Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands: a joyful journey of discovery (REVIEW) 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 5 Stars

Ahead of the world premiere of Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands, there was a palpable sense of anticipation for the EIFF’s closing film (despite the grim weather in the queue outside the The Cameo). Perhaps it was just that closing night excitement, perhaps it was the question of who these Scottish girl bands could be, or maybe everybody just loves a good music documentary.

Co-directed by a passionate pair of Scots (musician Carla J. Easton & music videographer Blair Young), Since Yesterday digs deeply through the record crates of history, dusting off forgotten songs, albums, and demo tapes from some of Scotland’s greatest and most influential girl bands. It’s a journey of joyful discovery, emphasising the historical importance and influence of each band while curating a banging, eclectic playlist (spanning several decades) that includes such disparate acts as The McKinleys, Strawberry Switchblade, Sophisticated Boom Boom, Lung Leg, and The Hedrons — to name just a few.

Through a series of revealing interviews, members of each group are given the chance to tell their stories in their own words: the intimate joys of a sonic sisterhood, the highs and lows of being in a band, and the ongoing barriers to success women face in the music industry. Each tale is personal, heartwarming, hilarious, and devastating. The interviews are interspersed with Carla J. Easton’s emphatic, punchy narration, extensive archive footage, playful animation, and of course, a killer soundtrack; it’s utterly compelling and reveals a shared experience between these women, some who’ve never met.

There’s a strong message here, about how women in the music industry have been exploited, marginalised and silenced — and there are some truly shocking revelations. The film also bemoans the lack of inspiration for the girl bands of the future and finds an industry still gripped by patriarchal prejudices. But it also aims to empower and revels in the joys of women making music together.

Since Yesterday is a celebration of music, a celebration of women, and a fist-raising call for change. It’s an inspiring piece of filmmaking that demands to be seen by everyone, not just lovers of a good music documentary.