The event organiser John Wilkinson had selected a diverse range of speakers.
One of them was a musician he loved, and coincidentally so do I. I've blogged quite a few times about Public Service Broadcasting here on the blog.
Image Toby Smith - I'm in the blue shirt between them....
Here's an early promotional film, just ahead of the single release of 'Everest' - from 2012.
It was about this time that I first started listening to them and saw them live for the first time shortly after.
John had persuaded J Willgoose Esq from the band to talk about the influence of people and place on the music that he had produced.
It was great to meet him in person and sit next to him at the evening meal.
We heard about:
- the support that he had from the BFI to use their footage
- the process of turning footage from the 1953 Everest expedition into a song called 'Everest'
- the changing nature of the band's work over the years - although they
- the focus on the local and the 'human' and dare I say it the everyday in their work - for example on the 'Every Valley' album they didn't mention Margaret Thatcher and Arthur Scargill, but told stories of families, women and others...
- the joy of working with James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers
- the importance of connecting with place and people
- the fact that he got some of his guitars from Ely
- that he studied 'A' level Geography
He didn't mention two EPs that I really like on contrasting themes: the building and launch of the Titanic, and a Dutch ice-skating race...
PS: Since then, J Willgoose Esq has posted this interesting piece on Patreon describing the creative process with respect to the use of SUNO... an AI tool I have mentioned before... He also describes the creation of 'Spitfire'.
