War and Peace
Bella Hardy, Findlay Napier, Greg Russell
Doncaster 1914-18/Doncaster Council
2019 marked the 100th anniversary of the end of
World War I. Whenever centenaries arise, the artistic world responds. Perhaps
some of you have seen the Sam Mendes-directed film 1917 or have read
about the monumental Peter Jackson documentary project “They Shall Not Grow Old,”
in which photographs and filmstock were painstakingly restored, authentically colorized,
and shown atop voice-acted survivor interviews. The anniversary is one thing,
but if you’ve ever been to Europe you know that there’s scarcely a town or village
that lacks a monument to the “Great War.” World War II led to greater loss of
life, but World War I left deeper psychological scars. It hastened the demise
of the aristocracy, magnified class inequality, ushered in Russia’s Bolshevik
Revolution, and shook faith in humankind.
Three enormously talented British musicians offer one of the
more interesting new takes on the Great War. Bella Hardy is a former BBC2
Folk Singer of the Year (2014) who hails from Derbyshire. She’s also a talented
fiddler. Findlay Napier grew up in the Speyside region of Scotland and holds
a degree from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Celtic music fans
recognize him as the lead singer for the now-defunct band Back of the Moon. He
now lives in Glasgow, where he is in great demand as a guitarist, musical collaborator,
and producer. Greg Russell hails from near Sheffield, England, and was a
2013 winner of the Young Folk Award. Instead of calling attention to themselves,
the trio mined the Doncaster (Yorkshire) archives and produced a commission
piece of ten songs (and a film) based on the World War I stories they found
there. Don’t expect banners and glory; the archives tell of futility, waste,
and searing questions directed at those who led soldiers into senseless battle.
Napier offers “Thou Shalt Not Kill” with its simple-but-poignant
query. What mandate, it asks, allows for the 5th Commandment to be
set aside when all others are supposed to be followed: I wouldn’t lie, I wouldn’t steal/ Nor take my
best friend’s girl/Now they say it’s fine for me/To ignore “Thou shalt not
kill…” Napier’s take on the
war is positively withering. He also offers the music hall style” It’s Made a
Different Man of Me,” a letter home from a soldier who naively (sarcastically?)
promises his wife that as soon as he’s discharged, he’ll put the war aside and
give it no thought. He rounds off the album with “Little Tommy Atkins” and
there is no question that he intends this story from long ago as a warning to future
boys who think war is child’s play.
Bella Hardy gives a
woman’s perspective. It’s an article of faith among North American feminists
that the postwar treatment of World War II Rosie the Riveters was patriarchy and
sexism at their ugliest. Check out Hardy’s “Belles of Brickfield” and you’ll
know that North Americans were 30 years late in boarding the bandwagon. She
also offers object lessons of war. Most wars begin with aforementioned banners
and dreams of glory, but they seldom end that way. Don’t be deceived by the
light waltz “Miss Freda Hooper;” Hardy has a different take on those who dance “the
ghosts” away.
The content and
gorgeous melody of Russell’s “God or Union” embodies the word “bittersweet.” Russell
is a very powerful singer, as you will hear also on “Egbert.” That one is
filled with the stirring muscularity of training camp promises, as well as a
few hints of what hasn’t been mentioned. Hardy’s fiddle adds to a melody that’s
where the martial spirit and dysphoria collide. If you want to know what war weariness
sounds like, listen to Russell sing “20 Minutes.” Russell also gives us one of
the war’s more touching stories. “Vic the Dog” is based upon the story of Albert
Drury, who was saved from a fatal bullet by his cigarette tin. Vic is the name
of an actual pooch, one he brought back to England from the trenches of France.
War and Peace is part of a larger project that recounts the sights
and experiences of Doncaster war survivors. There is honor in it, even if it’s
not defined the way politicians and generals tell of it. Though I’m not sure if
Hardy, Napier, or Russell would agree, for me it’s a powerful reminder of the
insanity of war. And more’s the pity that a hundred years later the same old
promises–lies in disguise–continue to lead young people down the path of danger,
horror, and loss.
Rob Weir
You can listen to
all of the album at: https://warandpeacedoncaster.bandcamp.com/album/war-and-peace
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