In 2020, live music ground to a halt as the COVID 19 pandemic peaked. With a new album set for release and tour dates being rapidly cancelled, July Talk made the decision to take on a challenge to bring music to Toronto – for their wellbeing as much as their fans. Choosing to undertake two drive-in concerts with appropriate safety protocols was daunting enough; the determination to livestream both events with eight cameras and a drone, delivering essentially a live DVD on the fly was beyond anything those few other artists daring to try the model would roll out.
Director Brittany Farhat, intrigued and a fan, asked to capture the process, and what began as a mere behind the scenes glimpse became a bigger story about a band and its bonds, what it means to be a musician, what is essential in times of hardship, safe spaces, and the healing power of music. Co-produced with Danuta, it is featured separately due to the interviews and articles that do not quite fit under the usual umbrella (many of which are with Farhat and show crew), as well as what the film captures: the road, so far, for July Talk.
Note: articles about the drive-in show announcement itself are filed under July Talk Conversations; reviews of the concerts are filed under On A Stage. Links here are explicitly focused on the documentary, with the exception of non-band interviews in relation to the shows/documentary.
General Articles/Reviews
- Next Magazine: Hot Docs documentary film fest features July Talk, dozens more
- Six Shooter: July Talk Announce Documentary with Hot Docs Premiere (March 28, 2023)
- The Globe And Mail: What to watch and how to watch it at Hot Docs 2023 (April 26, 2023)
- The Gate: HOT DOCS 2023 REVIEW: JULY TALK: LOVE LIVES HERE (May 4, 2023)
- POV: July Talk: Love Lives Here Review – Rocking the Drive-in (May 5, 2023)
- CBC: How we captured the magic of July Talk’s pandemic drive-in shows in a documentary (May 5, 2023)
- That Shelf – Hot Docs 2023: July Talk — Love Lives Here Review (May 7, 2023)
- Exclaim: July Talk: Love Lives Here Is For The Fans (May 25, 2023)
- Range: July Talk: Love Lives Here Goes Behind The Scenes of an Unconventional Rock Show (July 5, 2023)
Interviews
- Tour Management 101 Podcast Ep 41: July Talk Live At The Drive-In (August 17, 2020)
- Yorkville Sound Podcast #3 – Building July Talk’s Historic Drive-In Concerts (September 21, 2020)
- Movie Pie – Hot Docs 2023: Qs à la mode with… Brittany Farhat (July Talk: Love Lives Here)
- Canadian Press: Q-and-A: July Talk capture drive-in shows, health struggles in new documentary (May 3, 2023)
- CityTV: July Talk Discusses Anticipated New Documentary (May 25, 2023)
Drive-In Show Clips (Fan Provided)