{"id":8142,"date":"2015-09-16T14:38:14","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T13:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prsformusicfoundation.com\/?page_id=8142"},"modified":"2018-01-15T15:15:20","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T15:15:20","slug":"in-focus-field-music-music-for-drifters","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/prsfoundation.com\/about-us\/in-focus\/in-focus-field-music-music-for-drifters\/","title":{"rendered":"In Focus: Field Music – Music For Drifters"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Focus<\/strong>: Field Music – Music For Drifters<\/em><\/h1>\n

Our Beyond Borders<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>programme is now in its sixth year, and as the deadline for submissions is growing ever closer (Monday 21st Sept) we thought we’d take a look back at one of the most recent projects to be completed,\u00a0<\/span>Music For Drifters<\/em>, by\u00a0Mercury Prize nominated <\/span>Field Music<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 2013, Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival<\/a><\/strong> commissioned the critically acclaimed, North East based, band Field Music <\/strong>to compose a new cinematic score\u00a0for\u00a0the seminal silent documentary, Drifters<\/em>, by John Grierson. Widely acknowledged as the first British narrative documentary, and originally shown alongside Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin<\/em>, the 1929\u00a0film kick-started what would become known as Grierson\u2019s documentary film movement.\u00a0Drifters<\/em> is a quite remarkable depiction of the unquestionably\u00a0tough reality the North Sea herring fisherman of the time faced, largely focusing\u00a0on their\u00a0battles within the hostile environment from the Shetland Islands to the North Sea.<\/p>\n

\"field \"Field<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

Thanks to the impact of the original performance back in 2013, our\u00a0Beyond Borders<\/strong> programme here at the PRS for Music Foundation<\/strong> was a perfect fit for the project, and\u00a0<\/strong>we were thrilled to help it tour the UK. A screening of Drifters<\/em>,\u00a0with live accompaniment by Field Music<\/strong>, travelled to independent cinemas and art spaces in Newcastle, Glasgow, Swansea, Belfast and Dublin\u00a0between the\u00a024th of\u00a0April\u00a0and the\u00a027th of\u00a0June. As well as this, the band revisited their original improvisation and recorded the score for a limited release on Record Store Day<\/strong> earlier this year.\u00a0On silver vinyl and with impressive accompanying artwork, the Memphis Industries<\/strong> release can be\u00a0purchased here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking to\u00a0London In Stereo<\/strong> last month<\/a>,\u00a0Peter Brewis discussed his thoughts on the project as a\u00a0whole now that\u00a0it’s completed:<\/p>\n

\u201cI did worry what people would think, if they’d\u00a0ask why we were involved in a project centred around a 1929 silent documentary about fishing, and why we were playing these obviously out of kilter rock instrumentals. Those two things just shouldn\u2019t go together but I hope that what shines through is us trying to communicate the movement of the film in a way in which we know best \u2013 the way we could\u00a0best give some kind of aural meaning to the film was by doing those things. I\u2019m glad we didn\u2019t go down the folky, or cinematic, or knowingly soundscape-y route because I think the one we took was actually\u00a0the best that we could have done it.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The band have now released a digital version of the soundtrack, in a Facebook post linking to various online streaming sites, including the full album here on Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n