The Best Summer: Tamra Davis’ new documentary ‘The Best Summer’ is a chaotic nostalgia trip into a time of iconic rock music

‘Performing live is like going on a blind date with 6,000 people,’ states an incredibly youthful Dave Grohl near the middle of Tamra Davis’ new documentary The Best Summer. This is certainly far from new footage: taken during the Australian music festival Summersault in 1995, where Davis was accompanying The Beastie Boys, it’s more of a raw nostalgia trip. 

Davis evacuated her home and escaped Malibu during the middle of the Palisades fires in 2025, and while doing so came across a box of video footage from that summer 30 years ago. The footage documents a mad summer on tour across Australia and Asia with some of the most incredibly influential musicians of that time including Bikini Kill, Sonic Youth, the Beastie Boys, and Beck. 

The Best Summer is a culmination or a chaotic collage of these dated videos and old stills, and becomes a love letter to a moment in Davis’ archive that’s worth sharing with the rest of the world. It’s got quite the cast with Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna as Davis’ behind-the-scenes interviewer while on tour, as well as a fresh-faced Beck, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth (as well as their kid, Coco), The Amps, Rancid, and of course The Beasties.

Hanna goes deep into some of their life mottos, favourite colours, and what makes them tick about performing live on stage. Kim Gordon’s responses are some of the most considered, while Dave Grohl’s feel most authenticated. The epitome of joy in this mesmerising doc is when Grohl starts yelling into the mic during the Beastie’s ‘Sabotage’ alongside Mike D, Adam Yauch and Adam Horowitz, at the final gig of the tour. A seemingly swell camaraderie of bands, the documentary portrays a glimpse of an idyllic era of music through candid discussion and live performances. 

Davis’ fun time documentary is great if you’re looking for a chaotic nostalgia trip into a time of iconic rock music. Although hardly revolutionary, it gives some personal insights into being a celebrity musician and some visceral footage of a great summer for touring. 

The Best Summer received its UK premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival, with remaining screenings on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th August.

The Best Summer