A while back I wrote about Heavy Load. I also plugged their APT FILMS documentary. It has its world premiere in Austin, Texas as part of the SXSW Film Festival. Heavy Load are Brighton`s answer to the Ramones, a punk outfit subject to the combustible flux of ego, ambition, fantasy, expectation and desire that fuels any emerging band. But they’re also, uniquely, made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities, which gives their life as a band some added complications. A feature length rockumentary with some unexpected twists, Heavy Load tells the story of a year in the band’s life. The film finds the band members negotiating two different worlds: on the one hand the institutional timetable of day centres, work placements and social workers; on the other the anarchic slacker life of rehearsal rooms, studios and gigs. Home life and band-life; from invisibility to stardom of a sort and back again. Heavy Load captures the excitement sweat, grime and romance of being in a band through the eyes of a set of unique characters. And it shows that disability doesn’t have to be about bleeding hearts and triumphs over tragedy -– it can rock. Heavy Load is directed by Jerry Rothwell and produced by Al Morrow, Jerry Rothwell & Jonny Persey of  APT Films

The feature film's for this year's South By South West (the film and music festival in Austin Texas) have just been announced and the film about Heavy Load has been selected to have its world premiere there next month. The film is showing in the 24 Beats Per Second category which is all feature length music documentaries.
 
Check out their myspace for an exclusive cover version of our song 'We're in a film'  by the lovely Alice Russell (Quantic Soul Orchestra)

 "I love what you've done" Kylie Minogue
 "Heavy Load are fantastic" Jo Wiley
 "Heavy Load are pure danger" Mat Fraser
“A triumph of disfunctionalness” Wreckless Eric

The band run the Stay Up Late Campaign  demanding equality for their fans and for people with disabilities world wide who DONT want their  evenings entertainment, whatever that may be, cut short by a staffing rota dictating they must be taken home against their will.
 
More information on the Heavy Load myspace and their website

hesterglock.com has an article I wrote about the mighty Heavy Load, who, believe it or not, I played with many moons ago as well as a review of their album The Queen Mothers Dead.

Photos by  Morgan White, Kim Williams Radek Hlavacek and Kate.

Keep on burnin`..............................paulh