Oil City Confidential

Julien Temple's 'Oil City Confidential' is the last film in a trilogy about British music culture in the 70's, in this case, legendary pub-rock band Dr. Feelgood. His previous two films - the Sex Pistols docu 'The Filth And The Fury' and 'The Future Is Unwritten' about Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer - have achieved cult status in their own right and 'Oil City Confidential' is bound to do the same.

Like Temple's other music films, OCC is much more than just a documentary about a band and their music. It is a feature-length punk noir documentary that examines the social and cultural conditions of the time. OCC is interspersed with animated montages, a mix of archive and fictive footage, as well as clips from classic British noir films (such as Carol Reed's 'Odd Man Out') - a style that Temple already had used to great effect in 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'. The Film Noir clips were inserted to emphasize the band's rough and tough image. In addition, there are interviews with the band, family, friends and enemies.

For younger readers who might be less acquainted with Dr. Feelgood, here's a little summary: the band (naming themselves after the Willie Perry song) emerged from Canvey Island in Essex in the early 70's. Their unique sound of pub rock, rock n' roll and r & b quickly put them on the map as one of the most energetic live acts around, which in turn earned them a huge fan base. The pulse beat of the band were frontman Lee Brilleaux, who sadly passed away in 1994, and lead guitarist Wilko Johnson, who left the band in 1977 after disagreements with Brilleaux. The remaining band continues to play the occasional concert to this day, whilst Wilko continues to play with his own outfit, The Wilko Johnson Band (please read my Wilko Johnson gig review on Music-News.com).

Back to the movie. 'Oil City Confidential' will no doubt delight both Dr. Feelgood and Wilko Johnson fans. It's the kind of excellent music docu one can expect from the creative genius that is Julien Temple and is a must-have for fans of rock 'n' roll and blues-rock alike. Spiked with an anarchic sense of humour and the usual Temple wit, the movie is a fascinating journey that springs from the imaginary swamps of the Thames Delta and introduces us to the storage tanks and burning towers of its oil refineries - hence the movie's title Oil City…

To quote director Julien Temple: "Oil City Confidential ' is 100% below sea level, Canvey Island Noir."

The film, produced by Stephen Malit, features music by Dr. Feelgood and an excellent soundtrack has been released by Emi Records. It also features the band in its original line-up - Lee Brilleaux, Wilko Johnson, John B Sparkes, John Martin and Chris Fenwick. The film is currently shown with limited bookings in selected cinemas across the country, with a DVD-release expected in late April/early May.