The seedy underworld of Shoreditch – a stomping ground for drug addicts, gangsters, illicit lovers and hipster musicians alike – provides the axis for Trevor Miller’s debut. Drama initially stems from the love triangle between Hackney’s budding talent in rock n’ roll (Rhys James), his crumbling manager (Sam Hazeldine) and a promiscuous French girl (Alysson Paradis). A cockney mobster played by the convincing Jesse Birdsall soon gives everyone a lot more to worry about than the triviality of who’s sleeping with who.
Although the film’s message is sincere – that raucous subcultures alongside xenophobic attitudes are a recipe for disaster – it can feel a hybrid between 'Gangster No. 1' and 'Stalking Pete Doherty'. Not one for the faint hearted.