A Band Called Death Backdrop Blur
A Band Called Death Poster

A Band Called Death

"This Band was Punk, before Punk was Punk"

Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.

Top Cast

  • Dannis Hackney

    Dannis Hackney

    Self

  • Bobby Hackney

    Bobby Hackney

    Self

  • David Hackney

    David Hackney

    Self (archive footage)

  • Henry Rollins

    Henry Rollins

    Self

  • Elijah Wood

    Elijah Wood

    Self

  • Kid Rock

    Kid Rock

    Self

  • Alice Cooper

    Alice Cooper

    Self

  • Mick Collins

    Mick Collins

    Self

  • Mickey Leigh

    Mickey Leigh

    Self

Overview

Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.

Rating

7.2 / 10
88 Reviews
1 Popular

1 Reviews

  • kineticandroid
    kineticandroid
    Jun 21, 2014

    There's an undercurrent of disappointment throughout the story of a band called Death. Misunderstood and marginalized in their time, they endured a lot of rejection and settled into lives that turned out differently than for what they had hoped. Then, after their music is rediscovered and shared, they reunite, but with a heavy heart knowing their visionary leader did not live to see the rebirth. And yet, through that malaise, the band's story is one of joy, familial devotion, and believing in something so strongly, it can't help but come true. It shows that powerful art can create double lives. It shows the unknown pleasures of digging into the past for the untold stories. And the songs? Dang man, these songs slay.

Trailers & Clips

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