Kes at the Royal Festival Hall- Rough Trade at 50

In a week where we gain our first northern born Prime Minister since Harold Wilson, and the world cup final was playing out, I had the absolute pleasure of attending a screening of the Ken Loach Classic, Kes, the story of a northern boy's escapism from bullying at home and at school via the relationship he forms with a kestrel. Written by Barry Hines, younger brother and his love of birds of prey, Kes is the story of Billy Casper, its about a boy in a Yorkshire mining community written off by everyone – except perhaps himself. 

As part of the Rough Trade at 50 celebrations, the screening was to celebrate its delicate soundtrack created by John Cameron, with a live soundtrack performed by the Elysian Collective. The screening was further enhanced by an engaging Q & A chaired by author and journalist Miranda Sawyer, with John Cameron, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and charming personal recollections from the actor who played Billy Caspar, David Bradley. 

‘Rough Trade has a long history with Sheffield starting with Cabaret Voltaire and continuing with Pulp, whilst Manchester was where The Fall, Blue Orchids and The Smiths all came from.

Set in Yorkshire, Kes is considered by many to be a definitive film of the region. Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis explains their connection to the wider area and to the movie:

‘We made many, many trips to both cities in the early days of Rough Trade in an effort to see shows and in our attempts to sign those bands … we appreciated the kind of genius exhibited in this film that was perhaps native to the region. It’s simply one of our favourite films ever, and we wanted to celebrate that!’

Elysian Collective is a collaborative ensemble specialising in contemporary and improvised music. They first formed in 1999 as the Elysian Quartet, an experimental string quartet. Following the death of their violist in 2015, they reformed some years later as a more flexible ensemble. The group have recorded and performed with artists such as Pulp, Fontaines DC, The Last Dinner Party, IDLES, Pet Shop Boys and Florence + the Machine. Film score credits include The Lovely Bones, In The Loop and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.

Kes was shown as part of a 3 day Mini Meltdown at the Royal Festival Hall. 

See more of the Rough Trade 50 releases here