive in the year leading up to Wacken.
The build-up is a rollercoaster which has moments of great success and others of jarring failure underscored with money worries.
I am not a heavy metal fan but I couldn't help taking to the band who seem as tight-knit now as when they first started out.
Clearly, they want to be successful financially but they have never taken their eye off creating the best show possible and have an enormous team making that so.
Viva The Underdogs presents interviews with all band members, some of their families and those behind the scenes.
Things go very wrong as well as going spectacularly right as they trail across Europe, back home to Australia and then on to Wacken.
That is a gig I would very much like to have seen live. In just one show, it offers a tale of adversity, family bonding, sharp music, a huge and passionate crowd and stunning stage effects.
Nobody could deny that Parkway Drive didn't deserve the adulation they received as a result.

Reasons to watch: Engaging story of a band's rise to the top
Reasons to avoid: Could have been a bit longer

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Parkway Drive formed in the summer of 2002. The origin of the band's name is from the band's hometown in Byron Bay, Australia. The band would practice in a house garage, named the "Parkway House", on the street named "Parkway Drive."

The final word. Winston McCall: " I think it’s interesting for people to be able to get that perspective of what’s going through our minds and in our lives to put that moment together that you’re experiencing with us either on a record or on a stage — because for what you see of us doing what we do, there’s a lot for us invested in that mentally, physically, and spiritually to be able to have that moment." Consequence Of Sound

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