BBFF23:Mutiny In Heaven - The Story Of The Birthda

Synopsis

The Birthday Party formed in Melbourne in the late 1970s where they quickly rose to become one of the most lauded post-punk bands in the country.

Motivated, ambitious and riding high on their success, the group decided to relocate to London - where a totally different reality awaited them. Scorned by the British music press and unable to obtain more than a handful of gigs the band’s fortunes collapsed as they froze and starved in a series of ever more squalid bedsits and squats.

In London whatever had been going on with punk had finished - and we hated, really hated what we were hearing, and we hated the place and hated the weather and we hated the fact that we had no money. - Nick Cave.

Drug sick, flat broke and suffering from malnutrition, The Birthday Party took their hatred of London and channelled it into a new body of work which demolished everything that had come before them. Their stage shows became closer to auto-destructive art performances than concerts - the band deliberately antagonising and provoking their audience while assaulting them with an apocalyptic maelstrom of sound which belied their deep immersion in the worlds of art, literature and cinema.

Off stage their lives were little different. The story of The Birthday Party unfolds like a demented, absurdist novel - an utterly compelling, often hilarious tale of epic proportions, spanning three continents and five years.
Told in the group’s own words, Mutiny In Heaven brings the band’s story to the screen for the first time. This is a twisted tale of ascent, realisation and implosion whilst dealing with issues of artistic muse, creativity, addiction, fame, interpersonal conflict and the unique relationship between creative vision and self destruction - all underpinned by the dark, wry humour of the individual band members.
Utilising exclusive, incredibly candid interviews, a wealth of rare and unseen
archive, original artwork, unreleased tracks, studio footage, animation and multi
media content - the film is as visually rich as it is narratively riveting.

Mutiny in Heaven screens with short films – see bbff.com.au for more details