NEW ORLEANS – Spinal Tap, the mock heavy metal band whose 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap became a cultural touchstone, has returned with Spinal Tap II: the End Continues, a sequel that revisits the band’s uniquely disastrous history and delivers a nostalgic, yet fresh, comedic experience. The film finds the band facing the possibility of one last show after legal pressures, prompting auditions for a new drummer - a darkly humorous prospect given the band’s history of drummers meeting outlandish ends.
The sequel acknowledges the band members’ post-Tap lives: David Stuhlbarg now sells cheese and guitars in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, while bassist Derek Smalls achieved solo success with the song “Hell Toupee.” David also proudly showcases award-winning hold music he composed.
The End Continues blends familiar gags with new material, including a revamped performance of “Stonehenge” and a revisited rendition of “Big Bottom,” complete with philosophical musings on the merits of flatulence from Nigel tufnel. While drawing from past material – at least four songs from their 1992 album Break Like the Wind are featured - the film also introduces new songs, such as Derek’s “Rockin’ the Urn,” though onyl heard in a rough demo.
at 83 minutes, the film explores the tensions inherent in band dynamics and the pressures of the modern music industry, portrayed through Addison’s character, a tone-deaf label representative. The sequel aims to honour the spirit of heavy metal, mirroring the original film’s respectful parody of bands like black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and highlighting the swagger and showmanship of the genre.
As the review notes, the original This Is Spinal Tap “came from a place of respect, not derision,” and allowed the band members – McKean, Guest, and Shearer, all accomplished musicians – to pay homage to the music they were spoofing.Despite being “forever banned from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Spinal Tap II offers a fitting tribute to the band’s enduring legacy.