Spike Island (2012)

Five teenage friends will stop at nothing to attend a concert by their favourite band, The Stone Roses.

Director:

Mat Whitecross

Writer:

Chris Coghill (screenplay)

Stars:

Elliott Tittensor, Nico Mirallegro, Adam Long

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elliott Tittensor	...	Tits
Nico Mirallegro	...	Dodge
Adam Long	...	Little Gaz
Jordan Murphy	...	Zippy
Oliver Heald	...	Penfold
Emilia Clarke	...	Sally
Orla Poole	...	Rachel
Antonia Thomas	...	Lisa
Robert James-Collier	...	Mr Milligan (as Rob James Collier)
Philip Jackson	...	Mr Jackson
Lesley Manville	...	Margaret
Steve Evets	...	Eric
Terry Christian	...	Interviewer
Billie May Coghill	...	Melissa
Sophia Murphy	...	Amy

Storyline

A wannabe rock band in Manchester hatch a plan to hand-deliver their demo tape to their idols, The Stone Roses, at the band's impending gig at Spike Island. But when their tickets fail to materialize, the gang embarks on a road trip to the concert and is forced to take extreme measures to sneak their way in. Along the way, friendships are tested and their futures are shaped - together or apart.

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Plot Keywords:

band | stone roses | overalls | end credits roll call | sex scene | 

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Taglines:

The story of two bands, one girl and a night they will never forget.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Twitter

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spajk Ajlend

Filming Locations:

Widnes, Cheshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bankside Films, Fiesta Productions, Head Gear Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nico Mirallegro (Dodge) and Jordan Murphy (Zippy) went on the star together in E4's My Mad Fat Diary (2013) playing friends in a group like in this film. Their group also included Ciara Baxendale (Late Girl).

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Goofs

When Ibiza Ste is selecting a song to play on the jukebox, one of the options is "Ten Storey Love Song" by The Stone Roses. This song was released in 1995, but the film is set in 1990, 3 days before the Spike Island gig.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of Spike Island (2013)

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Soundtracks

She Bangs the Drums
Written by Ian Brown & John Squire
Performed by The Stone Roses
Licensed courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd.

User Reviews

Disappointing.

The only reason you would go to see this film is if you're a Stone Roses fan, that much is obvious. Fortunately for the director this is just enough to carry you through a disjointed, underdeveloped and cliché riddled script. The intended demographic is clearly people like me, 40 + year old men who lived through the period and hold dear the Roses and whole Madchester scene. Yet the film plays like a film aimed at teenagers, with set pieces used merely as an excuse to overlay a Roses classic. Although the characters are likable their development is soap opera at best, their dialogue hugely clichéd and dishonest and when the script does enter interesting territory it is quickly dismissed to cover another bullet point on the 'coming of age movie' tick list. The Stone Roses reformation has been such a wonderful thing for thousands of fans all over the world. This film actually annoyed me as it belittles real emotion and makes honest affection appear contrived.