If you’ve ever left a beer barn with your ears ringing with white noise and your shoes sticking to the footpath thanks to the beer-soaked carpet in the pub, there’s a good chance you’ve heard a tune or two by The Angels. Which means you know that The Angels are one of Australia’s greatest pub rock acts. Which means—stay with me now—you’ll be stoked to hear that the new documentary The Angels: Kickin’ Down the Door is hitting Australian cinemas on December 1.
Directed by Madeleine Parry, who also gave us the excellent stand-up special Hannah Gadsby: Nannette on Netflix, The Angels: Kickin’ Down the Door is a deep dive into the long and storied history of The Angels, from their early years on the Adelaide pub circuit, to their rise to the top of the Australian rock scene, the very precipice of international success (the title refers to the notion that while The Angels didn’t manage to crack the US and UK markets, they paved the way for later Australian acts).
Along the way we get some candid insights into the life of a working band, with all the requisite tensions, traumas, dramas, and blow ups. Founding brothers Rick (lead guitar) and John (rhythm guitar) Brewster take centre stage for much of the running time as the film charts there frequently fraught relationship, but for many punters the real draw will be the tales told about the late, legendary Angels frontman, Bernard “Doc” Neeson, the enigma at the heart of both the film and the band.
And then there are the songs: No Secrets, Shadow Boxer, Take a Long Line, and the ridiculously iconic Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? the response to which should be an answer on the Australian Citizenship Exam. Indeed, the hardest part will not be screaming it at the screen when you get along to this one—and you bloody well should.
