Time to look back in affection rather than anger to the time of Brit Pop – and for one talented outsider, the lure of the ‘Smoke’ is about to be both a blur and an oasis in the new British Indie drum ‘n bass drama PURPLE BEATZ.
Sarah-Jane (Izzy Jones) comes up from Bournemoth to try and make her mark as a wanna-be starlet in London and before long finds her beat and feet working in a record store, where she demonstrates her evident vocal talents honed back on the South Coast. With her best friend Extra (Aleysha-Jade) helping to keep her focused on the path to stardom, it seems such a straightforward moment.
However, ambitious and ruthless music producer Russell Douglas (Aron Van Andrian) has other plans to use her voice to redefine the drum ‘n bass scene he is presiding over. Before long, the enticing world of underground clubs and pumping sounds, coupled with a fair amount of keep-me-up for Sarah-Jane in her system, proves to be a real eye-opening experience for the seemingly-naive outsider who has a dream amongst dreams….
Writer-director Lola Atkins‘ vibrant and entertaining indie film captures perfectly the essence of the time when Blair’s government was proclaiming to D-REAM about things only getting better and a living crisis was defined as whether or not you got along with your flatshare colleagues on a Friday and Saturday night.
Part of the reason why the film shines brightly is down to the excellent lead performance of Izzy Jones, a talent-in-waiting, with a voice of gold to match. However, the ensemble cast all acquit themselves perfectly.
Visually, the film also hits the right pallet thanks to cinematographer Violetta D’Agata with some clever angles and intimate use of club nights which genuinely take you back to the heady days pre-millennium of clubs like the Camden Palace and Ministry of Sound. Inevitably, fans of drum ‘n bass will gravitate towards this, but don’t let that stop other film fans checking in and tapping to the same rhythm.
