Director Todd Graff works wonders around that most ancient premise, the Battle of the Bands. Newcomer Gaelan Connell - think young Tom Hanks meets Zac Efron - is an outsider teen who finds himself in crossfire between two unlikely suitors, popularity princess Alyson Michalka and world-weary bookworm Vanessa Hudgens.
Beneath the puppy love, there’s a movie about the romance of music. So what if our young hero gets his punk chronology wrong on a sightseeing tour of the sadly defunct CBGBs. His excitement picking out a favourite bridge or composing fan mail for David Bowie, who gamely turns out for a cameo, is heady and infectious.