''Vinyl'' is a 2012 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

written and directed by

Sara Sugarman Sara Sugarman (born 13 October 1962) is a Welsh actress and filmmaker whose work includes Disney's '' Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'' (2004) and '' Very Annie Mary'' (2001). She has also appeared in films including '' Dealers'' (1989) and ...

. It is based on the true story of Mike Peters and

The Alarm The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales, in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977, under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the band soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh languag ...

who in 2004 released the single " 45 RPM" under the name of a fictitious band "

The Poppy Fields The Poppy Fields were a fictitious teenage group, invented by the Welsh rock band The Alarm. The Poppy Fields scored a hit with the release of " 45 RPM" that would become The Alarm's first hit in over a decade. Mike Peters revealed the truth on ...

". The film features a number of past pop and

rock stars Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

in cameo roles, such as Steve Diggle (

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

Jynine James Jynine James (born Janine Bellis; 30 March 1972) is a Welsh actress and singer. Biography Born in Wrexham, North Wales, James is a former convent schoolgirl who became a photographic model in the early 1990s working for corporate companies su ...

, Mike Peters and Tim Sanders (The City Zones), along with the actors

Phil Daniels Philip William Daniels (born 25 October 1958) is an English actor, musician and singer, most noted for film and television roles playing Londoners, such as the lead role of Jimmy Cooper in ''Quadrophenia'', Richards in '' Scum'', Stewart in '' T ...

, Keith Allen,

Perry Benson Perry Benson (born 9 April 1961) is a British character actor best known for his regular roles in British television sitcoms ''You Rang, M'Lord?'' (1988–1993), '' Oh, Doctor Beeching!'' (1995–1997) and ''Operation Good Guys'' (1997–2000). ...

Jamie Blackley Jamie Alexander Blackley (born 8 July 1991) is a British actor. He is known for his role as Adam Wilde in the film '' If I Stay''. Biography Blackley was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, and was raised in London, England, with his father Martin, m ...

and

Julia Ford Julia Ford (born 7 August 1963) is a British actress, voice actress and director. Early life She was born in Chester, Cheshire and grew up in Sutton Weaver. She attended Helsby County Grammar School. Career Her acting work includes theatr ...

. ''Vinyl'' has a

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

written and performed by

with Mike Peters,

and Keith Allen all making contributions. Filmed mostly on location in

Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd''). To the we ...

, it features many local attractions and features. Despite being a USA production the cast is totally British with many of the actors having connections to North Wales, particularly Rhyl. The cast also includes many past members of The Rhyl T.I.C. (Theatre in the Community) which at the time of filming provided many of the younger cast including members of the fake band, the auditionees, security guards, music business employees and of course the fans. The local community of Rhyl also provided location venues in which the crew could film such as The Rhyl Pavilion, Robin Hood

Caravan Park Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

Glan Clwyd Hospital Glan Clwyd Hospital (Welsh: ''Ysbyty Glan Clwyd)'' is a hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales. It is managed by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. History The hospital, which was built with six operating theatres at a cost of � ...

and The Bistro night club. This allowed the film to stay close to the original true story and have the feel of an authentic biog picture.

Synopsis

The film follows the fortunes of washed-up punk rocker Johnny Jones (

) and his attempts to make a comeback into the British

music charts A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

. After a drunken session with his old bandmates, Johnny records what he feels could be a hit. However, faced with record company executives who no longer see him or his music as relevant, he hires a group of fresh-faced youngsters to film a

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...

in which they mime to his music. The result is a

record contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

and a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

racing up the charts. All goes well until the real band decide they want more recognition for their work. Due to a conflict between Minto, played by Keith Allen, and Johnny Jones, it is not long before the truth is exposed. Suddenly, the media focus is back on Johnny and his fight for equality in the music business. This leads to a comedic finale and a heartwarming ending.

Cinematic release

*US Limited release April 2012 *UK National release 15 March 2013

Awards

* Winner of

The Valley Film Festival The Valley Film Festival (VFF) is an annual independent film festival held in the San Fernando Valley of northwestern Los Angeles, California. The VFF is a venue for new independent work by Valley residents as well as American and international f ...

"10 Degrees Hotter" Award for Best Feature

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1703923 2012 films British comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films