Urgh! A Music War exists as one of those concert films that could never be replicated today. Filmed in London and Los Angeles in 1980 and released in 1982, it was bankrolled by Miles Copeland, brother of Police drummer Stewart and founder of I.R.S. Records, and thus includes opening and closing songs by the Police, whom I never quite cared for. It's the meat in the middle that's more palatable: Wall of Voodoo's "Back in Flesh," XTC's "Respectable Street," Gang of Four's "He'd Send in the Army," Klaus Nomi's "Total Eclipse," Gary Numan in his bumper car from the future. The segue from Au Pairs' "Come Again" into The Cramps' "Tear It Up" is one of the most representative examples of the spectrum of sexual frustration ever. Urgh! captures a time when punk and new wave were merging into something exciting and fresh, and both the fashion and the crowd shots converge as a sort of accidental documentary of the time.
Texas Theatre snagged a rare 35mm print of the film, so you best get there one of the two nights and check it out in its big-screen glory. After the Friday screening, make sure to stick around for performances from Peopleodian, After Hours With George Quartz and Nervous Curtains. Tickets are only $8.
