Music In Full View

Kate Rusby Photo: Jeremy Llewellyn-Jones

His one-time Equation colleague Kate Rusby’s film, on the other hand, has her wandering in lush Yorkshire, with the history of mining still a shadow in the near past and local culture like brass band music a dominant influence. Tradition and her fascination with it is central, but also where it all fits in her life – her mum sings in the film too. Celebrity endorsements from the likes of Jennifer Saunders and playwright Willy Russell come thick and fast but always feel genuine. You see the way Kate skilfully manages complete independence by involving her whole family in running the business, and whilst the scale of her popularity is indicated by the hundreds queuing for autographed CDs at Cambridge, you also see it translated to a local level at a self-organised fundraiser for the village cricket club. It’s a very human, honest and open portrait.

Eliza Carthy’s film, although centred around gigs with the Ratcatchers, working on her next album of original songs and the whole Waterson/Carthy dynasty, is, well, the total passionate ‘Liza experience. “Obviously, seeing yourself through this kind of prism is odd,” she admits. “When someone points a camera at you and asks you about your music, how you feel about it in relation to your life and everything you believe in, you want to be as eloquent and straightforward as you can. I think it’s pretty close to the truth – I do hope my commitment to English traditional music comes through, that it isn’t just an advert for the new album.”

Was there anything you were sorry got left out, in retrospect? “It was a shame that more of my bands weren’t included. I never tour alone, I like to have my little family around me. Barnaby Stradling in particular was someone I wrote nearly all my earlier arrangements with. They are the people that know me best. It would have been nice to see Martin Green, or Saul Rose, or Sam Thomas. But I suppose it’s not possible to fit everyone in.”

And what did she learn as a result of making it? “Maybe that I need to be as militant and passionate as I used to be? I loved being that person, someone with the courage to be that outspoken. I fell on my arse sometimes, but I achieved a lot.”

“I suppose I’ve always been mildly obsessed with music,” says series producer Michael Proudfoot. “From the age of about twelve my idea of a treat on Thursdays was the NME and a packet of wine gums. Then I was in a minor public school in Worksop and used to sneak out on a Sunday night with my guitar and go down to the local folk club. It was a fantastic club, mostly people from the mining community, and the organisers were very sweet to me. Through their generosity they introduced me to a load of music that I wouldn’t have otherwise heard. Seeing Nic Jones was like some amazing thing happening to me, it completely turned my head – whenever I go abroad, I still always take Penguin Eggs with me.”