‘A resurrection nobody thought possible…’
I have a complicated relationship with the Stone Roses. I spent my formative years working, drinking and living in a beautiful town centre pub. You know the kind. That pub had a CD jukebox that contained exactly 100 disks. It felt like the first Roses album enjoyed more airtime than the other 99 albums put together. That record was everywhere. And so, I became sick of it. When Ian Brown and his motley crue reformed in 2012, I had tickets for their comeback show at Heaton Park. In the end, I sold that ticket and I’ve never really regretted it. I understand why they are iconic, and they have influenced many of the bands that I do love (notably Oasis) and yet… I’ve never really got the Stone Roses. They’ve never felt like my band in any meaningful way.
Shane Meadows is a different prospect. I’ve followed his career since a serendipitous viewing of Dead Man’s Shoes one lost evening. Meadows is now one of British cinemas brightest sparks, so the prospect of a Stone Roses documentary helmed by Meadows is an intriguing one, and sure enough, he delivers…
This is not quite a concert film, and not quite a retrospective. Instead, Meadows focuses on the run up to the Heaton Park gigs, culminating in a stirring version of Fools Gold. Before that though, Meadows uses Made of Stone as a commentary on fandom. The longest sequence in the film sees groups of Roses superfans lining up to claim a ticket to their free comeback gig in some tiny club in Warrington. Clutching the requisite merch, ticket stub or album sleeve required to claim a ticket, Meadows manages to view this experience through the eyes of those that love this music the most. Many of them have skipped work to be there – one bloke has his three week old baby in tow – now that’s commitment.
In the end, Made of Stone didn’t really change my mind about the Stone Roses. I still think Ian Brown can’t sing, I still think Love Spreads is the only masterpiece they ever created, and I still think bucket hats look daft. But when they are good… boy are they good.