Who killed the KLF? – Simon Goldberg and Blaise Gaymer advise on new KLF documentary

Partner Simon Goldberg and Senior Associate Blaise Gaymer acted for producer Nicky Bentham of Neon Films and director Chris Atkins on a new documentary about The KLF, the iconic British band of the late 80s and early 90s. The documentary follows Bill Drummond & Jimmy Cauty’s rise to fame and subsequent exit from the music industry, their number 1 singles and various stunts such as firing automatic weapons into the audience, dumping a dead sheep at the afterparty of the BRIT Awards and, most infamously, burning £1 million on an island off the coast of Scotland.

The film uses many samples of their music throughout, none of which were cleared, so the legal challenge here was to make use of the ‘fair dealing’ exemption in the 1988 Copyright Designs and Patents Act.

It’s a fascinating watch and, as director Chris Atkins says, “the whole point is to introduce their genius to a generation that doesn’t know they exist”.

Who Killed the KLF? is available now to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and other streaming services, and screens in select cinemas at the end of April.

You can also read Chris Atkins’ amazing journey in making the documentary, with a mention of Simon, here.