Interview with Who We Are.
Interviewed by: Gracie Lowes
What was it like to tell this story while incorporating music into it?
That’s a good question - we sort of started thinking from both directions. We knew we had two strong songs that were stories in themselves and we knew we wanted to tell the story of the upsides and downsides of parenting. So the idea made sense of the songs but also allowed room for us to tell the stories we wanted to tell. It was a bit of a mind-melt experience to start with but with the help of the Directors, Oliver and Blair, the idea suddenly came and hit us between the eyes. Telling a
positive story about a black father, which is not often seen in the media, and the story of resolution between mother and daughter in two contrasting songs just seems to work.
Was it hard bringing music and movies together?
Yup, it was hard as we were completely new to it! We were very clear that we wanted to make this film in a completely collaborative way. We wanted to work with directors and choreographers on an equal creative level where we all had equal input. So they had to be absolutely top of their game. Simon had composed the music for one of Novemba’s films and they were our first choice. Simon had worked with the choreographer Merce Cunningham in NYC and met the great dancer Jeannie Steele through him. Jeannie was in London and put the team in touch with Dickson and Anna. It was a dream team and whilst the production was tough, it was something we’ll never forget, such a great experience.
What was the goal or idea behind creating this and did that change during the creation process?
We are both full-on fathers and we wanted to tell two different stories about parenting – the good stuff and the bad stuff. We came up with the idea of telling stories from a father’s point of view and a mother’s point of view. So two different stories and two different songs. Working with one parent and one child in each film makes the story easier to connect with and using world-class dancers means you don’t need dialogue. So it all fell into place! And thank God, it ended up working! Amazingly, the idea for the film stayed pretty close to the very first ideas. Reading the first treatments from us and the directors, you can see it all there. But we were ok letting go and collaborating so of course the choreography and the dancers naturally change the energy throughout. But on the whole we stayed on course!
How long has this been in the works for, and what went into coming up with it?
It had been in our minds for a while to make a film because a lot of our songs are stories. We wanted to do something different which really meant something to us. We didn’t want to be just another band doing just another music video. That felt like boring marketing bullshit to us – we wanted to do something that was important to us and the people we love.
Did you have to learn new choreography or dance moves, if yes, what was it like learning those
Luckily for the audience, Tommy and I weren’t dancing but you never know……one day! Dickson Mbi choreographed both pieces and danced in the first song. He is absolutely world class and did an amazing job. Anna Watkins and Chloe Hearn danced the second song – so passionate and so beautiful.
Could you tease anything about the upcoming EP? What can fans look forward to?
Ah, that would be telling! There are some interesting collaborations coming up and may feature on the EP. Daydream will be coming out as a single to start with in the next few months – can’t wait. A few more singles over the summer and then the EP will drop in the autumn. But most of all we’re looking forward to playing live again – so hope to see you at a show soon!
Have you grown from having this experience, if so, how?
It was amazing for us both to be on set during the filming and to see the cast and crew reaction. It was a really moving experience and there were a lot of tears. Watching other people react to the music and the dance is the most important thing to us. On set, remember that you only see short sections of the song at any one time and you only see it come together in the edit. When Tommy and I saw the first rough edit we were a bit stunned and so happy, it just seemed to make sense of the songs. There is a lot of luck involved in making films and we got really lucky!