KSanders writesMovie Review: “Urgh! A Music War”

written by Kyle Sanders

Earlier this spring, I got the chance to see Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami, a candid look into the artistry and personal life of Grace Jones. While the familial moments show a softer, rarely seen side of the iconoclastic singer, it's the inclusion of her live performances in various cities that really sell the documentary (or should I say, "rockumentary"?) about what drives Jones the most: fusing her striking physicality and unusual vocals into performance art.

It showcases both truth in spectacle and soul, the former being what has often defined Jones throughout her career, the latter rarely ever exposed to the public. In other words, there's a context behind the art--what often drives the performer on the stage is something far more persuasive off of it.

Urgh! A Music War on the other hand, does not appear to have any context. A concert film released in 1982, it features over two dozen musical acts widely ranging from punk to reggae, performing around the globe. The lineup is inconsistently arranged, as each artist/group is given one song to perform, aside from The Police (perhaps the most commercially successful of all the acts), who bookend the film with two songs and an encore performance featuring some of the other featured bands.

As far as rockumentaries go, Urgh! doesn't contribute anything new to the medium. There's nothing historically remarkable as compared to the likes of Woodstock, Gimme Shelter, or Monterey Pop. It doesn't provide enough of a showcase for the actual musicians either, unable to flesh out significant artists such as in Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads) or The Last Waltz (The Band). And as pointed out in Jeff Stafford's Streamline article, even the title is a tad confusing, as the so-called "music war" mentioned would suggest a Battle of the Bands-esque event offering some sort of competitive conquest. And while no particular band or artist comes out solely victorious, Urgh! A Music War does triumph in one particular battlefield: nostalgia.

Urgh! is a cinematic time capsule for a sight and sound that's surprisingly still relevant. The cinematography and audio isn't exactly the sharpest, but you can see how the look and sound of these artists resonate in modern acts. For anyone unfamiliar with this lineup, they could easily point out the similarities of established acts of today: Toyah Wilcox of Toyah has CLEARLY inspired the look of Swedish dance artist Robyn, from the brightly colored chili-bowl haircut right down to the Jazzercise-inspired choreography. Wall of Voodoo's use of keyboards and guitars can be similarly heard in post-Millennium artists such as The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. For a film released in the early eighties, it's astounding how pertinent Urgh! is--a fine example of how everything old is new again.

For someone like myself--an eighties baby who grew up a nineties child who transitioned from teen to adult in the aughties--familiar with different eras but not quite an expert on all the genres, Urgh! is a spoils of music. I'm quite aware of those early MTV pioneers (Devo, Gary Numan, The Go-Go's, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, UB40) but not as familiar with some of the underground bands whose legacies have endured (Au Pairs,The Cramps, Dead Kennedys, Gang of Four) and some not as much (Jools Holland, 999, Surf Punks).

It's not uncommon to hear the names of some of these artists listed repeatedly of the Punk/New Wave genre, but to actually see them perform is a completely different experience, and that is what makes Urgh! such a fun film. While The Police might be the big draw (unfortunately their presence was not enough to equal big box office in 1982), it's the performances of Gary Numan, The Cramps, and the late Klaus Nomi that really liven up the set.

Wearing a bright red leather jumpsuit this is less obvious than his brooding grimace, Numan nasally performs "Down in the Park" all the while riding around on a motorized dais that just might have inspired the same throne Emperor Palpatine sits on in Return of the Jedi. Lux Interior's crude charisma is perfectly captured by the cameras during The Cramp's performance of "Tear it Up," as he seemingly performs fellatio on his microphone while his black leather pants barely hang on to his narrow hips. But perhaps the most overly dramatic moment comes from German-born Nomi, introduced from the feet up, decked out in an oversize vest and stark white minstrel gloves, complete with sky blue face paint and black lipstick. Singing the high-pitched "Total Eclipse," he's joined by a band wearing white hazmat suits and backup dancers in skin tight leotards. It's a totally bizarre performance that had me wondering just how the hell the audience was reacting to it all.

And Urgh! A Music War certainly inspires reaction. While sitting in the theater at the Music Box, I realized I was surrounded by an older group of filmgoers who would've been about the same age as the young, angsty concertgoers shown moshing and crowd surfing to the likes of Oingo Boingo and XTC. For every new act introduced there would be loud cheers, and for every finished performance raucous applause. The entire mood really seemed to lift you right out of your seat and transplant you to front of the stage, and for some in attendance, the film probably served as a direct flashback to that bygone era of their lives. If that is the case, then Urgh! A Music War serves its purpose. If the aforementioned "music war" is the battle against the passage of time, then consider Urgh! a winner.

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