On 12 June in Sheffield, the city’s centenary of Stainless Steel (and the first night of Sheffield Doc/Fest 20) will be celebrated by Jarvis Cocker and leading Sheffield musicians – including The City of Sheffield Brass Band, Richard Hawley and band members, Pulp band members, The Forgemasters, a string quartet and a youth choir – who will perform live to the world premiere of The Big Melt, directed by Cocker’s long-time collaborator Martin Wallace.
A lyrical film for the contemporary age, The Big Melt uses footage from the BFI National Archive to tell the story of steel, the story of the men in the steelworks and the story of Sheffield. The score directed by Jarvis Cocker takes us on musical journey into the soul of a nation, bringing to life the ghosts of our past, leading us into the belly of the furnaces and showing how our national characters have been stamped from the mighty presses of our industrial heritage. Jarvis Cocker has gathered a group of leading Sheffield musicians to create a phenomenal music score for the film – a new kind of Sheffield heavy metal, with pictures.
Musical Director Jarvis Cocker said, ‘Just like Billy Casper told Jud he’d “never work down t’pit” I vowed never to get in all that “Sheffield: Steel City” biz. But guess what? Looking at the BFI’s awesome collection of steel-related films changed my mind. I only hope that we can pay proper homage to the extraordinary individuals featured in this footage. Our aim is to melt faces (& hearts) -& to blow minds. With maybe a bit of smelting thrown in for good measure. The jesses are so off.’
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