V/A--The Wild Weekend
MVD 2004
You'd think with the mainstream's ongoing flirtation in the world of garage/punk/rock n' roll, there would be more DVDs available devoted to bands of this style. Featuring a whopping 22 acts, The Wild Weekend tries to do its part in filling that void. What you ultimately get here is a mixed bag of results, with the highpoints making it a worthwhile pick up for fans of the featured bands and those who prefer the lighter side of the sound, in general.
The Wild Weekend is a film of the three day festival bearing the same name, from Spain in 2003. The event's organizer gives a brief interview at the first of the disc saying it's more about the party to them than the music--that a band hailing from a unique locale probably had a better shot of getting tapped for a slot on the bill than a superior band based out of a more common location. Keeping that in mind, The Wild Weekend certainly succeeds as a party documentary. As a concert film, not so much. It's not that the lineup is bad--practically all of these bands are very good at what they do. Still, for every killer performance there's a generic one to counterbalance it. Lots of crazy costumes in the audience put out a bit of that style over substance vibe purists will grit their teeth over. Hey, everyone on here seems to be having a good time and you're told straightaway that was the chief aim. Whether that translates into a good view for you remains to be seen.
For its faults musically, The Wild Weekend also has some real homeruns in that area. All the bands who play the pre-show parties, The Ulcers, The Flakes, The Fumestones, The Tikitiki Bamboos, Wan Y Los Arrrghs, and Honey & the Hucksters benefit from a lo-fi filmed presentation which makes them come off much rawer than any of the mainstage acts. However, there are two mainstage bands who undeniably deliver some raunch. First, the foxiest gals around the block, the Bobbyteens, get three quick jabs in, former Mummies dude Russell Quan pounding the tubs with the best seat in the house, scopin' out the best seats in the house. Then, there's King Khan & BBQ. This two-piece only gets one song in, but it's a doozie. A little Hasil Adkins rumble and a pinch of Sun flair takes these guys a long way. Honorable mainstage mention goes to Saturn V featuring Orbit for getting the cleaned up stuff done right and the gimmicky Gonuts for keeping with the spirit of the event whilst remaining smartassed. Let's not forget about the go-go dancing troupes and striptease lady who shake their stuff between songs, even hopping up there with a few of the bands. Their fine, skimpily clad selves make things extremely more watchable when the music gets less than inspired.
Really, The Wild Weekend is a toss-up. If you're crazy about any of the aforementioned bands, you'll definitely want it for them. If the garage pop of Southern Culture on the Skids and the Swingin' Neckbreakers is your preferred speed, this DVD could be an absolute goldmine as it features many bands in that same mindframe, though not necessarily in the same league. Should you be looking for the raw sick stuff, keep moving. Prognosis: take a wait-and-see attitude regarding this one.
Score this DVD directly from MVD
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