Target reached!
More money will allow us to add extra days to our tightly budgeted filming schedule ...
The Xero Slingsby Documentary
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
We're making a feature-length documentary about legendary Leeds jazz musician Matthew Coe, AKA Xero Slingsby, and his band The Works.
Xero Slingsby
It's time to tell his story 
Who was Xero Slingsby?
Matthew Coe, aka Xero Slingsby, was an extraordinary jazz musician. He's been compared to John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix – but his style was always very much his own. A style that's difficult to define - jazz, beat, free jazz, jazz-punk? It's music that isn't easily pigeonholed - and that's probably why it still sounds fresh, new and relevant 30-odd years after it was made in the 1980s. It was music that asked questions, but never felt contrived. Tracks were short, punchy and punky. Live performances were full of energy, wit and enough presence to make the most casual gig-goer sit up and take notice.
The 'Shove It' documentary is the story of Xero Slingsby. His music. His musicianship. His energy and invention. His influences and those he's influenced. It's a story about ideas, performance, invented instruments, twin Morris Minors, busking to make a living, 40 arrests for busking to make a living, Leeds in the 1980s, Thatcher, and about getting out of bed every day and being creative because if you didn't you didn't eat.
Matthew died in 1988, just as the band were making a name for themselves in the jazz scene in the UK and Europe. But his and the band's influence remains today.
The Xero Slingsby story is an inspiring story of creativity in the face of limited means, circumstances, overly officious laws and, ultimately, cancer – and needs to be told.
Support the film - claim your reward
We need to raise £5,000 to make the documentary. Any help would be fantastic - and to say thank you for your support we've come up with a great range of rewards: from limited edition posters, badges, CD sets and links to download the finished film to credits on the film itself and exclusive VIP+1 invites to special screenings in your choice of Leeds, London or Ghent.
Check out the Rewards tab for details and donation links (... if you're looking at this on a smartphone it's at the top of the page, next to the Overview tab! Apologies: we don't control the layout/format of the page...). Thanks!
Why now?
2023 will be the 40th anniversary of Matthew forming Xero Slingsby and the Works, and while the folk memory of Mathew and the band still exists, while there are still people who were there to tell their stories, to describe the sound of the Pandamoniphone, to share experiences of meeting, hearing, seeing and being inspired by the band, and those who still love and want to share the music and spirit of Xero Slingsby and the Works - if not now, when?
How we'll use the money
All the money raised via Crowdfunder will go towards the production costs of 'Shove It'.
These include the cost of licensing important archive footage as well as transferring old Super8 reels, VHS tapes and reel-to-reel recordings the band made.
We're sourcing video footage of the band in concert and buying usage rights of a 1982 BBC documentary called 'A Town Like New Orleans' which featured an interview with Matthew and footage of him busking in Leeds. The usage of this latter film represents a huge chunk of the budget, but it's a key piece of archive as this is one of the few times we will get to hear Matthew speak for himself.
Money will of course also go towards all the investment it takes to film, record, edit, mix, grade, release and promote a professional documentary - including fees for professional filmmakers as well as the marketing and screening of the finished film.
The film will be shot on professional 4k (Netflix approved) cinema cameras, and stylistically a creative decision has been made to present the film in 4:3 aspect ratio to help preserve and compliment the feel of the archive footage used.
We've budgeted for a minimal crew – camera, audio recordist and director – which helps keeps things intimate for interviews, with budget lines too for a full audio mix sound design once the story edit is complete and reaches picture-lock.
It won't be an ordinary documentary: the band were no ordinary band - and we hope to capture some of their verve and energy in the film. Sadly, we will never be able to see Xero Slingsby and the Works perform live again, but we will keep them relevant and endeavour to do them proud.
Budget split
- Pre-Production: including planning, research, liaison, etc. (4%)
- Production: including camera hire, crew fees, transport, location hire, etc. (43%)
- Post-Production: including edit, audio mix, colour grade, licensing, etc. (35%)
- Marketing & Crowdfunding: including advertising, PR & fundraising fees: (18%)
£5,000 is a tight budget – enough to get the film made to the standard and quality we want, using a light and nimble and talented team, and buy the usage rights we need to buy ...but there's not much fat in it.
If we're lucky enough to exceed the target of £5,000 any excess money raised will be ploughed back into production - allowing for more days filming, more time editing, as well as additional promotion and more festival screenings.
It's an 'all or nothing' fundraising campaign, so we need to hit our target to make the film a reality. So please do help if you can.
Do you have any photographs, video or other archive of the band to share?
Like many documentaries, 'Shove It' will only really work if we have access to crucial archive material.
We're working very closely with Sally Coe to bring the story of Xero Slingsby to life. She fully supports the film and this Crowdfunder campaign, and has already been amazingly patient and helpful in taking the time to find and share many precious photographs, video tapes and Super8 reels, as well as set-lists (some written on the back of beer mats!), programmes, posters, fliers, etc, etc, from Matthew's career, along with the help of the remaining members of The Works, Louis Colan and Gene Velocette. It's no exaggeration to say the film could not be made without their invaluable insights and input, and the producers would like to thank Sally, Louis and Gene from the bottom of our hearts for helping us get to this stage.
Is there more material to find??
We know there are radio interviews out there, many more photographs ...and hopefully other footage of the band playing in the UK and Europe. Do you have anything we could use? Is there any Xero Slingsby gold-dust hidden away in a box in your attic?
Please get in touch via xerodoc@thestanleystudio.com or the Xero Slingsby Documentary Facebook page - thank you!
The core creative team
Robert Campton, director & producer
Robert is an award winning filmmaker and creative director with over 25 years experience in the commercial world – making films and creating campaigns for the likes of Guinness, Martell, Boots, American Express, South Australia Tourism, Oxfam, Royal Mail and many more besides. He set up The Stanley Studio in 2014 to concentrate on making films and documentaries for brands that were predominantly new to using video across web, social and broadcast media - where he's worked with leading travel, arts and heritage organisations. Robert first encountered Xero Slingsby and the Works at the legendary Termite Club at The Adelphi in Leeds in 1983.. so in many ways this film has been nearly 40 years in the making.
Carl Hindmarch, executive producer
Carl is an Emmy winning and BAFTA nominated director and producer. With a track record of visually distinctive and emotionally powerful films, he consistently makes bold and thought-provoking work that finds moments of stillness and beauty in a chaotic and fragmented world. Carl brings a wealth of top level documentary experience with him, from directing ITV's 'The 7/7 Bombing: Survivors' Stories' to groundbreaking music docs such as 'Mark Ronson: From The Heart', 'Rollermania: Britain's Biggest Boy Band', and the Sky Arts series 'Rock and Roll'. A regular at the Termite Club, Carl interviewed Xero Slingsby and the Works for the Leeds Student paper in 1984.
Gustaf Jackson, sound designer
Gustaf is an incredibly gifted sound designer and has worked on a huge array of well known TV shows - from the likes of 'Us' (BBC), to 'Cursed' (Netflix), to 'Panorama' (BBC), to 'Jamie's Money Saving Meals' (Channel4), and many, many more, as well as numerous feature films, documentaries and shorts – not least the Oscar winning short 'Stutterer'.
Where will the film be seen?
We aim to release the film online through a dedicated website, as well as enter it into various film festivals in the UK and Europe over the next year or two – and screen it at jazz festivals and clubs and at exclusive 'event' screenings with special guests.
We'd also really like to show it at schools and colleges in the hope Matthew’s story and the music of Xero Slingsby and The Works, will inspire new un-pigeonholeable music makers. A new generation of Xero Slingsbys.
Thank you for your support.
This project successfully funded on 11th April 2022