Sponsored by
Music Interview: Field Music
Field Music
ON the face of it, there isn’t an obvious connection between the candy-coloured landscape of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and the harsh realities of life in the modern, recession-hit North East.
But in their new album, Plumb, the rock group Field Music join the dots.
Both, in their own ways, inspired the record, reveals Peter Brewis, one half of the brotherly duo whose song writing has been the bedrock of the Sunderland band for the past eight years.
While they were writing the album, his brother David decided to take a diversion from listening to “a lot of late 70s Bowie” and bought the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 film musical starring Gene Wilder. Peter, who readily admits he’s not a fan of stage musicals, was suddenly intrigued by the cinematic variety.
“I got into the idea of film musical and how it works. In an opera they tell the full story though the songs; musicals don’t. They have little moments where one of the characters has a thought in their head and sings a song about it.
“Since recording Plumb, I’ve been brushing up on my musicals a little bit. I end up not listening to very much contemporary music while I’m writing and recording. When I get home from the studio I want to listen to something that I don’t understand, something that I could never do on that level.”
Peter had wanted to give Field Music’s new album a narrative arc – “I had an idea we could start with Start the Day then a series of thoughts and intentions throughout the day and end with a night-time feeling track” – but David disagreed. Instead a recurrent theme bubbles away beneath the surface of the songs.
Political
“There are a few more political thoughts going on than in previous records,” says Peter. “I don’t how things have been where you are [in Leeds] but we’ve seen a definite change in the atmosphere up here, especially in Sunderland. There’s a feeling that it’s a little bit grim at the moment.
“David, especially, has become more politically active recently. It was born of frustration, but he’s more frustrated now he’s getting involved and realising [how things have become entrenched]. Me and David are both involved in community projects in Sunderland. Funding has dried up, for quite a lot of reasons. I wouldn’t blame anybody for that, not here I don’t, but it’s tough. There’s some kind of managed decline going through my mind at the moment, possibly not in Liverpool but possibly in Sunderland. But, then, I’m a suspicious person.”
After the diverse musical pleasures of their 2010 double album, Measure, Plumb feels very much like a succinct distillation of their past work. “I think with me and David very few things get done by accident,” says Peter. “I think that’s the same with this album. We made a conscious effort to only say what needed to be said with either the music or the lyrical material, and not repeat things too much.
“I don’t think it’s difficult to understand. Hopefully the idea is it can be record that can be listened to again and again.”
Six albums into their career – if count the solo records each brother made in 2008 – the Brewises have very found much their niche as purveyors of intricate English art-rock. “We have to do what we have to do,” says Peter, simply. “Otherwise we have to do something else. We’re too old to think we really need to give people what they think they want.”
The idea of producing radio-friendly singles is not for them. “Lots of pop music and rock music I like did not really do that much in terms of singles,” says Peter. “At least I don’t think they made a massive dent in terms of radio hits. I do like the idea of consciously catchy songs that work on the radio but there are so many people out there that do it, I don’t think we would be able to compete.”
Task
Given the intricacy of their arrangements, Peter admits it’s quite a task to reproduce many of their songs on stage, but try they will on their forthcoming tour. “It’s still a bit like being in your own covers band where you get a record and have to work out how four guys are going to do this – who’s going to be the drummer and who’s the singer. It’s fun rearranging stuff. We’ve got another two guys who play with us who are great and multi-task, which is wonderful.”
Peter and David aren’t the only family members to release an album this year. Peter’s wife, Jennie, also has an impressive record due out with her band the Cornshed Sisters. “They’re an all-singing, all-female, staunch feminist, acoustic four-part harmony group,” says Peter. “They asked me if I would produce them. I really enjoy working with them.”
For the sake of marital harmony, though, they’ve discovered “it’s definitely best if we have very set roles”. When Jennie sang on Measure and Peter’s solo album, The Week That Was, he was the boss. “For the Cornshed Sisters she’s quite definitely the boss,” Peter chuckles. “I just press record on the machine. It’s a revolving dictatorship.”
*Feb 20, Brudenell Social Club, Queens Road, Leeds, 7.30pm, £8.50. Tel: 0113 2752411. www.seetickets.com
Email to a friend
Print this page- Politics: Mark Hookham's Westminster blog - 5.33pm
- Castleford RSPB Fairburn Ings: High wire act Swallows’ summer parade
- Worker dies on North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Video: Restaurant reopens on Leeds Harry Ramsden’s site after £500,000 refit
- Chocolat author will tempt guests at Leeds Big Bookend Festival
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.