Nostalgia has always been what it used to be. Warm and fuzzy reminiscence, a reminder, mostly pleasant, of times past and the legacy that has left he present.
Such is the feeling, warm and fuzzy, but also enlightening and still effervescently entertaining, with the film WHOOPEE BLUES, a brilliant bio-doc of The Conway Brothers, Mic and Jim Conway.
Together formidable, going their own ways no less so, these siblings have every right to the mantle Living National Treasures.
WHOOPEE BLUES is a joyous tribute to the enduring legacy of the Conway brothers, first capturing national notoriety as Captain Matchbox and their timeless contribution to Australian music history.
WHOOPEE BLUES runs two hours. It’s about two siblings who are extraordinary in both physical and show biz survival. It is one of the few films that exceeds (just) one hundred and twenty minutes and ends with you wanting more. Encore! Encore!
Armed with homemade instruments and a larrikin spirit, Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band were mainstays of Melbourne’s alternative music scene in the 1970s. Then came national fame. The Conway brothers also achieved international recognition. And, as this splendid documentary attests, their legacy continues to inspire in diverse and myriad ways.
Film maker Fiona Cochrane interviews both brothers to get insights, recollections and hind-sights and inter cuts with archival footage of both performers, together and on their individual pursuits.
An exuberant pleasure to share in these two extraordinary talents, WHOOPEE BLUES, is the tip of the Antenna.
Antenna, Australia’s leading international non-fiction film festival, this year features 50 of the most creative, thought-provoking documentaries from around the globe, over the course of 11 days, from 6–16 February 2025.
For complete program information and to purchase tickets and festival passes, visit www.antennafestival.org. You’ll be so glad you did.
