Preview
At their height of success, poised on the edge of fame in America, and with millions watching, Shihad faced an impossible decision. In the words of frontman Jon Toogood: `We`ll forever be known as the band that changed our name.` What began in the backrooms of Wellington`s punk rock underground, with Toogood, Tom Larkin, Phil Knight and Karl Kippenberger coming together to form `a kickass band`, would see Shihad transplanted to Germany, Australia and eventually, the musical Mecca of the U.S. Encountering every obstacle in the rock book: drug abuse, tragic bereavement, alcoholism, fame’s distortions, relationships imploding under the pressure of constant absence, total breakdowns – the band would beat all of it, playing up to 150 shows a year, producing the most Top 40 hits in New Zealand history, and becoming the focus of a major bidding war.A wild ride from anonymity to being the next `It` band, and into the present day, Shihad: Beautiful Machine is an unflinching look at the elusive reality of a true rock dream.