Two decades of Field Music: Sunderland band revisit and celebrate their debut
Sunderland’s Field Music are marking 20 years since their self-titled debut with an expanded two-disc reissue, a Bandcamp listening party and celebratory smattering of dates including a sold-out stomping ground show at The Fire Station.
The anniversary edition of the album features the first-ever vinyl release of their 2006 B-sides set Write Your Own History, plus three rare/unreleased recordings from the band’s formative years and new liner notes by former NME writer James Snodgrass.
Formed by brothers Peter and David Brewis - originally with keyboard player Andrew Moore - Field Music have been a defining force in Sunderland’s music scene since making their entrace in the early 2000s.
Since their debut, another 20+ albums have followed. They’ve earned a Mercury Prize nomination (in 2012 for Plumb), written a film soundtrack; launched side projects like School of Language and The Week That Was and most recently started a crowd-pulling tribute band, The Fire Doors.
Over 20 years, the ever-inventive and evolving Brewis brothers have built one of the most distinctive catalogues in British indie music - as well as masterminding pretty much every North East live music compilation night you can mention.
Reflecting on the milestone, Peter and David note they rarely look back - “making 21 albums doesn’t leave much time” - but they concede two decades feels significant enough to revisit the earnest young band who learned to make records in a Sunderland rehearsal room.
They’ve also been relearning the old songs for three November shows; a taster arrived (see youtube clip entitled, Locked-in at The Bridge Hotel Vaults).
Field Music will be in the Bandcamp chat sharing behind-the-scenes memories during the listening party on October 26 ahead of a sold out show at The Fire Station on November 14.