LIVE FOREVER International Documentary Competition

“It was just madness,” says Oasis’ Noel Gallagher from the comfort of his leather throne. He’s waxing pompous about the mid-’90s, those glory years when he and his friends (and enemies) orchestrated the British takeover of rock.

In the wake of Thatcherism, American chart domination and all-things Cobain, the capricious, melodic UK pop scene was fresh and exciting. The New Labour party even spun the optimism into political victory with pithy quotes (“Britain is exporting pop music again. Now all we need is a new government”) and shots of Tony Blair cradling a guitar. Then everything crashed. Oasis’ third album flopped, Princess Diana died and the rest of the rockers snorted their careers into oblivion. John Dower’s nostalgic and witty documentary boasts new, unseen interviews with Brit icons including Damon Alborn, Jarvis Cocker, Damien Hirst and both sloshier-than-life Gallagher brothers, over a soundtrack that jams as hard as ever.