News: The life and times of William Arthur and his iconic Sydney band Glide is explored in 'Disappear Here', a film by Ben deHoedt.

Glide were a seminal Sydney band that burned brightly and all together too briefly in the nineties, beset by tragedy when their singer and songwriter William Arthur died at the end of that decade at the age of 33. Not to be confused with Echo and the Bunnymen Will Sergeant’s band, they struggled to get attention beyond Australia but are fondly remembered for their four albums (if you include the one released posthumously after Arthur’s death), including the one from which this film takes its title.

Best described as a meeting of US indies band such as REM and the later Britpop phenomena, the band mixed jingle jangle guitars with anthemic melodies and astute lyrics.

Musician and film maker Ben deHoedt is releasing a movie on the life and times of Arthur and the band in March, and it promises to be an immersive study of a band, its music and the era, tinged by the sadness of a creative mind brought to a tragic end before its time.

deHoedt, who wrote, directed, shot and produced the film, describes the film as:

A love letter to an artist and a bygone era that is as much for music and documentary fans as it is for followers of Glide. Whether you already know William Arthur’s songs or you have never heard of him, if you enjoy beautifully crafted documentaries which bring you into a certain time and place, this film is for you.

It is certainly a labour of love. deHoedt says:

I made Disappear Here for under $10k (perhaps one of the lowest budget music docs ever!). It was also made by one person, that person being a full time social worker. No label, no studio, no funding, no grants… I directed, shot, edited, conducted the interviews whilst shooting and recording, did the sound, produced, did all the archive work etc. I did my best to make it not look or feel like any other music doco. I was limited only by budget and means but maintained a strong vision of how I wanted the film to be.

The film features contributions from band members as well as Aussie music industry luminaries including Tim Rogers (You Am I), Jamie Hutchings (Bluebottle Kiss), Peter Fenton (Crow) and Jane Gazzo (ABC’s Recovery and Triple J). This is an important footnote in the history and development of indie music in Australia.