‘Elephant Days’, commissioned by The Maccabees and Fiction Records, directed by James Caddick and James Cronin, weaves together seven day-to-day stories from the local area, including the band writing and recording their latest album. Themes from their record are echoed in the lives of the characters populating the film. The directors capture the last glimpse of a disappearing generation and celebrate the diversity of a local community in an area undergoing rapid change and regeneration.
In one of the stories, the tailor whose shop is opposite their studio, introduces himself to us for the first time by saying, “whatever it is you do, whether you’re a musician, a tailor, whatever it is, you have to love it”. And it’s that same passion and pride which is at the heart of all of the stories.
Throughout the film a musical score specially created by the band accentuates the mood, featuring elements or songs from ‘Marks to Prove It’.
We’re also shown the rise of the local basketball team The Peckham Prides, the plight of 100 year old institution ‘Arments Pie and Mash’, prayer healing with BB in a church on the derelict Heygate estate, and the work of Richard and Lyla, a couple who spend their time gardening in public and disused spaces in the area. Alongside these snapshots of community life, we see the making of the band’s latest album, the artwork of which is a photo of the Faraday memorial on the E&C roundabout, taken on an evening in the 1960s.
“When we play the new songs live, having the record and the film with it as a document, that’s the celebration,” says Felix. “Playing’ Given to the Wild’ at Ally Pally, knowing what had gone into that album too – that was the congratulations. I hope we will be able to enjoy this in its own way.”
Set to embark on a huge US tour throughout October and then dates in the UK in November and January including two shows at the Brixton Academy, The Maccabees are a band at their peak.
London Film Festival tickets go on sale to the public Thursday 17 September via the BFI website – more info: http://po.st/MBeesEDBFI
See http://www.elephantdays.co.uk/BIOGS-1 for more information on the film’s directors and editors.
