The Sun Came Out 2010

Early on in The Sun Came Out, Neil Finn makes the comment that his Seven Worlds Collide project could come across like a bit of a wank. While that’s not strictly correct, it is something that the earlier version of this behind the scenes documentary could have been accused of when it screened on TV here last year.

Thankfully, with a bit more time in the edit suite, that’s no longer the case. With a slight change of focus to make it more relevant to a global audience and a longer running time putting more emphasis on the creation and live performance of the songs from the subsequent record, The Sun Came Out has become much more a documentary than mere album promo.

It can’t have been an easy feat to create a narrative structure from the mountains of footage that were generated in a few weeks but, over the course of its running time, The Sun Came Out strikes a suitable balance between songwriting sessions, footage from the Powerstation shows, and general behind-the-scenes malarkey.

The end result is a souvenir for the film’s participants as well as the fans that attended the all-star sold-out shows or bought the resulting record. Watching songs being written and recorded might not be everyone’s cup of tea but, for those of us that like to nerd out on such things, there’s plenty to enjoy amongst the family-friendly scrapbook stuff, if not any earth-shattering insight.