Bank of Dave tells the remarkable story of a Lancashire businessman who takes on the big banks. Released on Netflix earlier this month, the biopic tells the story of Dave Fishwick, a self-made millionaire who sets up a community bank in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
It is based on the true story of a working-class Burnley businessman, who founded independent lending company Burnley Savings and Loans (BSAL) in 2011. Starring James Bond star Rory Kinnear as the titular character, Bank of Dave has proved a hit for Netflix, and has spent more than two weeks in the platform’s top 10 films in the UK.
The biopic also features a surprise cameo from a legendary British rock band, as Def Leppard perform a concert for Dave. Known for hits including 1987 anthem Pour Some Sugar on Me, the Sheffield band appear as themselves in the film, playing a fundraising gig at Burnley football stadium Turf Moore to help BSAL get its banking licence.
On March 8, 2022, the band tweeted a behind-the-scenes image of the film’s set, with a stage set up to replicate the Turf Moore stage displaying the Def Leppard logo. A caption to the snap read: “Fun time this past weekend!”
Later that month, lead singer Joe Elliott revealed more details about the cameo on digital radio station Planet Rock. He said: “Bank of Dave is kinda like the new Full Monty, the new Amongst Giants, the new Brassed Off.
Fun time this past weekend! #Tempo_productions #NetflixUK #bankofdavefilm pic.twitter.com/7XGyBjHVlF
— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard)
“It’s one of those classic British low budget but really cool movies. [A] true story about a gentleman in Burnley, who was not having much joy with a bank, so he decided to start his own bank.
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“It’s only like 12 years ago that this happened and he’s a bit of a Def Leppard fan. What they did is they kind of wrote us into the story and they’ve obviously enhanced the story somewhat because our part in the movie didn’t really happen.
“One of his mates – the character of one of his friends – knows me for 30 years and says, ‘I think I might be able to get Def Leppard to do a fundraiser for you.’ So, long story short, we do this fundraiser at Turf Moor to raise money so he can start this bank and help out all the locals that were getting no help from the banks.
“We got to perform three songs in this movie. I don’t know how many will survive or hit the cutting room floor, but you always over film so they’ve got enough. We all really thought it was a cute thing.”
So in reality, Def Leppard’s fundraising concert never really happened, it was written into the film simply because Fishwick is a big fan of the band in real life. The funds for BSAL were never raised, and the lending company is still in the process of getting its banking licence.
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