Spike Island

2012 Directed by Mat Whitecross

The story of two bands, one girl and a night they will never forget.

Teenage musicians travel to England's Spike Island in the hope of attending an outdoor performance by their favorite band, the Stone Roses.

Elliott Tittensor Emilia Clarke Nico Mirallegro Adam Long Jordan Murphy Oliver Heald Matthew McNulty Steve Evets Lesley Manville Chris Coghill Antonia Thomas Jodie Whittaker Michael Socha Nick Blood Philip Jackson Robert James-Collier Andrew Knott Danny Cunningham Paul Popplewell Orla Poole Billie May Coghill Sophia Murphy James Mair Jack Harper Jordan Hill Sean Cernow Tigga Goulding Craig Cheetham Jake Abraham Show All…

Country

Language

English

music drama comedy

96 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by 🦎 ★★★

“what were you robbing tampax for?”

“i thought they were individually wrapped biscuits”
Review by Matt ★★★½

"Go ahead, whose list?"
-Ibiza Ste's.
-Who the fuck is Ibiza Ste?
-My brother.
-Why d'you call him that?
-'Cause we've got the same mum and dad
Basically The Inbetweeners do Madchester. Really helps if you're into The Stone Roses but the ultra-predictable plot is just the sort of thing you can safely turn your brain off for and simply enjoy the banter, the era and the choons.
Review by Andy Summers ★★★

Spike Island is a movie that most non-Brits will not appreciate. It may be a coming-of-age film, but it's rooted in a time and place that only British music fans can truly relate to. I was 20 years old when The Stone Roses played Spike Island, the biggest indie gig to ever grace The North at that time. I didn't come down for the concert, I saw them at Glasgow Green a month later, and it remains one of the greatest gigs I ever attended. This film is a nostalgic look at an exciting time for both fashion and music and captures the look and feel of the times pretty authentically. I may not have been like the lads portrayed…
Review by Mark Cunliffe ★★★★ 1

Ok, I'm probably rating this higher than it deserves I know. But you know what, I vote films on two levels; on the one hand there's critical overview and on the other there's just sheer enjoyment, with a little bit of added sentimentality too. Spike Island, and the reason I'm voting it as I am, is definitely down to the latter.
The coming of age story is simple; a bunch of Mancunian scallies and wannabe rockstars attempt to gain entry to their idols, The Stone Roses, now legendary but equally shit gig at the Widnes chemical hinterland Spike Island in May 1990. And that's it.
The cast includes familiar faces like Shameless star Elliot Tittensor as the appropriately named Tits,…
Review by Andy Summers ★★★

Emilia Clarke minus dragons and wearing dungarees..........still hot.
Review by 👽hayley👽 ★★★

those lads would do literally anything to go see the stone roses live lmao same
Review by Kane Vallance ★★★½ 2

Making us care somewhat for the characters, through albeit cliched ways, and with a decent style that just screams British indie and solid Stone Roses soundtrack, Spike Island is a good little indie film that I’ll probably never watch again.
You can fucking look at my arse for nowt
71%
Review by coles84 ★★½

I have a lot of love for films in this mould, coming of age movies set in my home country with music I love and situations I can relate to. This one had been on my watchlist for a while due to the reasons above and the Stone Roses connection. I was also intrigued to see Emilia Clarke pre stardom. I was in a band for most of my youth, we always used to play ‘I want to be adored’ loud in the dressing room before we went out to play. Cocky teenagers who lived for the attention. It makes me both cringe and smile now. Simple times.
Our characters in this are both the films strength and weakness. They…
Review by jessicamae02 ★★★

the sort of film that is shit but can’t stop watching
Review by Lokhart ★★★

I enjoyed the second half a lot more than the first. I also think I would have enjoyed this more if I was a The Stone Roses fan.
Review by nora ★★★ 2

is my favorite genre music-centric nostalgia pieces featuring people with accents i need captioning to fully understand? it's possible
Review by Grimbo ★★

This was like a cross between Coronation Street and Shameless, such was it's cliched soap opera plotting and wannabe edgy vibe, so it really didnt deserve to be in the cinema, it shoulda been on channel 4 instead.
In the hands of someone like Shane Meadows this mightve worked, but the main characters are pretty dull, not unlikeable but not likeable either.
The Stone Roses heavy soundtrack means this isn't a complete waste of time though.

Recent reviews

Review by alexleddington ★★★★★

Yeah it’s a good film, I liked it. Liked the friendship between them, liked the ten mile smile song, and acting was good
Review by DomGraddon ★★★★★

I love this movie
Passionate and feel good
And love the stone roses
Review by hen

i do love a subculture based period piece though this one wasnt the best, a bit too soppy i guess. nice easy watch
Review by James McCosker ★★★★★

Fucking class movie, sad and happy all in one, great british movie and great music
Review by mandii ★★★½

when’s the knebworth movie like this coming out
Review by mar🕊️

chavalitos de manchester haciendo cosas de chavalitos de manchester
Review by Lucy ★★★★★

I love this movie and I love the stone roses so
Review by megan ★★★½

when he thought tampax were individually wrapped biscuits- we’ve all been there 😖
Review by Kyleen ★★★½

lanky brits
Review by Conor quinlan ★★★

Dya know what i mean?
Review by Taylor ★★½

1. It is embarrassing how long I thought this is what Shutter Island was about
2. I could hardly understand what they were talking about half the time
3. this made me miss going to concerts so so so much
4. Nico Mirallegro...give me a chance

I don’t care if it was bad I love movies like this
Review by Kane Vallance ★★★½ 2

Making us care somewhat for the characters, through albeit cliched ways, and with a decent style that just screams British indie and solid Stone Roses soundtrack, Spike Island is a good little indie film that I’ll probably never watch again.
You can fucking look at my arse for nowt
71%