The Breakdown
Anna Calvi has released a new EP ‘Tommy’ which features music from the BBC One’s ‘Peaky Blinders’ series. Anna Calvi previously wrote and performed the score for season 5 of Peaky Blinders and was brought on to provide the music for the last season too. Shortly after Calvi began work on the season 6 score, she became pregnant with her first child. With the ongoing pandemic, she had to devise a new way to record with other musicians under strict restrictions in London. Calvi also decided to bring in frequent collaborator Nick Launay – producer of her third studio album ‘Hunter’ as well as albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grinderman and IDLES – to work alongside her. Anna continued working on the score until the night before the birth of her son Elio in November 2021, before swiftly returning to work and racing to finish the whole score as the season’s first episode aired all whilst in the early stages of motherhood and adjusting to her new life.
Tommy comprises four tracks, the previously shared ‘Ain’t No Grave’, the rest of the EP includes a cover of ‘Red Right Hand’ – the Peaky Blinders theme song by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘All The Tired Horses’ as well as an original song by Calvi, ‘Burning Down’.
‘Ain’t No Grave’ kicks off the EP it is a driving rock song tinged with menace and foreboding. Calvi has spoken about how she tried to get inside the head of Tommy Shelby when writing songs for the series and this song perfectly captures the dichotomy of the character. ‘Burning Down’ allows Calvi to showcase her vocal range, it’s a slow burning song that lyrically examines Tommy’s tormented disposition. ‘Red Right Hand’ has been covered numerous times for the series, including by PJ Harvey and Arctic Monkeys. Calvi’s version brings a new perspective to this classic song, with tortured guitars and the vocal delivery emphasising the nightmarish aspects of the Peaky Blinders series. ‘All The Tired Horses’ is a Bob Dylan cover on which Calvi brings the full force of her atmospheric guitar work to the fore thereby transforming an enchanting folk song into a menacing rock tour de force.
Stream ‘Tommy’ HERE.
An exclusive limited 12” vinyl of Tommy is set for release on 21st October.
Anna Calvi Upcoming live dates
11th June – Syd for Solen, Copenhagen
12th June – Tempelhof Airport, Berlin
22nd July – Tuaron Nowa Festival, Katowice
12th August – Haldern Pop, Germany
14th August – Hear! Hear!, Belgium
26th August – Victorious Festival, Portsmouth
28th August – All Points East, London
24th September – Reeperbahn Festival, Germany
Photo credit: Maisie Cousins
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