The band Strange Fruit performs at the 1977 Wisbech Rock Festival, and Hughie Case (Billy Connolly) explains that, driven by the pursuit of "fame, fortune and fornication" — and the drug overdose of their original singer, Keith Lovell — this is their last performance. After a heated set, egos flare and the group ends the show early, frustrated by competing ambitions and the lack of self-control that once doomed them.
Twenty years pass, and a stranger who turns out to be the festival founder’s son recognizes keyboardist Tony Costello (Stephen Rea) and convinces him to reunite the band for an anniversary show. Tony tracks down Karen Knowles (Juliet Aubrey), their original runaround-girl, who, though reluctant, is inspired by memorabilia to return. She insists on becoming the manager, and Tony agrees. Gradually, they locate the rest of the lineup: Les Wickes (Jimmy Nail), now a family man and roofer; drummer David "Beano" Baggot (Timothy Spall), working at a plant nursery and on the run from the taxman; and lead singer Ray Simms (Bill Nighy), who has battled drugs and alcohol and is now sober but tested by time. Although he claims to be crafting a solo album, nothing has surfaced in ten years. The search for a replacement guitarist leads them to Luke Shand (Hans Matheson), a gifted player who does not fully grasp the band’s fractured history.
After a warm-up European tour, Karen negotiates the rights to their catalogue. The early returns are rough: the new performances fail to land with audiences, and Les, Beano, and Ray feel the sting of history—believing that Keith and Brian’s talents once carried the band. The roadie Hughie returns to resume his old role, while Ray is tempted to push for guitar supremacy but is persuaded to focus on singing. A replacement for Brian is found in Luke Shand, a talented but somewhat naive guitarist who is unaware of the internal tensions that once defined the group.
As the years roll on, the band faces a testing cycle of highs and lows. A warm-up in Europe yields cautious optimism, but the politics of the music business intrude: Karen negotiates a deal for their back catalog, and their initial performances are met with mixed reactions. The musicians’ confidence wavers, and the dream of recapturing their past magic feels increasingly fragile. At a pivotal gig, Ray’s ambitious ideas backfire, causing Les and Ray to walk off. A confrontation with Les triggers a nervous breakdown for Ray, worsened by turning fifty, and he sinks into a mood of despair, buying drugs and nearly ending up in a canal—only to be rescued by Karen’s daughter. Ray’s wife blames Karen for the turmoil that surrounds him.
Les and Ray eventually mend their tensions, and Ray senses a “positive message” from Brian’s ghost, a haunting reminder of what once was. The bus breaks down, and Karen questions whether the band’s collective self-doubt can be overcome. A hopeful sign arrives when they encounter a young woman wearing a Strange Fruit tour T-shirt—the daughter of a fan—seen as a good omen. The group signs a record deal, and Les writes and sings a new song that Ray had previously rejected. Yet a television interview turns sour when Les and Beano imply that the band was stronger with Keith and Brian, prompting Ray to quit once more.
With the past receding, Karen and Claire Knowles (Rachael Stirling) visit Keith’s grave to pay respects. They discover a note quoting "The Flame Still Burns," a tribute to Keith written by Brian. Hughie is suddenly forced to confront a truth: Brian is alive. Karen and Tony locate Brian in a psychiatric hospital, where he has renounced material possessions to sever himself from the old life. Brian agrees to rejoin the band, and the others follow him, though a pre-show press conference stokes hostility and Brian initially walks away. Luke confronts the journalists, and Brian, visibly shaken, ultimately retreats—then gives his blessing to the comeback.
Beano nearly misses the set when a stalker-fan (whom he long mistook for a tax officer) presses in for sex, adding another layer of danger to the reunion. The band opens with the same song that kicked off the Wisbech Festival years earlier, and Ray’s nerves tremble at the outset. Tony steadies him by playing > The Flame Still Burns, a moment that rekindles belief. Brian, inspired, reappears onstage to deliver an electrifying guitar solo that resonates with the crowd, and the performance ends not with a whimper but with a triumphant, shared sense of redemption.
