Right Here, Right Now Review | Road Rash Reviews

4 star

Memories of a pivotal moment in the UK music scene

Right Here, Right Now is a 2023 documentary, written and directed by Jack Hutchcraft, which tells the story of the infamous 2002 Big Beach Boutique gig in Brighton from various different perspectives.

It is available to buy in the UK on Blu-ray, DVD and Download-to-own from 30th October 2023 courtesy of Dazzler Media.

“No, I never thought we made a mistake, but I mean, we were a lot younger then and inexperienced and naive and of course they’re like shields really. You don’t realise how precarious the situation is.”

In 2001 when Channel 4 acquired the rights to show test match cricket in England, they decided to take it on the road, to get people into the spirit. They took it to Brighton beach and had the brainchild to invite Norman Cooke a.k.a. Fat Boy Slim, to perform a free gig for the locals as an after show party, The Big Beach Boutique.

The gig was a success, 40,000 people showed up and of course, they wanted to do it again. This documentary tells the story of what happened the following year at The Big Beach Boutique II, as 250,000 people descended on Brighton, despite infrastructure only being in place for 80,000.

This fascinating documentary interviews people from all sides of the event, from Norman Cooke and his manager Garry Blackburn, to local council events managers and law enforcement officers and stewards who were on the ground. It’s incredible to see the lengths they had to go to just to get that many people safely out of the city following the gig.

We also hear from lots of ravers who attended the gig, including Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and John Simm, who look back on that day with fondness and awe as they realise just how iconic (and potentially dangerous) it really was. The archival footage really brings home the sheer scale of the event as well as the many possible consequences.

This is a great documentary, which also gives an outline of the dance music scene and rave culture for those who don’t remember it, setting the scene brilliantly for this gig that changed the way music events are operated in the UK forever.

A very interesting watch and well worth adding to your collection.

“I do remember, when I came off stage, so elated. I just hugged my manager and said ‘My God, it just doesn’t get any better. How can we ever top this?’ Be careful what you wish for, kids.”