Shane Meadows & Gavin Clark
Upon first glace, in a dark alleyway somewhere up North, the look of Shane Meadows may startle you. Let’s not mess around, the guy looks like your average local thug who enjoys a fine glass of Stella Artois any day of the week.
That possible premature presumption is so far off the mark. He’s a incredibly smart and gentle giant who I consider to be one of the best British directors around.
A Room For Romeo Brass, This Is England, Somers Town and his most recent comedy mockumentary Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee are all fantastic films in different ways and Dead Man’s Shoes is one of the best horror/thriller films made in the UK. Ever.
Something Meadows is always praised for are his songs to his films which he personally selects - they’re often from relatively unknown singers and bands and they all capture the scene/film/setting perfectly. The Somers Town soundtrack is entirely written and performed by Gavin Clark who you would have heard on UNKLE’s War Stories album and it’s amazing…
…so when I recently read that the two are teaming up for a low budget documentary, I was over the moon.
Speaking on his website last year, Meadows explains the concept for his new film …‘The idea came about a few weeks ago when I dropped in to see Gavin after Clayhill’s tour of America (supporting Beth Orton) and found him sat with the Yellow Pages looking for a job delivering Pizzas! It turned out that the Record company had ran out of money after the last album and had dropped the band that very morning. The idea of Gav delivering pizzas again at 37 made me wanna puke up and I got in touch with Mark (my producer) about trying to get the funds to make an album and short film that could get Gav known to a wider audience and hopefully get him re-signed as a solo artist in the process.’
I personally can’t wait to see Clark’s story behind Meadows’ camera and to get a taste of his talents here are a couple tracks from the Somers Town soundtrack. I don’t think this is available anywhere else online or in-store and so I was umming and arring about whether to put the tracks up for free but I made to decision to do so simply to spread the word about the man.
Enjoy.
Gavin Clark – Low Are The Punches
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Gavin Clark – Painted Glass
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Gavin Clark – The Years Have Loved Us (Live at Union Chapel)
Facebook comments:
amazing…. my favourite song writer by a long way.
check out sunhouse crazy for the weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rf8GmHCdnU
I’m on this web site for one reason only, trying to find out if Gavin Clarke has released anything since Mine at Last(Clayhill). I became a Sunhose fan years ago and think I’ve managed to get just about everything this man has done. But I would love to get more. He has a totally unique voice and song writing style that has placed ‘Crazy on the weekend’ amongst my favourite albums of all time – and I started buying way back in ’66′.
hey Tony – the upcoming film should/could bring Gavin the reception and album sales that he deserves… this is taken from Shane Meadows’ website…
Now the madness (of This Is England) has finally died down, I will be making my first short film since Northern Soul in the next month.. It is a documentary about Gavin Clark (of the bands, Sunhouse and Clayhill) and his new Solo accoustic album that we are recording in his Living room at the moment.
The idea came about a few weeks ago when I dropped in to see Gavin after Clayhill’s tour of America (supporting Beth Orton) and found him sat with the Yellow Pages looking for a job delivering Pizzas! It turned out that the Record company had ran out of money after the last album and had dropped the band that very morning. The idea of Gav delivering pizzas again at 37 made me wanna puke up and I got in touch with Mark (my producer) about trying to get the funds to make an album and short film that could get Gav known to a wider audience and hopefully get him re-signed as a solo artist in the process.
Now me and Gav go back a very long way and I have always been baffled as to why his work remains largely undiscovered. My own tinpot theory is this: His home recordings (just him and guitar) are amongst the most beautiful and touching songs I have ever heard, but that maybe the process of then taking those songs into a studio with a band somehow takes away some of the raw emotion. So I asked Gav if he had any new solo stuff that I could listen to, he set the Tascam running and left the room. When he came back in I had a great feckkin lump in my throat. I was like “This is what you need to release, This is You!”.
So the idea was born and the Album is underway. The filming is gonna take place over the next few weeks and will culminate in Gavin playing his first ever Solo gig in the living room where it all began. Analogue blogs to follow…
CURRENT STATUS
The filming and the edit are completed.. Currently awaiting further news about the date and method of it’s release!
Really looking forward to Meadows’ new TV production This is England 86.
nice to see he’s got everyone back for it.. apart from the nutter!