write the music for This Town’s band
Dan Carey is a four-time Mercury Prize-nominated producer. With collaborator Kae Tempest, he co-wrote the original songs for Steven Knight’s BBC drama This Town. BUILDING THE SOUNDTRACK
The idea was to make a band who had influences from the 1980s — ska, reggae and punk. We wrote the first four (of five) songs in one day. We did it like we were that band in the garage, making up songs spontaneously.
TAKING OUR CUE
Steven Knight made notes in the script — it was amazing how Kae could interpret those and write the lyrics from the point of view of the lead character, Dante Williams. For the tracks, I wrote on early 80s keyboards and drum machines.
BAND CAMP The cast had never recorded as a band, so we had to put them through their paces. In my studio in south London, we did a test recording of everything, I mixed it, then we all listened to it and worked out what could be better. Was somebody overplaying? Not playing enough?
SOUND AND VISION I took my gear to Birmingham and we found a warehouse that was the same dimensions as the space the band have in the show. We built a makeshift studio in the corner of this huge room and recorded them playing, just to make it as authentic as possible.
MUSICAL TRIBUTE The song Estella is about Michelle Dockery’s character and the problems she has as an alcoholic. It’s melancholic, as she’s in a bad way, but it’s also a celebration of what she’s like when she’s at her best.
GOOD… BUT NOT TOO
GOOD We had to go back to basics. Anyone who’s played music will remember what it’s like at that age; you only know how to play a few chords, so we tried not to overdo it. That’s why these songs work — they sound like real songs, not like pieces that were written for TV.
This Town is on Sunday 9pm BBC1. All episodes are available on iPlayer