25 Years of UK Garage

25 Years of UK Garage is, as the title suggests, a retrospective on the UK garage scene, with an emphasis on the Garage Nation event as it celebrates its 25^th birthday. Featuring interviews with musicians and organisers alike, the documentary focuses on how the genre has changed over 25 years in the UK, from shifts in musical sensibilities to changes in clubbing culture.

Strangely for a documentary about the history of garage, it features very little discussion about the music itself, instead choosing to examine the culture surrounding the genre, the events that featured it and changes in the music industry. This isn’t to say the commentary isn’t interesting: the interviewees provide some fascinating and entertaining anecdotes about these parts of music history, not afraid to shy away from the more controversial parts of the scene and offering some great insights into the way it has evolved over a quarter of a century.

Nevertheless, the absence of discussion about garage music’s origins or its evolution from a creative perspective feels like a conspicuous omission from a piece ostensibly celebrating its lasting cultural legacy. 25 Years of UK Garage seems to have been structured with the assumption that its audience is already familiar with UK garage’s history, which isn’t necessarily a bad way to structure an anniversary piece like this, but it is a creative decision that diminishes its value for viewers hoping to learn more about the music and has the unfortunate side effect of making the piece feel unfocused.

Despite these structural quibbles, the feature is still an enjoyable experience, and what it lacks in narrative cohesion it makes up for in style. The documentary makes great use of archival footage to break up the interviews and garage music is an important part of the film’s soundtrack, with the visual and audio editing coming together to paint an engaging portrait of the UK scene.

25 Years of UK Garage is a bit of a messy piece, with a structure that prevents its interesting archival footage and interviews from swinging with their full weight, but it still manages to be a good time despite its issues. Garage aficionados will probably get the most out of this, but even viewers who might be left out in the cold will likely still enjoy the ride.

Umar Ali

25 Years of UK Garage is released digitally on demand on 5^th December 2022.

Watch the trailer for 25 Years of UK Garage here: