It's ironic that such an agile and articulate documentary can be born from the burnt-out husk of a drug-addled rock band. But that's exactly what first-time documentarian Julian Boshier has produced. The aptly titled Swagger of Thieves chronicles the fortunes of the "almost" iconic Kiwi hard rock band, Head Like a Hole (HLAH). Their misspent potential is a schtick that is a well-trodden path of many bands, yet Boshier manages to show an exceptionally candid side to HLAH's story.
Disagreements, fall-outs, hedonism, poor management and finances that went up in smoke (or more accurately, intravenously up the two founding member's arms) are all laid bare — it's classic stuff of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll and Swagger of Thieves expounds on a band who, at the time, unapologetically claimed it as their rite of passage.
The film joins the reforming band after a 10-year hiatus and recounts the promise of their formative years. As frontman Nigel "Booga" Beazley admits, "There was a lack of respect. We were pooing in our own nest."
His slightly unhinged charismatic charm provides this doco with genuinely hilarious moments, but it is the band's other founding member, Nigel Regan, whose sombre tones capture the beating heart of HLAH's darker side and the crippling effect that drugs had on the band.
