‘Who Killed The KLF?’: watch the trailer for divisive new documentary
The notorious band tried to block the release of Chris Atkins' new film, which is available for digital download now
A trailer for controversial new documentary ‘Who Killed The KLF?’ has been released to mark the film’s digital release – check it out below.
Chris Atkins’ film, which documents the band’s rise to fame and notorious combustion when they burned a million pounds in cash on a remote Scottish island, is available to download digitally this week, with cinema screenings following later in the month.
The film has been opposed by The KLF, who tried to block its release last year after it was premiered at Fantastic Fest in Texas.
The objection stems from the use of the band’s songs ‘3am Eternal’ and ‘What Time Is Love?’, both used under the ‘fair dealing’ defence, which allows the use of copyrighted material if used for the purpose of criticism.
In response, the band and their lawyers said that they were taking the usage “extremely seriously” and promised to “take any and all measures” to protect their rights and “reserve the right to commence legal proceedings”.
Discussing the film in an interview with the Guardian, Atkins said: “The whole point is to introduce their genius to a generation that doesn’t know they exist.
“You watch this film and you think Bill and Jimmy are amazing. It’s the definitive telling of the greatest music and art story of the 20th century that’s never really been told, because the two protagonists won’t talk about it.”
Of their attempt to block the film’s release, The KLF’s publishers, Warner Chappell, said last year: “We always champion the value of our songwriters’ music.
“Feature-length documentaries made for profit which make extensive use of an artist’s music are not covered by the fair dealing exception to copyright law, which is why we took action in this case.”
“We don’t want to do it,” the band’s Jimmy Cauty said in 2016 when first hearing of the prospect of a film on the band.
“It’s like an archaeological dig through the past,” he added. “We’re doing other things that we think are much more interesting.”
In 2017, The KLF returned with the book ‘2023: A Trilogy’, before in 2021 they shared their own documentary, titled ‘Welcome To The Dark Ages’. Last year also saw the band’s music come to streaming services for the very first time.