Spike Island is the kind of film that makes you nostalgic. Very nostalgic. But that doesn't deter the fact that the story is something we've seen a dozen times before in this sub- genre of film.There's your group of friends, and they are an aspiring group who are desperate to get tickets to the titular event, featuring everyone's favourite band of the nineties, The Stone Roses.They all have their individual problems. Ones dad is dying, ones dad is abusing him, one fancies the girl, but she fancies the other from the group, so on, and so on.But it makes it an easy watch. Its funny in places, dramatic when it needs to be, and characters are ones you've seen in endless nostalgic movies.But it captures the early nineties down to a tee. The music was, and still is phenomenal, and The Roses music is used with the utmost respect that it deserves.So its a good nostalgia trip, albeit a little predictable, but would make a great double bill with Shane Meadows documentary.

Nice story. Simple straight forward, and well acted. These young actors take you on a journey that changes all of their lives forever trying anything they can think of to get into the concert of their generation. There is a very strong sense of family in this movie, you see both the good, and the bad sides, and you see how people will create a family to shield themselves from all of the bad. I Enjoyed the youth, and vigor of these people, and the feeling that they are all giants walking among the people always above the rest, and sort of worshiped all the more. Mostly though this is just a nice little coming of age film with some good music, and acting.

The joy of being a carefree youth. This story focuses on four trouble making (according to some anyway) youngsters in Manchester and how they look forward to going to the gig of their favourite band, where it would be a highlight for all their lives. On top of that as they aspire to form a band themselves they even dare to dream giving a demo tape to their favourite band.Everything builds up to the day the gig is set to take place. My favourite moment was when the father of the four was dying in hospital and yet told his son not to be held back by his condition. They try hard, they put everything aside, they ignore all the barriers.The day finally arrives and with a myriad of obstacles, they somehow made it to the venue but turns out the promise for tickets/places did not come to fruition. Yet, they did not seem to care as they had a ball just outside the venue and it was the night of their lives which is the one thing that mattered.Quirky, witty and great fun to watch.

The only reason you would go to see this film is if you're a Stone Roses fan, that much is obvious. Fortunately for the director this is just enough to carry you through a disjointed, underdeveloped and cliché riddled script. The intended demographic is clearly people like me, 40 + year old men who lived through the period and hold dear the Roses and whole Madchester scene. Yet the film plays like a film aimed at teenagers, with set pieces used merely as an excuse to overlay a Roses classic. Although the characters are likable their development is soap opera at best, their dialogue hugely clichéd and dishonest and when the script does enter interesting territory it is quickly dismissed to cover another bullet point on the 'coming of age movie' tick list. The Stone Roses reformation has been such a wonderful thing for thousands of fans all over the world. This film actually annoyed me as it belittles real emotion and makes honest affection appear contrived.