INTERVIEWS
Don Letts
“So basically my white mates set about creating a soundtrack that was of the people, for the people, by the people. And that was punk rock.”
Ahead of an onstage Q&A at the Thornbury Theatre next week, Beat catches up with UK film director, DJ and musician Don Letts. Letts came to prominence in the London punk scene during the late-1970s. While managing the clothing store Acme Attractions, he met a number of local and touring musicians who were won over not just by the store’s electric-blue zoot suits but also Letts’ dub reggae soundtrack. This led to Letts DJing at the seminal punk rock club The Roxy in central London. His real distinction, however, came as a documentary filmmaker. In 1978, he released The Punk Rock Movie, which captured the Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash, The Slits and more at the height of the punk boom. The rise of UK punk rock is often noted for triggering cultural upheaval and facilitating social and individual liberation. Letts remembers why its emergence was so important. “In the mid-to-late-‘70s the social, political and economic climate here was shit,” he says. “Or as my friend Johnny Rotten so eloquently put it, it felt like we all had no future. It was grim. Lucky for me I had a bit of a soundtrack to ease my pain, which was reggae. “My white mates were not so lucky because the popular music in those days was this kind of prog rock thing that had no bearing on the mood of the street. So basically my white mates set about creating a soundtrack that was of the people, for the people, by the people. And that was punk rock.” Letts has made documentaries about everyone from The Clash, The Jam and Gil Scott Heron to
Sun Ra, Franz Ferdinand and Paul McCartney. His 2005 film Punk: Attitude – which framed punk as an ongoing counter culture – won Best Documentary at that year’s Melbourne Film Festival. His film work also includes music videos for The Clash, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and Eddy Grant and the feature films Dancehall Queen and One Love. In 1984 he co-founded Big Audio Dynamite with Mick Jones, remaining a member for six years. These days, Letts hosts the Culture Clash radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music as well as continuing to work as a documentarian and DJ. Technology has obviously come a long way since Letts started DJing, but his general intention is the same. “It keeps me in touch with people,” he says. “That’s how I became friends with [the punk rockers], through exchanging culture; turning them on with my bass lines, them turning me on with the whole DIY thing. Ultimately, it’s about cultural exchange. I think that’s what’s going to make the world a better place – embracing our differences.” The Clash and The Slits are two acts that conspicuously embraced the influence of Jamaican
music. But while Letts is often credited with introducing the punk scene to reggae, he’s hesitant to take too much credit. “I think all the people I turned onto reggae in the late-‘70s when I was DJing at the Roxy were all the white folks who didn’t have any interaction with black people at that time. But, to be quite honest with you, there were other steps towards that whole punky-reggae thing. “Trojan Records, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, they had a big part in sowing the seeds for the UK’s love of Jamaican music. People of my age like Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon and John Lydon, they all would’ve known that Trojan stuff and they liked it. “It’s a testimony to the power of culture. Because, while the politicians are trying to drive people apart, at ground level music and culture are actually uniting people, black and white. That’s where shit starts.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Healesville Music Festival
“Somehow the tunes are sweeter and the wine is perfect when you’re looking out across the vines to the mountains.”
“Our phone reception is average. Our festivals are ace,” Nadine Cloonan says of her Healesville, the famously beautiful town that she and 6,500 others call home. Less-than-ideal phone reception aside, Cloonan is not wrong. With an impressive lineup from local and beyond, and a picturesque location, Healesville Music Festival is a stunning event on the music festival calendar. Though the festival is a unique opportunity for the Healesville music community to come together, it’s a unique chance for music lovers from across the state to discover a new chapter of Victoria’s vibrant music community. “We have some incredible musicians that make the Yarra Valley their home and we have some great venues that are supporting them. There’s a real trend towards taking advantage of our beautiful surroundings and it’s the relaxed vibe at local wineries and distilleries that people really gravitate to,” Cloonan, one of the festival’s organisers, says. “Somehow the tunes are sweeter and the wine is perfect when you’re looking out across the vines to the mountains.” The festival was dreamed up nearly ten years ago by a group of Healesvillian musicians, fuelled admittedly by some of that aforementioned wine. Due to a lack of gig opportunities in their hometown, these local artists were playing festivals in similar smaller towns, such as Yackandandah, Maldon and Newstead, and they loved it. “We loved how these small towns supported their festivals, the sense of community, the amazing music and that somehow just being out of the burbs made
Don Letts will be In Conversation at the Thornbury Theatre on Tuesday November 6. Head the venue website for tickets.
everything a bit more magical, and we decided that we could do it here in Healesville,” Cloonan says. It began humbly, with a free one-day event in a local part, featuring a few local bands, before blossoming into a multi-venue camping festival. Though the festival still values and features local acts, the lineup now features a range of bands from around Australia, and even overseas. Now in its ninth iteration, the festival’s focus is on community involvement, an angle that highlights its roots. “It comes back to the initial festival dream and what we loved about the festivals in other small towns. There’s such an incredible community spirit in those towns and we wanted to bring that to Healesville,” Cloonan says. “When a whole town’s behind an event it is completely energising and is felt by anyone that comes to the town. It’s about people being excited to live where they do and wanting to be part of an event that showcases their town.” The festival bars will serve a range of locally produced beer and wine, encouraging patrons to explore the township, and visit Healesville breweries, distilleries, such as festival supporters Watts River Brewery and Innocent Bystander. Alongside the live music, Healesville Music Festival runs a range of workshops and programs, featuring a range of other musicians and industry professionals.
“It’s about being more than a listener, it’s taking away an experience that’s personal and maybe picking up a few handy tricks along the way,” Cloonan says. Not just for the young-at-heart, there’s a huge program for the young-of-body. Impressively, all patrons aged 13 years and younger are welcome at all ticketed festival events, and even to camp, free of charge, in an effort to keep the festival family friendly. “If we can get people along to experience the joy of live music then this will have enormous benefits, not just for them but for every venue that supports live music. And if our festival can help foster the love of live music in our kids then we’re winning,” Cloonan says. Cloonan’s love for the Healesville music community is evident in her every word, and it’s a love that clearly permeates the entire community. The festival is completely run by volunteers, and funded by sponsorship. Its mere existence is proof of the passion for music that runs through Healesville. “It’s diverse in its genres, and incredibly supportive. There’s a great culture of looking out for each other, supporting community events and sharing the gigs. We all try to get out to each other’s shows and we love giving our younger performers a chance to shine,” Cloonan says.
Healesville Music Festival comes to Healesville from Friday November 16 – Sunday November 18. Head to the festival website for the lineup and ticket information.
BY CLAIRE MORLEY
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