The Stormcock Community

Last night I went along to the launch event for Nick Harper's forthcoming DVD "Love is Music". We were treated to a preview screening of the feature in our own little theatre, along with a bar and the opportunity to talk to Nick himself along with director Mike Last and of course all the other assorted loonies that had come along.

I don't want to give too much away about the content of the DVD itself as you will enjoy it a lot more coming to it cold. The basic structure is of a mixture of songs and interview snippets. The songs are taken from various sources including live footage from festivals and concert halls, along with studio and garden footage and one or two other locations. Sometimes music video tends to be somewhat over-produced, so that you get completely distracted by all the visual trickery and fancy graphics, but in this case the visuals are subtly done and serve to enhance the songs. There are some very nice segments where a camera has been attached to the guitar so that you get a close up view of Nicks fingerwork. There are also occasional split screen effects where you can see Nick performing and at the same time see shots of the crowd reacting to the music. It works very nicely.

All the interviews are done in a humourous and self-deprecating way, with interviewees ranging from Roy Harper, Glenn Tilbrook, Levellers/Drunk in Public personnel, road crew, fans, and others. They give a good perspective on why they enjoy Nicks work and how it manages to communicate raw emotion to the listener. I've always found it very hard to try to categorise Nick's stuff (and indeed Roy's too). You can't pigeon-hole it by saying "acoustic singer songwriter" or "nutter acoustic punk" or "folk music". This DVD conveys the variety of musical styles, and the way he can switch from being deadly serious one moment to utter hilarity the next. One of the most bizarre yet telling interviewees is DJ Mike Reid who has some funny and accurate things to say.

The disc will serve two purposes. For the existing fan I think it will be appreciated in its own right as a collection of great songs, with very good visuals and also some very effective use of surround sound effects. For potential fans, and for use as a promotional tool, it's a fast track to getting a hook on what Nick is about and why he deserves success.

Glenn notes at one stage that he has moved back from being in the mainstream insanity of the pop music business into the "cottage industry" side of it. He notes that Nick has, on the other hand, started with nothing and, without the support of a major label and largely ignored by the "mainstream" music industry, has made it on his own terms, making a living out of his music and not compromising his art. I cannot help but agree of course, but I also believe that Nick deserves a wider audience - and indeed, that they deserve him. Think of all the Jeff Buckley fans for example who, if they had only heard of Nick, would certainly be into it.

When I arrived at the screening Nick was at the bar and immediately bought me a beer. "Thanks, you're a star" I said. "Not yet" he answered.

Let's hope that the new DVD helps spread the word.

Finally, thanks to the other fans that I meet, I really enjoyed our chats! And thank you to the lovely HarperPR for my invitation.

Paul.

Linn (aka HarperPR)

Colin Curwood

Nick and Nick (Cunliffe)

A big fan