The Sing Street Band
“Sing Street” is the Power of Music
By Skip Sheffield
“Sing Street” could have been the story of my life, except
it is set in Dublin, Ireland.
Writer-director John Carney has created another fable about
the positive power of music, which he previously explored in “Once” and “Begin
Again.”
This time it is a coming-of-age tale about a Dublin
teenager, Conor (fresh-faced newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), whose family has
fallen on hard times in the mid-1980s. His father Robert (Aiden Gillen) is an
architect, but his commissions have dried up. Mother Penny (Maria Doyle
Kennedy) has been cut back to part-time employment. Conor’s older brother
Brendan (Jack Reynor) has dropped out of college. To cut back on expenses,
Conor’s parents pull him out of his pricey Jesuit school and enroll him in the
state-supported Christian Brothers School on Synge Street.
The new school proves troublesome. Conor is harassed by
bullies and reprimanded by Brother Baxter (Don Wycherly) for not having
regulation black shoes. The truth is Conor’s family can’t afford them.
On the positive side Conor meets beautiful Raphina (Lucy
Boynton). In an effort to impress her, he offers her a role in his music video.
The problem is he has no band. Conor has to improvise. With the help of his
geeky new friend Darren (Ben Carolan), he puts together a band and goes for it.
This is where I really relate to “Sing Street.” As a young
teenager I had no athletic abilities and I didn’t much enjoy the company of academic
eggheads. With the help of my friend Marty Caron, I learned how to play guitar
at age 14, which is the same age as Conor. At 15 Marty and I put together a
band. It wasn’t to impress any girl in particular, but I learned girls in
general like guys who play in bands. Music changed my life, and I have never
let it go. I never will. I think John Carney understands.
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