ShihadMovie.com

Shihad: Beautiful Machine documentary released

Thursday, 5 April 2012
Press Release: Rialto Distribution

Shihad documentary provides an all-access pass to the legendary band’s fights with fame, fortune, the industry and themselves

Rialto Distribution and Pacific Lightworks present the highly anticipated documentary film Shihad: Beautiful Machine.

Shihad: Beautiful Machine, directed by Sam Peacocke, will be in cinemas around New Zealand from 17 May.

Shot in various locations including Wellington, Melbourne, New York, Nashville, Berlin and London, the film follows the tumultuous trajectory of New Zealand’s best-loved rock band which celebrates its 24th anniversary this year.

For over two decades, Shihad has defined New Zealand rock music. From their roots in Wellington’s furious ‘90s punk metal scene to the wild Berlin days, the tragic overdose of their manager, the international explosion of The General Electric and the infamous American name-change. Shihad: Beautiful Machine asks, “What went wrong?”

What makes this documentary unique from many other music genre documentaries is its focus on not only the music, but also on the band member’s relationships with wives, girlfriends and their parents. Interviews with the band’s nearest and dearest illustrate the extent to which these were instrumental in shaping the voice and journey of Shihad over time.

Producer Laurence Alexander says, “When we first discussed the idea of the film, I met with a friend of the band who told me many stories that had occurred during the band’s career and it started to paint a picture of the adversity they had been up against.

“Beyond the band exists family and personal relationships that all feed into the story of the survival of New Zealand’s longest-running rock act.”

None more so than the relationship of Jon Toogood and his former wife, Ronise Paul, which provided much inspiration for Shihad’s lyrical material.

The documentary marks director Sam Peacocke’s debut feature-length film. Peacocke won attention with a slate of distinctive music videos, including Shihad’s Beautiful Machine, and his short film Manurewa was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Crystal Bear for Best Short in the Youth section.

Shihad:Beautiful Machine is a truly unique Kiwi film experience and an unflinching look at the elusive reality of a true rock dream.

IMDb Review

17 years overdue, NZ film funding mistake
6 January 2016 | by maxastree

"Beautiful Machine" had no reason to exist upon release, and less after seeing it; its essentially the story of Wellington, New Zealands most successful post-grunge/radio metal band who made their most successful recordings prior to 2003. Decamping to Melbourne in the nineties, the band released a string of radio singles, and toured the Aussie pub band circuit and further overseas, a tradition that New Zealand musicians have held since the 1970s.

My main issue with the film is that NZ arts funding bodies supplied some $980,000 to produce what is essentially a series of found-video excerpts, home interviews and some in concert clips - much of it about the quality level of a well made student film. Where the money actually went I can't say, but possibly the bands ever-declining recording sales was the main motivator for this NZ music nostalgia flick; fans should be aware of their plans to recently try and sell their live performances as pay-per-view broadcasts to bars, part sponsored by NZ house paint company Resene. (note: a musical act is not a rugby or cricket team, but anyways. . .)

But what about the film's content? Well, back in the mid nineties, Shihad and a group of other popular acts (Supergroove, Headless Chickens and to an extent smaller groups like HDU or the Nixons) were on the warpath in NZ, impressing kids via radio sponsorship or live sets at local college orientation gigs etc. Shihad were originally a high school metal band, based around rich-kid drummer Tom Larkins impressive rhythm chops, with the rest of the band playing along. Frontman Jon Toogoods cartoonish, manic stage energy helped engage an audience often indifferent to local releases in the countries tiny commercial music market.

Ultimately, what happens in reality is not what happens in this documentary; for starters, it should be noted that the bands early alt. metal gigs were surprisingly sharp and self-assured, but later attempts at coercing the bands sound into a radio-friendly singles format made the same strengths weaknesses; their robotic, soulless sound may have suited industrial tinged metal, but sounded like generic radio rock on air years later, maybe in part due to the influence of Warners NZ music manager James Southgate, an ex-pat Brit that likes overproduced, American accented radio bands that people will pay to see in a pub somewhere, but have about as much personality and zest as the plastic bags you use for weekly shopping.

I can't stress enough how annoying Jon Toogood actually is: the frontman of the strident, earnest metal group later came across as a sort of charmless, macho New Zealand jock, annoyingly self assured, almost arrogant.

The films raison d'être is ostensibly that they could have been huge in the US, but the stigma of the 9/11 attacks on US soil was too much of an issue for music managers at the time. NOT TRUE: in reality, dozens (in fact hundreds) of bands were submitting their albums, promo kits and demos to US record labels, trying to be the next "modern rock" band, a kind of macho, heavy-handedly earnest format that culminated in Nickelback, The Calling, Alter Bridge and other bands too vile to mention.

Not that Shihad were a group that started playing to become that format, they started playing in high school circa 1988, and if they'd been documented in the mid-nineties, the nostalgia of seeing the item today would be relevant. As I suggested above, this 2012 release is some kind of cash-in, and one that sells a pretty mediocre retelling of their story to the public.

Shihad: Beautiful Machine

16 May, 2012 ww.nzherald.co.nz

Put the music to one side for a moment, because this documentary about Shihad digs the dirt and along the way tells a good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll yarn.

The music is by no means a secondary element here, it's just that the film delves into the personal lives of the four band members. So, at times, it plays out more like a soap opera than a rockumentary.

Which is fine, because you can guarantee that everyone who goes to see this film about our longest-running, and arguably best, rock band, will have already seen them live many times.

So a concert-style music documentary, while worthy, would really be nothing that new.

But the lives, loves, and rocking good (and bad) times of Jon Toogood, Karl Kippenberger, Tom Larkin and Phil Knight makes for intriguing viewing.

It's like the no-holds-barred Foo Fighters' documentary, Back and Forth, from last year, which concentrated more on the personalities and dynamic within the band.

What comes through in Beautiful Machine is Shihad's passion for the band, and, well, the occasional bit of brutal back-stabbing. But most of all, it is up front and honest.

From the revelation that Knight was an alcoholic (he's now addicted to yoghurt instead) to Kippenberger, a normally lovely, level-headed chap, putting the boot into Toogood over his less than unifying antics when they first got to America.

The temporary name change - to Pacifier post 9/11 - is dealt with frankly, and Toogood perhaps sums up the debacle best when he says their options were "shit (a)" (give up their American dream) or "shit (b)" (change the band's name and give it a go).

As the film charts the ups and downs of their 20-plus year career it features candid interviews with the band, their mums and dads (including Ma Toogood with her Shihad tattoo), their ex and current partners, and music industry insiders, to find out how they became who they are as people - and as a band.

The rare footage of their very early days, back when Toogood and Larkin were still metal kids at Wellington High, is priceless. This is Shihad's story, and it's a cracker, which makes it a must-see for fans of the band.

Stars: 4/5
Director: Sam Peacocke
Rating: M (offensive language, sexual references and drug references)
Running time: 103 mins
Verdict: Shihad's riveting rock 'n' roll soap opera

Movies of My Life # 11: Shihad Beautiful Machine

June 4, 2014 by Simon Sweetman | https://offthetracks.co.nz/

You should see this film. It’s the best music documentary that will ever come out of New Zealand. It has grit and heart and soul – and then there is the manipulation, the rewriting of history, the candidness that becomes a cover for what is tantamount to backstabbing. It’s all here. Shihad is New Zealand’s best live act. And the Wellington-born rock/metal band has been at it for some twenty-five years. That is reason for praise. Reason enough for this documentary.

There is not a lot of music to be seen – or heard – as part of the film Shihad: Beautiful Machine and though that might bug some fans it makes the film all the more appealing as a general documentary; a feature film about the lives of four Kiwis. They just happen to be in a band. Add to the story the death of a manager, a name-change that felt like betrayal, a singer prepared to think about selling out, a drummer who won’t let that happen on his watch, a guitarist who swaps alcohol for yoghurt so that the band can continue and a bass player who was the band’s biggest fan (that’s what got him the gig) and ends up being the most scathing about Jon Toogood’s botched joke-attempt on stage in America; the buzz-kill that contributed to Shihad-as-Pacifier’s failure stateside.

All of this is beautifully framed with the families of the band members providing touching moments of sincerity.

And the musicians know their roles off-stage.

Jon Toogood (vocals) plays the poet-fool; Tom Larkin (drums) is the defacto-manager and driving force; Karl Kippenberger (bass) is the fan-boy turned band-member, it went from being surreal to a little too real for him; Phil Knight (guitar) is the film’s reluctant star, daunted, drained, hen-pecked even, but proudly still there to serve the music.

For all the attempts to swerve the narrative towards Toogood’s lyrics, loved-up doggerel that doesn’t have the prescience that he and the film’s makers would have you believe, even when Jonny-Boy is happily hamming up a faux-troubadour gimmick, performing the songs to camera in solo acoustic renditions, it’s Knight that burns into the soul. Staring out with an intense introversion from the front lawn with his partner who he is sure would never have given him the time of day if he was still drinking. It’s Kippenberger helping his mum in the garden, still amazed he’s part of the band he used to go and see. And it’s Larkin at home with his partner and child, the band’s goalkeeper, always aware of the score.

Three musicians that are somehow just right for each other and their frontman – the best in the country by some distance. And this is everything that has happened around keeping them together. Shihad: Beautiful Machine is about so much more than just the music. And just as well.

I had an advance copy of this film – a screener-disc. I watched it three times in the first week, before the film was released. I loved the way this film was made, the story it told. I like a lot of Shihad’s music – but there’s plenty I don’t like and a fair bit I’ve never (really) heard. Maybe I’ve skimmed and scanned it, heard it once, moved on. Maybe it could reveal more with more time attached to it. But none of that matters here – this is an equal-opportunity film, you’ve as much chance enjoying this, I believe, if you’re a fan of the band or if you’ve never even heard their music. Because it manages to be the story of four people. Four mates. And then there’s a whole lot of other stuff to deal with on top of that – levels of fame, the hunger for (more) fame, tragedy and the usual insecurities around making music and being in a band – that marriage of convenience that often becomes (just a tad inconvenient).

I’ve gone back to this film recently – watched it again. And again. I keep coming away from it with the same feeling – the guys in the band were brave. They might have even been stupid. But they put themselves out there with this. And it succeeds because the filmmaker found a way to tell the story of the people as much as it was ever about the music.

More Background On ShihadMovie.com

In the early 2010s, ShihadMovie.com served as the official online home for Shihad: Beautiful Machine, a feature-length documentary chronicling the turbulent history of one of New Zealand’s most influential rock bands: Shihad. More than just a promotional website for a music documentary, the site functioned as a digital archive, press hub, fan destination, and cultural touchpoint for followers of New Zealand rock music.

The documentary itself, released in 2012, explored the rise, near-collapse, reinvention, and endurance of Shihad over more than two decades. The website preserved much of the surrounding narrative: trailers, filmmaker biographies, press releases, behind-the-scenes commentary, reviews, and contextual information about the band’s evolution. Although the website is no longer actively maintained, archived versions available through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine provide an important snapshot of how the film was presented to audiences during its theatrical run.

The story of Shihad and the existence of ShihadMovie.com cannot be separated from New Zealand’s music culture, the global rock industry of the 1990s and early 2000s, and the unique struggles faced by artists from geographically isolated countries attempting to break into international markets.

Shihad and the Rise of New Zealand Rock

Founded in Wellington in 1988, Shihad emerged from New Zealand’s underground heavy music scene during a period when local alternative rock was rapidly evolving. The band’s classic lineup consisted of vocalist and guitarist Jon Toogood, drummer Tom Larkin, guitarist Phil Knight, and bassist Karl Kippenberger.

The group became known for combining heavy metal aggression with melodic alternative rock sensibilities. Their early sound reflected influences from bands such as Metallica, Faith No More, Helmet, and Soundgarden, yet Shihad developed a distinctive identity rooted in New Zealand’s independent music culture.

By the early 1990s, the band had built a reputation for explosive live performances. Touring relentlessly across New Zealand and Australia, Shihad cultivated a loyal fanbase and became one of the country’s premier live acts. Albums such as Churn, Killjoy, and Fish Album established the group as leaders of the Australasian alternative metal movement.

However, it was the 1999 release of The General Electric that elevated Shihad into mainstream prominence. Produced by acclaimed producer Garth Richardson, the album featured polished, radio-friendly hard rock while maintaining the intensity that longtime fans admired. Songs like “My Mind’s Sedate” and “Pacifier” became staples of rock radio in New Zealand and Australia.

The documentary and website repeatedly positioned The General Electric as the peak of Shihad’s commercial and artistic momentum. At that point, international success appeared within reach.

The Purpose and Design of ShihadMovie.com

ShihadMovie.com was designed as both a promotional platform and an informational resource for the documentary. During the early 2010s, official film websites still played an important role in marketing independent and documentary cinema. Social media was growing rapidly, but standalone websites remained central hubs for trailers, production notes, media coverage, and screening details.

The website highlighted the film’s theatrical release across New Zealand beginning on May 17, 2012. Visitors could view trailers, read summaries of the story, learn about the filmmakers, and explore press materials.

The tone of the website emphasized authenticity and emotional honesty. Rather than simply celebrating Shihad’s success, the site framed the documentary as an unflinching exploration of ambition, friendship, failure, fame, and survival.

The homepage prominently referenced the major themes of the documentary:

• The band’s origins in Wellington
• Their years living and recording in Berlin
• The death of their manager
• The pressure of chasing international fame
• The fallout from their controversial name change after 9/11
• Internal tensions within the band
• The personal sacrifices involved in sustaining a music career

This framing distinguished Shihad: Beautiful Machine from many conventional rock documentaries that focus primarily on concerts and celebrity mythology.

The Documentary’s Central Question: “What Went Wrong?”

One of the most compelling aspects of the documentary was its willingness to ask difficult questions. The recurring phrase “What went wrong?” became central to the film’s marketing and narrative structure.

By the early 2000s, Shihad appeared poised for international breakthrough success. They relocated overseas, toured aggressively, and pursued opportunities in the United States music market. Yet their trajectory was dramatically disrupted by the events of September 11, 2001.

Because the band’s name resembled the word “jihad,” concerns emerged about how American audiences and media outlets might react in the heightened political climate following the terrorist attacks. The group ultimately changed its name to Pacifier in an attempt to continue pursuing success in the United States.

This decision became one of the most controversial moments in New Zealand music history.

For many fans, the name change symbolized compromise and cultural dislocation. The documentary treated the issue candidly, with band members openly discussing the pressure they faced and the uncertainty surrounding the decision.

Jon Toogood described the situation as a choice between two bad options: abandoning their American ambitions or changing the identity they had built over more than a decade.

The film suggested that the emotional fallout from this period extended far beyond branding. It affected friendships, confidence, artistic direction, and the band’s sense of self.

An Unusually Personal Music Documentary

One reason Shihad: Beautiful Machine received strong critical attention was its emphasis on relationships and emotional vulnerability rather than simply performance footage.

The filmmakers interviewed not only the band members themselves but also parents, partners, friends, and industry associates. This broadened the story beyond music industry success and failure.

The documentary explored:

• Romantic relationships
• Marriage breakdowns
• Alcohol abuse
• Family expectations
• Artistic insecurity
• Friendship tensions
• Burnout and exhaustion
• The psychological impact of fame

Particularly notable was the portrayal of Phil Knight’s struggles with alcoholism and recovery. The film treated these issues with unusual honesty for a rock documentary.

The relationships between the musicians also formed the emotional core of the film. Rather than presenting the band as a unified machine, the documentary revealed conflicting personalities, ambitions, and coping mechanisms.

Tom Larkin often appeared as the pragmatic strategist focused on sustaining the band’s career. Jon Toogood emerged as charismatic yet emotionally volatile. Karl Kippenberger reflected on the surreal experience of evolving from fan to band member. Phil Knight provided some of the documentary’s most vulnerable and introspective moments.

Critics and viewers frequently praised this emotional transparency.

Director Sam Peacocke and the Film’s Creative Approach

The documentary marked the feature-length directorial debut of Sam Peacocke, a New Zealand filmmaker already known for music videos and short films.

Before directing Beautiful Machine, Peacocke had gained recognition for directing music videos for New Zealand artists, including Shihad themselves. His short film Manurewa won the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film in the Generation 14plus section at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Peacocke’s prior relationship with the band proved crucial. Because the musicians trusted him, they allowed an unusual level of access and honesty.

The visual style of the documentary blended:

• Archival footage
• Tour recordings
• Intimate interviews
• Home video material
• Stylized performance sequences
• Quiet domestic scenes

Rather than relying heavily on narration, the story unfolded through conversations and emotional interactions.

The documentary’s editing, led by acclaimed New Zealand editor Cushla Dillon, also received significant praise. Dillon was already respected for work on major New Zealand films and documentaries, including This Way of Life and Snakeskin.

Her editing helped shape the film into something more emotionally layered than a standard music biography.

Awards and Critical Recognition

The documentary achieved considerable recognition within New Zealand’s film industry.

At the 2012 New Zealand Film Awards, Shihad: Beautiful Machine won:

• Best Documentary Director
• Best Documentary Editing

These awards reinforced the perception that the project transcended niche music fandom and succeeded as serious documentary filmmaking.

New Zealand media outlets responded positively as well. The New Zealand Herald described the film as a compelling “rock ‘n’ roll soap opera” that balanced music history with personal drama.

Reviewers particularly praised:

• The honesty of the interviews
• The emotional depth
• The candid exploration of conflict
• The humanization of the band members
• The strong editing
• The rare archival footage

Music writer Simon Sweetman later described it as possibly “the best music documentary that will ever come out of New Zealand.”

International Themes Within a New Zealand Story

Although deeply rooted in New Zealand culture, the documentary resonated with broader international themes.

At its core, Shihad: Beautiful Machine examined what happens when artists from smaller countries attempt to break into the American entertainment industry.

The film highlighted tensions between:

• Artistic authenticity and commercial success
• Local identity and global ambition
• Friendship and business
• Creativity and marketability
• Personal happiness and career aspiration

These themes extended beyond music and reflected wider anxieties within New Zealand’s arts community about cultural visibility on the global stage.

The documentary also captured the changing realities of the music business during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including:

• The decline of traditional record label power
• The growing pressures of international touring
• Shifts in music consumption
• Commercial branding pressures
• Post-9/11 political sensitivities

Because of this, the film became more than simply the story of one band. It became a meditation on ambition, identity, and endurance.

Berlin, Melbourne, and the International Journey

A recurring element throughout both the documentary and the website was the importance of place.

The film traced Shihad’s movement across multiple cities, each representing a different phase of the band’s evolution.

Wellington

Wellington represented the band’s roots — youthful energy, punk culture, local gigs, and creative freedom. Early footage from Wellington showed the group as ambitious teenagers driven by passion rather than commercial expectations.

Melbourne

Melbourne symbolized expansion and professionalism. Like many New Zealand musicians, Shihad relocated to Australia to access larger audiences and industry infrastructure.

Australia provided bigger venues, more touring opportunities, and greater exposure, but also increased pressure.

Berlin

Berlin became associated with artistic experimentation and excess. The city’s chaotic energy mirrored the emotional volatility of the band during that era.

The documentary portrayed Berlin almost mythically — a place of liberation, creativity, and eventual instability.

America

The United States represented both ultimate ambition and profound disappointment.

The documentary’s treatment of America was nuanced. It neither glorified nor demonized the market, but it clearly depicted the emotional and cultural strain involved in trying to succeed there.

Fans, Community, and Cultural Significance

Shihad occupied a unique place within New Zealand culture.

For many fans, the band represented one of the few New Zealand rock acts capable of competing sonically and theatrically with major international artists. Their concerts became communal experiences for generations of listeners.

The documentary reinforced the deep emotional connection between the band and its audience.

Fans often viewed Shihad as:

• Authentic
• Hard-working
• Resilient
• Unpretentious
• Intensely loyal to their supporters

This loyalty helped sustain the band even during controversial periods like the Pacifier era.

The website itself reflected this strong fan culture. Rather than functioning as a slick corporate marketing platform, it carried a personal and emotionally invested tone.

Behind-the-Scenes Production and Financing

The producers, Laurence Alexander and Grant Roa, described the film as a passion project motivated by curiosity about how the band survived decades of adversity.

Funding came through New Zealand film support systems, which sometimes became controversial among critics who questioned whether music documentaries deserved substantial public investment.

Nevertheless, supporters argued that the film preserved an important chapter in New Zealand cultural history.

The production process reportedly involved extensive archival research, interviews, and international shooting locations including:

• Wellington
• Melbourne
• Berlin
• London
• Nashville
• New York

This international scope gave the documentary a cinematic scale unusual for New Zealand music documentaries.

The Lasting Legacy of ShihadMovie.com

Although ShihadMovie.com eventually disappeared as an active site, its archived pages remain valuable historical artifacts.

The site captured a transitional moment in internet culture when dedicated film websites still served as primary storytelling platforms before social media became dominant.

Today, the site provides insight into:

• Independent film marketing in the early 2010s
• New Zealand music culture
• Documentary promotion strategies
• Fan engagement before streaming dominance
• The historical narrative surrounding Shihad’s career

For researchers and fans, archived versions of the website preserve materials that might otherwise have vanished entirely.

Shihad’s Continuing Influence

Shihad continued performing and recording long after the documentary’s release, further reinforcing the film’s central message about endurance.

Even after commercial setbacks and lineup tensions, the band retained enormous respect within New Zealand music culture. Their influence can be seen across generations of New Zealand rock and alternative artists.

The documentary ultimately reframed the idea of success. Rather than focusing solely on international superstardom, it emphasized survival, loyalty, artistic integrity, and personal resilience.

That perspective helped give Shihad: Beautiful Machine emotional depth that extended beyond fan service.

~~~

ShihadMovie.com represented far more than a simple promotional site for a documentary film. It documented an important cultural story about ambition, identity, friendship, and survival within New Zealand’s music scene.

Shihad: Beautiful Machine succeeded because it avoided simplistic hero worship. Instead, it presented a complicated portrait of a band struggling to reconcile dreams of international success with the realities of human relationships and artistic compromise.

The website helped frame that story for audiences while preserving valuable contextual material surrounding the documentary’s release.

More than a decade later, the film remains one of New Zealand’s most respected music documentaries precisely because it captured something universal beneath the specifics of rock history: the cost of chasing dreams, the fragility of friendship, and the challenge of staying true to oneself in an industry built on reinvention.

ShihadMovie.com