CASE STUDY; ENGLAND IS MINE
I was lucky enough to cross paths with Mark Gill, ultra Smiths fan and the director of the young Morrissey biopic ‘England Is Mine’ (working title ‘Steven’). We got chatting about all the kinds of things I’m into, musical and otherwise, and he realised I could be a valuable asset to the team who were bringing his vision together. All told, I inhabited about 5 or 6 roles in the production;
Composing/performing the music of the ‘cringey folk rock band with delusions of grandeur’ in the first scene of the film. I provided 5 options for Mark, of which two were picked (some were deemed ‘too good’ for the band!).
Acting on camera as lead singer of this invented band, which I christened ‘The Ten Ton Trucks’ - hear their songs and read a far too in-depth history of Anton Glove and his erstwhile band here.
Sourcing and providing period correct guitars, drum kits and amplifiers for the rehearsal and live gig scenes. I was on set to make sure things were placed convincingly, as well as being security guard for the more precious items. As a musician Mark could have performed this task, but it was one less thing for him to worry about during filming.
Gathering players to populate both the Ten Ton Trucks and the Nosebleeds Mkii, Morrissey’s first band with Billy Duffy. This was a process of compiling options for the production team from a vast pool of Manchester musicians and auditioning them to get the right look and level of performance.
Arranging ‘Give Him a Great Big Kiss’ - the song the Nosebleeds Mkii perform in a recreation of their gig at Rafters at the zenith of the film, a punk version of a girl group classic.
Rehearsing/Musical Directing both the full Ten Ton Trucks and the Nosebleeds rhythm section up and engineering the multi-track recordings of the music which appear in their parts of the film. I was really pleased Mark decided that lead actor Jack Lowden would be singing live over the prepared track for authenticity, so that’s him performing everything in real time in the movie!
Engineering the multi-track recording of the Sex Pistols Experience’s version of Stepping Stone which appears in the ‘Free Trade Hall’ scene of the film. I was also there on set for live playback to set the scene - as close as I could ever hope to get to experiencing that legendary performance!
Coaching actors Adam Lawrence (Billy Duffy) and Laurie Kynaston (Johnny Marr) to help them ‘sell’ their guitar performances in scenes that required them to strap on a 6-string. Laurie really rose to the challenge, as he had only minimal experience with the guitar and we had one morning before shooting to get a range of ‘Johnny Marr-esque’ guitar parts worked up. In the end, it’s actually the director Mark himself performing young Marr’s guitar sketches in his teenage bedroom (with a few choice hints at future Smiths’ style guitar work). I think it’s fair to say that the shots of Laurie and Mark fit together seamlessly and really make you feel like you’re getting a fly-on-the-wall experience…