Musical Vigilantes

WHEN Jode Steele and David Wainwright started playing classical guitar at school, the 14-year-old friends never thought their interest would lead to a successful career as composers. But that’s exactly what has happened.

Because 12 years on, the pair are firmly established as two of the region’s leading musical entrepreneurs, with their company, Verbal Vigilante Music, recently scooping a top Channel 4 Award – and their work now up for recognition at the forthcoming Royal Television Society awards.

In addition to these latest successes, Verbal Vigilante Music has now been awarded the accolade of being named Facility of the Month by Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the region’s film, TV and digital content industries.

“It’s a privilege to get recognition for our work, especially as we’ve been working towards this for so long,” explains David, of Preston.

“At school both Jode and I shared a love of music, and that developed in to us writing our own songs together. We used really simple equipment, an old karaoke machine which somehow became a two-track recorder, but it was enough to get us started,” he continues.

Jode takes up the story: “We did the whole band thing, busking in the streets, then we went on to college, and eventually decided to go to the same university so we could continue composing and working together.”

The two, it seems, are inseparable – often finishing each other’s sentences! Understandable, then, that when David walks down the aisle in June, Jode will be there too – as best man.

“We’re great friends, as well as being business partners,” explains Jode.

In 2000 the friends went to the University of Central Lancashire to study New Music and Media. “It was quite an experimental course, which was great for us because we wanted to learn more about the process of composition and expand our musical knowledge,” explains Jode.

“Studying new work also opens your eyes to other kinds of music, so we fell in love with work as varied as North Indian classical music to musical theatre. It’s had a huge impact on the work we produce today.

“The lecturers used to say not everything has to be a three-minute pop song, so we employ a bit of that in our compositions, which gives us an originality in the music we create,” he adds.

Working as a double-act has only ever brought benefits, says David. “The way we work is quite intuitive. Jode might come up with something on the piano, he plays it to me, and that sparks off a reaction in my mind, so we can begin bouncing ideas around.”

“It starts off as a raw melody, then David offers something that I didn’t think of. Everything we create is filtered between the two of us,” adds Jode.

It’s certainly a winning combination. Almost immediately after graduating from university, the Vigilantes managed to secure their first commission to write music for a short animation. This, in turn, has led to lots more animation work, and even a feature film.

“We composed the soundtrack to Katie Steed’s short animation, Death By Scrabble, which is currently up for a Royal Television Award. And last year we completed our first feature film, Between The Lines.

“The director was very impressed with our work and has asked us to get involved with his next feature, later this year,” explains Jode, who entered a clip from the film into the Channel 4 awards – earning the pair a 4Talent Award.

“That Award is really starting to open doors for us,” adds David. “We’ve had a meeting with Channel 4’s Head of Creative, who deals with all the channel’s adverts and stings, and he wants to introduce us to a couple of producers.

“I think people approach you differently when you win an award, because people think they must be OK, if Channel 4 like them. We realise it’s all about networks and making the right connections, so hopefully we’re on the right tracks.

“A lot of our work is word-of-mouth, which has meant we’ve done a lot of work for clients in the south, but what we really want to do is break into the scene here in the Northwest,” adds Jode.

“We’ve recently begun working with an animator from Chester, Linda McCarthy, producing the music for a stop-frame animation pilot about upper class gentry who live in a manor house. We’re now working on the full TV series, which is really exciting. We haven’t had that much experience of TV, but it’s definitely an area we want to crack.”

The duo have also recently agreed to lecture students at Bolton University, on a course called Introduction to Synthesis and Midi. “We teach students how to use and create music on a computer. Writing music for the games market is another whole new area to us.

“Ultimately, though, it’s British film we want to work in. That’s where our passion lies. There’s some really great stuff being made, with fantastic directors, and we really want to be part of that, especially in the Northwest.”

For more information, please visit Jode and David’s website at www.verbalvigilantemusic.com