DVD: Arcade Fire, Miroir Noir, (Sonovox)

Arcade Fire blow themselves out of the water

A documentary about the making and touring of 'Neon Bible' – the 2007 album by Arcade Fire, the Salvation Army of epic indie rock – is, on the face of it, a dry proposition.

Shot on grainy film stock, 'Miroir Noir' slips frequently into dullness. For example: footage of Régine Chassagne doing vocal exercises or playing a church organ, and the band lying on their backs and meditating.

However, director Vincent Morisset sprinkles just enough flavour to keep it interesting, whether it's a karaoke bouncing ball spelling out the lyrics to "Intervention", mocked-up infomercials for a religious cult, or clips of the band goofing around on dodgems, drinking "hard lemonade" on the Montreal streets.

The magic of their concerts, particularly when they perform among their crowd, provides the most fertile material, although the inclusion of songs from their first album, 'Funeral', is a mixed blessing. They outshine the overblown 'Neon Bible' material, and the closing double-whammy of "Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)" and "Rebellion (Lies)" blows the preceding hour clean out of the water.