The final films we saw at the Doc’n Roll Film Festival looked at two very interesting, very different, lesser-known characters of music from both sides of the Atlantic.
Lee Fields: Faithful Man (dir. Jessamyn Ansary and Joyce Mishaan)
With films already made about sadly departed labelmates Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones, Lee Fields now gets the life story treatment with this passionate portrayal of a man born to perform and who is now finally getting true recognition. Fields is a charismatic character who tells his own story, going back to the house in Carolina he was raised in, which also acted as a latenight speakeasy and gave him his first exposure to soul and rhythm and blues music.
He checks in with his teenage bandmates The Stingrays where we learn that his talent and drive led to him leaving for New York to record his first single in the late 1960s. A number of deep Southern Soul ballad recordings followed and all was going well until disco arrived and Fields found his style quickly out of fashion. After 30 years of working in real estate, with the occasional local gig on the side, a call from Fields fanatics Gabe Roth and Philip Lehman led to his first recording session in decades. As part of the Daptone family, we see Sharon Jones joining Lee’s band on backing vocals in some electric rehearsal footage.
Playing shows is what Fields lives for and he hopes to continue until he drops. There’s a new album out and shows booked in so go and see this unique performer while you can.
Dukes At Komedia, Wednesday 2nd November 2022
A Film about Studio Electrophonique (dir. James Taylor)
This is the story of a relatively unknown great British eccentric from whose semi-detached home in Handsworth, Sheffield, the recording careers of some of the biggest names in 80s and 90s indie and synth pop were launched. Ken Patten was a talented guitarist and sound engineer who built a recording studio, complete with CCTV so the band members could see each other from the different rooms they were placed in.
Director James Taylor and endearingly enthusiastic host James Leesley take us on a treasure hunt, catching up with Studio Electophonique former alumni Jarvis Cocker, Martyn Ware and ABC’s Steve Singleton alongside bands that never made it including the fantastically named Electric Armpits, all of whom speak with kindness and admiration of the man who did not judge their musical styles but was happy to advise them; Jarvis fondly reminisces about Ken’s instructions for how to make a vocoder for 50p. They manage to track down friends and family of Ken, who are happy to lend two carrier bags of Ken’s home movies and original studio gear, which Leesley gleefully records with.
There are some great stories including Ken’s exploding homemade speedboat and The Future’s (pre-Human League/Heaven 17) first dealings with A&R men. The film was made on an iPad, giving it an appropriately DIY feel and in the Q&A Taylor informed us that his next project will be to write a screenplay for a biopic about Ken, which he hopes will have a Ken Loach meets Wes Anderson feel. Judging by this film there are enough stories and events in Patten’s extraordinary life to make this one to watch out for. Plus Taylor said he has enough blackmail leverage to ensure Patten’s former neighbour Sean Bean plays the lead.
Dukes At Komedia, Thursday 3rd November 2022
We’re off to Mutations Festival tonight so will sadly miss the final film but we’re already looking forward to seeing what the lovely people at Doc’n Roll have planned for next year.
