Paris IFF Review: For the Love of Noise (2022)

Art always manages to divide itself up into scenes and subcultures, with some being difficult to define as they’re offshoots of other genres. After a while some begin to coalesce into a new area and ‘For the Love of Noise’ by Alan Cross and Kevin Hough examines the Brighton experimental music scene as it formed from the late 70s to the present day.

Despite being filmed during lockdown periods where the live scene was not fully operational, ‘For the Love of Noise’ does a remarkable job of explaining the history and nature of what for many will be a very niche genre. There is obviously a very vibrant scene of talented individuals and skilled film makers who have a love for the genre.

The format of the film utilises very knowledgeable talking heads interconnected by a voice over that gives background information on Brighton, and generally holds the thread of the narrative. These contributors also appear to be the major players of the current scene, with some having extensive personal histories within the noise genre, going back to the 70s. While many people would not have heard of this genre before the film makers ease people into the story and establish the scene well, so no prior knowledge is necessary. Obviously, this is standard for documentaries, but for a musical genre such as this there could easily be a barrier to some people engaging and they sidestep any such issue.

So what we get is it engaging and interesting documentary where people discuss their passion and a community of creatives who come together to express themselves. ‘For the Love of Noise’ is highly effective in describing how the scene works, what draws people to it, and then the individual subcultures within the area, whether that be all out noise, free jazz, or more melodic electronica.

There’s a section of the film where it is at great pains to stress that the scene as a whole doesn’t take itself too seriously and aims not to be pretentious. While this is generally true, there are points where the juxtaposition between narration and image make it seem that this isn’t always the case.  It would have been nice at these moments to delve more into the creative process and see how it works in practise. This would have made it clearer as to how the art itself is approached and what choices were made.

Similarly, we don’t get enough detail of the mechanics of the scene and how people approach their work differently, whether that be using synths, instruments, or using old technology in new ways. While this is mentioned it’s at a relatively surface level, and it would have been nice to get more information on circuit bending and repurposing technology, for instance. This may just be me though, as my interest is piqued by the technology itself.

Hopefully there can be an extended version where some of these areas are explored especially as the live scene is now opening up and some of these artists are more accessible. For example, one of the contributors speaks about recording with underwater microphones, but using old instruments in this new format. This would definitely help people understand the nuances and the creativity at work here.

Ultimately, ‘For the Love of Noise’ is a love letter to a thriving underground music scene that many will not know exists.  For that reason alone this should be seen by many, as it highlights the rich variety of culture that is right under everyone’s noses, yet they could easily miss out on something they would enjoy.  Hopefully, this will get the audience it deserves, beyond the Paris IFF.

‘For the Love of Noise’ is currently screening at the Paris International Film Festival.