As a passionate music enthusiast who has spent countless hours immersed in the rich tapestry of tunes, I can confidently say that “Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands” is an absolute must-watch. This documentary is not just a celebration of Scottish women in music, but a poignant reflection on the struggles and triumphs of these visionary artists who dared to break barriers and challenge the status quo.
“Blair Young, who is closing the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Wednesday night with his film made alongside Scot Carla J. Easton, expresses that he hopes it will be deemed outdated or unimportant in five years’ time,” (or simply) “Blair Young, closing the Edinburgh Film Fest this Wednesday, hopes the film he made with Carla J. Easton will seem outdated in five years.”
The documentary titled “Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands” was chosen as the closing night film for the festival. Essentially, it’s a heartfelt tribute to the music created by Scottish women. Spanning from the ’60s right up to the present day, this documentary highlights visionary artists – many whose stories have been forgotten by history – who rose through Scotland’s music scene in an effort to shatter barriers.
The document showcases a lively and joyful atmosphere, yet it frequently offers a grim perspective on the persistence of male dominance within the field and the nonchalant way many men treated women with disrespect throughout the 20th century.
Young expresses her hope that the film will eventually act as a nostalgic symbol of times past. “I’d love for viewers to carry an amazing soundtrack away, but I also want them to think, ‘It’s crazy they had to make this documentary back then.’ If you look at the music industry today, it’s still quite uneven who gets to release records. So my dream is that the norm will become equal representation of women in bands.”
Initially, the documentary was more like a self-made endeavor, as Easton shared with The Hollywood Reporter. In 2016, they joined forces and began casually interviewing female musicians who had previously gained recognition.
Easton, who has a history in art and has been producing music for nearly two decades, commented: “We began discussing the portrayal of girl bands in music videos, then realized, ‘Actually, there haven’t been many girl bands in Scotland.’ This sparked an idea for both of us, almost like someone should create a movie about this situation.”
From the 60’s duo The McKinleys to The Ettes, Strawberry Switchblade, Sophisticated Boom Boom (later known as His Latest Flame), Young and Easton span a wide range of bands. They give voice to the women who fronted Scottish groups like The Twinsets, Sunset Gun, Hello Skinny, Lung Leg, Melody Dog, Sally Skull, and The Hedrons, all of whom have previously shared their in-depth stories so rarely.
Ultimately, with support from fans via Kickstarter, filmmakers managed to obtain additional funding and uncovered old footage of young women musicians. Some of these women had been compelled to leave their careers due to concerns by music labels that they might become pregnant and disrupt a recording contract. The topic of motherhood and its impact on a music career forms a crucial part of the documentary’s narrative.
Easton expressed her puzzlement about diving into the topic, stating, “I’m at a loss as to where to start dissecting this.” She further clarified her stance by saying, “It seems you’re making the presumption that every individual with the capacity for childbirth desires to do so. However, I aim to empower female musicians through my project Since Yesterday. Regrettably, our film suggests that success is confined, not because of one’s talent or music, but due to personal factors. Rather than focusing on girl bands that have arisen since 2010 to 2020, I wanted to emphasize that any significant change is self-initiated and rooted in the community – it starts from below, not above.”
One of the ’80s pop duo Strawberry Switchblade’s songs, specifically “Trees & Flowers,” has gained significant popularity on TikTok. This single has been used in approximately 200,000 videos. Easton exclaims, “I mentioned this last week!” The song has garnered millions of views. We had a private screening, and I shared my excitement, saying, “You two have gone viral on TikTok!” They were surprised, and I advised them to leverage this newfound popularity, suggesting they could potentially benefit financially from it.
However, the question still lingers – what was their response when they learned that the EIFF would be closing? Young expresses, “We’re somewhat speechless,” while Easton admits, “To discover that our film was chosen as the closing piece for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, one of the oldest film festivals globally, it felt like, ‘Something bad is going to happen at some stage’… The main impression you’re left with is, ‘Wow, people either truly adore these bands or are deeply curious about them.’ And that’s incredibly uplifting because let me tell you, it’s incredibly challenging being a woman in the music industry now.”
In poetic terms, “Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands ” serves as a “warm welcome back” as it concludes the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF). Young expressed, “There were other festivals that could have been possibilities. However, when considering them thoroughly, whether we were accepted or not, never seemed fitting. Instead, the homecoming as a home debut felt like the most suitable choice. Moreover, Scotland has a deep-rooted love for music, and this presents an opportunity to enjoy films and listen to even more music.”
On October 18th, the documentary film “Since Yesterday: The Untold History of Scotland’s Girl Bands” will be screened in UK theaters. This production is backed by Forest of Black, funded through Kickstarter Crowdfunder, Screen Scotland, and BBC Scotland.
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2024-08-21 17:25