NPP has the very great pleasure of pressing “play” on the northern Irish premiere of Devo – the long-awaited documentary film on everyone’s favourite American art-punk-dada nerds.
Few groups embraced sci-fi, satire and surrealism with the gusto that Devo did, as this epic, energetic portrait reveals.
Formed by Ohio twins Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, and Gerald and Bob Casale, along with Bob Lewis, in 1973, the band took their name from the word ‘de-evolution’, believing than humankind had reached a point of regression in its development.
They looked like they had stepped out of a sci-fi movie, sounded like a melange of emerging music styles (embracing punk, rock, the emerging electronica scene and, later, pop) and playfully critiqued the direction their country – and the world – was heading.
“Wham!” director Chris Smith’s immensely entertaining and insightful film presents this eclectic band’s storied past and present, from their work with Brian Eno and the success of the single “Whip It” to more recent incarnations of the group.
All together now: “Are we Not Men? We are DEVO!”
Dir: Chris Smith (2024)
“Chris Smith’s film about the jump-suited robo-rock avatars of De-evolution is as much fun as its subject” Variety
“…packaged in a dizzying barrage of incredible visuals and music that’s almost overwhelming, Devo joins a string of standout recent films like The Sparks Brothers, Summer of Soul and The Velvet Underground that demonstrate that we’re living in a golden age of music documentaries.” Hollywood Reporter
