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We were gutted to learn of the untimely death earlier this year of Martin Phillips – the legendary frontman of The Chills.

Not only were The Chills New Zealand’s best band, they were also true musical pioneers, bringing their “Dunedin Sound” from New Zealand to these shores with a string of seminal albums and singles.“Heavenly Pop Hit,” may have been the group’s (and Martin’s) most transcendent moment, but their back catalogue is glutted with classics – “Pink Frost,” “I Love My Leather Jacket,” and “Kaleidoscope World” to name but a handful of finely wrought beauties.

Phillips valiantly led the line through thick and thin – there were 21 different line ups of The Chills in total. As “The Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillips” demonstrates, the indomitable Phillips was working right up to the end, in spite of a recent Hepatitis C diagnosis and a warning that he had a 31% chance of dying within the year.

“The Triumph and Tragedy…” is an inspiring and retrospectively moving document of a true original, a troubled but brilliant soul endlessly driven on by his singular creative urge. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the life of one of pop music’s unsung heroes.

“As a fan, I wanted to punch the air. And of course, Chills fans will absolutely devour this documentary. But if you’ve not yet had the distinctive pleasure of hearing his band, the triumph and tragedy of Phillipps’ story will make you one for life.”  Andrew Stafford, The Guardian

Supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from National Lottery.