Still Pushing Pineapples

Phenomenally successful in the 80’s a particular lineup of Black Lace and the song Agadoo went supernova in the charts and a fixture of weddings and parties. As terrible as it is, the song had the hooks to get even the most curmudgeonly out of their seats and onto a dance floor.

Black Lace the band has a complicated history. However this documentary mostly puts that to one side, concentrating on the sole surviving original member, Dene Michael.

The past however is present as the film opens with Dene visiting the grave of the late Alan Barton his Black Lace band mate and friend.

But for the most part director Kim Hopkins follows Dene Michael around the country gigging while looking after his 89 year-old mother Anne and his relationship with Hayley. The trappings of his former fame are not much more than his Bentley and the heartfelt recognition he receives when the performs the songs.

As welcome as it is, it’s the source of some frustration as Michael is confident that he has more to offer as a composer and singer. The film providers ample proof that he can sing and compose, not that many in the audience are ready to let him escape his past.

For old times’ sake he takes his mother and Hayley on a camper van trip to Benidorm where Black Lace were a triumph at the height of their popularity. That is presented through old VHS tapes. It’s a long journey and the heat begins to take its toll on Anne and there’s a hint of tension with Hayley.

For the most part the documentary does just that documents Michael’s current life and expectations. A kind jovial man who takes the rough with the smooth, optimistically hoping for a break away from that song.

For those looking for something more salacious, with a delve into the background of band, how they went from a foursome to two to one (though it is more complicated than that), there’s not much. Though Dene provides a summary of the band’s history and the line-up of the band he was involved with.

As much as this is a film about Michael, Hopkins’s also casts her camera over Northern working people and the escapism that pubs, clubs and bingo provide from either a dreary job or the harsh realities of ageing. The harsh truth is that Michael’s core audiences are getting on and inevitably dwindling.

On the face of it, Michael doesn’t have much in common with the late, great rock guitarist Jeff Beck. But Beck for all that he tried, and the subsequent critically acclaimed music he produced, never shook off his 1967 hit, (and party favourite) Hi Ho Silver Lining. Dene Michael must know how he felt.

Still Pushing Pineapples will be in UK cinemas from 28 November 2025.