THE THE Inertia Variations

Matt Johnson remained silent for many years until Swedish director St Michaels documented his awakening from creative torpor. The Inertia Variationsexamines his troubled relationship with celebrity, the creative process, and how bereavement informed his work and outlook. When released in 2017, it enjoyed a run of sell-out screenings in Europe and the USA, yet still remains rarely-seen. It is hard to overstate the importance of this film; without it, everything that followed in its wake – The Comeback Special tour and live album / book / film, Ensoulment, the Ensouled world tour – would not exist.

So it is with great excitement that we announce this very special screening at the BFI, Southbank London on 16th December. Johanna St Michaels will join Matt for a Q&A with collaborator and friend, Jason Wood, Executive Director at the BFI.

As The Inertia Variations was such a catalyst for THE THE’s creative re-emergence, we felt it fitting to also screen some recent THE THE videos following the documentary. Along with the Q&A between Matt and Johanna, this screening will indeed be a very special occasion. December is a busy time of year so please save the date for this one-night-only event!

Tickets go on sale to BFI members on 4th November, and on general sale 6th November.

For those who are unable to attend this special event to see The Inertia Variations on the big screen: as we have promised, this documentary will eventually be coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. More news on this soon…

Gerard Johnson’s new film, Odyssey, hits UK cinemas on 7th November.

Premiered at SXSW and then shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Frightfest in London, and an official selection at the European Festival of Fantastic Film in Strasbourg, Odyssey has met with resounding critical acclaim  so far.

Matt Johnson once again provides the score for Odyssey, directed by his younger brother. At turns dramatic, powerful and menacing, the soundtrack by THE THE underpins this new, stylish and blackly comic film from Gerard Johnson, co-written with Austin Collings. The soundtrack will also be released very soon…

Effective 29 August 2025, the United States removed the $800 de minimis threshold for duty-free imports. The resulting import duties will be based on the total value of the goods, taking into consideration where they were manufactured. Though the UK’s tariffs may seem comparably low at 10%, the tariffs are based on the country of origin. Most of our vinyl and CDs are manufactured in Europe, so subject to a 15% tariff, whereas some products (posters and tour programmes) are not subject to tariffs at all. If anything were manufactured in India, it would be 50%. Calculating the fees per order is convoluted and time-consuming – and with such variations, there is no blanket solution of simply adding 10% on top if the shipping costs to the USA.

American customers should not have to absorb these costs ­– but neither should small businesses. Many small businesses will be forced to stop selling to the USA as a result of these developments. We hope to reinstate sales to our valued customers there as soon as we can establish a more streamlined – and fair – system for processing your orders.

Thank you, as ever, for your understanding and support.