In January 2017, musician David McLean and pulp fiction writer Phil Carney embarked upon a Samarbeta residency at Islington Mill. Over the course of 10 days, the pair collaborated with a large ensemble of local 17 musicians and 4 actors to produce a new suite of compositions.

 

This residency was a direct collaboration between musician David McLean, who composed and performed the music along with the large ensemble and Phil Carney, Bletchley’s only hard boiled pulp fiction writer, and owner of Bullet Proof Press, who wrote the script of 6 acts and curated the exhibiton that accompanied the live show.

 

The relationship between the iconography of Film Noir and Jazz has long been inseparable and marks a source of profound fascination and influence on both Carney and McLean and their respective practices. Their aim was to create an evolving and highly dramatic suite of narrative led music based around Carney’s writing, essentially creating several ‘Scenes’ which were performed by actors in a homage to small ensemble chamber theatre and the classic Film Noir monologue.