Sing Yer Heart Out For the Lads! (2007)

”the production seems to have everything: pace, precision, power. The result is sensational” The Guardian

By Roy Williams

Directed by Marcus Romer

Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads tells the story of a group of Londoners who meet in a pub to watch a World Cup qualifying football match in 2000 between England and West Germany. October 7th is the last match at the “old” Wembley Stadium and will be Kevin Keegan’s last as England manager.

The pub team return triumphant from winning their own game and sit down to watch the big screen in high spirits. Mark arrives, looking for his brother Barry, the one black player on the pub team. Meanwhile, the landlady’s teenage son, Glen, is trying to work out who his friends are on the estate, just as the tension erupts between the adults. His grandfather, Jimmy, wants him to stand up for himself with his fists.

Mark has had a past relationship with Gina but she left him for his friend Lee, a policeman. Lee’s brother, Lawrie, has particularly aggressive racist views and is influenced by the smooth talking, far-right organiser, Alan. It is not a comfortable situation but it is intercut with the commentary of those who are concentrating on the game: Becks – supplier of dodgy Sky satellite systems, Phil – who has a crush on Gina and Jason, who gets caught up in the middle of things.

While the game is played out on the pub TV, Glen is out on the estate, where he has his phone and jacket stolen by a so-called friend, Big T, who is bullying him. Another boy, Duane, brings them back, but the adults let their prejudices get the better of them and they try to teach him a lesson. A fracas ensues outside the pub and the conflicts between the adults reach boiling point. Glen tries to take matters into his own hands, with tragic results.