Rockdown in Lockdown – the Soundtrack!

For me, music plays a huge part in writing. Not in the actual writing, usually anything with lyrics is far too distracting but the soundtrack to writing a book can be as influential and inspiring as it is evocative of the mood of a scene.

Since Kill It With Fire I’ve been compiling Original Soundtrack Albums for each book as a playlist. Before you do anything else click on the button and start playing it on Spotify:

Listen Here

With Rockdown in Lockdown it got a bit messier… in the nicest possible way. For the first time ever (maybe!?) an actual band got a cameo in a book. But more on that later… First the tracklist, then I’m going to do some liner notes for the inside of the LP. If you want to read the lot, just keep scrolling and moving your eyes left and right in the traditional manner, if you want to skip to particular tracks, click and it’ll jump down to that bit of the page.

Block Rockin’ Beats – The Chemical BrothersHeart – Andy CooperCh-Check It Out – The Beastie BoysMain Title ‘Truck Turner’ – Isaac HayesWhole Lotta Love – Ike & Tina Turner Stay With Me – Mary J. BligeNobody’s Fault But Mine – Nina SimoneNo Surprises – Regina SpektorMonster – dodieIn The Air Tonight – Phil CollinsPush It – Salt-N-PeppaGoing Out Of My Head – Fatboy SlimSaturday Night’s Alright For Fighting – Elton JohnFight Fire With Fire – The ProdigyFuckin’ In The Bushes – OasisThe Drowners – SuedeHow Not To Drown – CHVRCHES featuring Robert SmithSay The Word – The Allergies w/Andy Cooper and Marietta SmithToo Many DJs – SoulwaxBlockbuster – Sweet2 Shots – David FordInstant Street – dEUS

Block Rockin’ Beats – The Chemical Brothers

Start with a banger. That’s what my old Gran used to say when she was DJing in Ibiza. The Chemical Brothers statement that they are, in fact, back with another one of those block rocking beats felt like a nod to lockdown.

A nod that said ‘fuck off lockdown’. And the book, written as it was in lockdown, embraced that sentiment wholeheartedly. The joy of people coming together in spite of what’s happened.

Heart – Andy Cooper

Andy makes an appearance a part of a rival crew in the book and this track on his solo album typifies Violet’s swagger at times while still wearing its titular heart on its sleeve. The fight back had begun within the first verse of this song in my mind and it serves as a microcosm of the attitude the gang have.

Ch-Check It Out – The Beastie Boys

Contemporaries of Ugly Duckling, Andy Cooper’s old band, feels like we’re setting up an attitude…

Believe when I say I’m no better than you
Except when I rap so I guess it ain’t true

I mean, that’s Violet really isn’t it? Except pulling slick heists instead of rapping, obviously.

Main Title ‘Truck Turner’ – Isaac Hayes

The first of the ‘soundtrack’ moments, this amazing song from the movie ‘Truck Turner’ (starring Isaac Hayes – go and watch it, it’s fantastic). If this was a movie, it’d be playing as Lucas makes his entrance into The Lakehouse.

Building tension. Funky, funky tension.

Whole Lotta Love – Ike & Tina Turner

What’s better than tension? More tension. The patience this song has laying down it’s track before Tina growls into life, the strings, the way guitar… Very few covers match the original but I think this one is arguably as good as Led Zeppelin’s original.

As we cross cut from Lucas’ isolation into the triumvirate of Zoe, Katie and Violet, the pulsing bass guides us through the plans for what’s ultimately going to happen.

Stay With Me – Mary J. Blige

Feminism? Yes please. Rod’s version of this feels like a lost and sleazy sexist uncle compared to Mary J. Blige’s resurrection of this. Bit of a thematic link too. We were all locked in our houses, remember.

Who says subtext is dead?

Oh… no-one.

Anyway, with everyone banding together in their bubbles, this banger also cut through the gloom of it a bit too.

Nobody’s Fault But Mine – Nina Simone

Sometimes, you can be blindsided by a song. I love Nina Simone and thought I was pretty well-versed in her back-catalogue but I was listening to Lauren Laverne on BBC 6Music and this came on… I had one of those music moments where you stop everything else you’re doing and you just listen.

I knew it was Nina Simone immediately and couldn’t believe I’d never heard this song before. Maybe it was just that it was resonating in a new way, I don’t know. Whatever the reason, that stripped back Nina just singing and playing piano… it’s just beautiful.

Foreshadowing on the soundtrack, of course (no spoilers) but when things go wrong, whose fault is it?

Side note – I kind of hope that Lauren reads this because it can’t be understated how appreciated it was for that slice of normality and togetherness that she provided through the radio show in the dark times of lockdown. Especially when she would have been going through the same shit as the rest of us.

Thanks, Lauren

No Surprises – Regina Spektor

Radiohead’s original didn’t feel like it would sit as well on the Original Soundtrack (capital letters!) after Nina Simone. Regina Spektor bring just as much emotion as Thom and co. but this piano-only version felt like the perfect fit at this point in the soundtrack as well as this point in the book where we’re sneaking around, trying not to get caught, the prelude to the main event.

Surveillance society… Zoe couldn’t give a shit about your security system. All your base are belong to her.

No alarms and no surprises

Monster – dodie

We need to bring it up a bit now, don’t we? Step up dodie… don’t let that sweet voice fool you, she’s as sharp as a thorn behind it. There’s even a reference about being a metre apart (not pandemic specific but nonetheless). There’s an encapsulation of Lucas’ state of mind trapped with all those horrible characters. The dance he’s engaged in, the lies he’s spinning and the facades that are put up by everyone.

In a way he’s as bad as they are but… at least in the book… we’re more on the gang’s side.

In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins

We’re into the meat of the heist now. The cinematic parallels worn like hearts on sleeves with the slow build and explosion of the song and Violet’s plan. Everything’s going to kick off really soon.

What’s that? A line about drowning? Just ignore that. Definitely not relevant in a story set in a facility under a lake.

Is it?

Push It – Salt-N-Peppa

The plan’s kicked off! Fun time! Salt-N-Peppa bringing it with Spinderella on the decks.

Violet & Katie’s here and they’re in effect…

With Rockdown I always wanted it to be a partial reflection of the bad parts of Lockdown but it was also meant to be a joyous explosion of all the best bits of Kilchester and what better way to kick off the fun and games?

Going Out Of My Head – Fatboy Slim

Starts with a Who sample and ramps up from there. Norman Cook is a genius being able to make songs that just make you want to smile (and dance!), this one is a high watermark for everything going to plan. Like that point in the evening when you are just the right side of happy. You know that soon things are going to get a bit messy but, hey… what’s the worst thing that can happen?

Turns out dying is an option but you can’t imagine that while the big beat bounces along.

Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting – Elton John

Inevitably, this Is where the chaos starts. With Katie’s fists flying. That idea that a fight’s a bit of fun bounds along in the song and, at points, in the book. But you know in Kilchester if someone pulls a knife there’s going to be blood on the pages and this song’s no different.

We’ve left the safe, warm big beat boutique and we’re still buzzing but now someone’s getting smacked.

Fight Fire With Fire – The Prodigy

Some bands lose their teeth with age but the Prodigy are still snarling. As the fight goes into round two the dirty side of brawling comes out.

We don’t fuck with police… we fight fire with fire

Katie’s injured. Things are getting out of control… And this is a great song to get in the mood for writing that kind of scene. If this scene was ever filmed there would have to be a section where Katie was hammering her assailant in the face to the kick and snare drum. It would be brutal. Just like the track.

Fuckin’ In The Bushes – Oasis

Comms are down. The gang are split up. Everyone has tasks and there are people everywhere. Everything’s going to come together in the end though. Isn’t it?

Oasis’ brilliant instrumental just builds and builds and we’re are going to end this song with a rocket launcher destroying the vault so… LET’S DO THIS.

[minor spoilers for the book in the next two songs – skip to Soulwax to avoid]

The Drowners – Suede

As I said previously, as much fun as I always try to make the books, there should always be a grounding in the real world. Without danger the characters just wouldn’t be interesting. And here the danger culminates in Violet trapped in the vault as it fills with water.

Bernard Butler’s guitar cha-chonks its riff into your ears before Brett Anderson’s lilting vocal sails overhead. Admittedly, I took it very literally but it’s a great tune and initially drowning is just swimming after all…

How Not To Drown – CHVRCHES featuring Robert Smith

This was the first song I’d heard by CHVRCHES and it was entirely as a result of The Cure’s Robert Smith. This is literally the soundtrack to Violet drowning.

Everything going through her head, Lauren Mayberry’s vocal… Robert’s response… the whole sound really wraps Rockdown up in a bow at this point in the narrative.

Needless to say I’ve dug into CHVRCHES since and they are an amazing band but the claustrophobia, frustration and rawness of this track made it a total no-brainer for inclusion.

Say The Word – The Allergies w/Andy Cooper and Marietta Smith

I tweeted about the soundtrack to ‘Kill It With Fire’ when I put it together at the time and The Allergies were on there. DJ Moneyshot tweeted back to say they wanted to be in my next book… The only problem with that sort of request is that it takes bloody ages to write a book.

I say ‘only problem’…

When I outlined the book I knew I wanted to have a scene in where they appeared, the idea being that they were in a band by day and heisting by night. I was conscious of the fact that if I worked them into the book too much when they read the end result they might say ‘no fucking way’ and I’d be left having the editing job from hell to take them out.

As it happened, their inclusion was woven in a bit deeper than just the one scene and to make matters worse I couldn’t just make it a puff-piece. The Kilchester gang are the protagonists here and, to have them suddenly defer to outsiders (or even be nice to them!) would have been weirdly out of character.

In the end I just wrote the main scene the way I thought it needed to be, crossed my fingers and emailed them the result. In the end I needn’t have worried. After they’d taken a look I got the thumbs up and (to the best of my knowledge) the first band cameo in a book ever came to pass.

This track was great for a moment in the plot where Katie realises what she’s just done… the results of firing that rocket launcher are not just explosions and larks.

Say the word and I’ll come running

It’s a brilliant track with Andy and Marietta bouncing along and complementing each other perfectly. Andy’s rapping percussively pounding the beat while Marietta’s singing soars in response. It’s soul, it’s funk, it’s attitude and it’s a great moment of people coming together in the book.

Too Many DJs – Soulwax

As Doctor Strange memorably said, ‘we’re in the endgame now’. I’ve long been and fan of the Belgian brothers and probably their most famous song as a ‘band’ is undoubtedly this one. It’s got energy, distortion, drive and chaos while still remain as tight as a drum.

The ‘something’s got to give‘ refrain is a great sentiment for this point in the book too.

Blockbuster – Sweet

Back in ‘banger’ territory for this one. A reviewer once described my writing as ‘Oceans 11 meets Hot Fuzz… in book form’ and this was on the soundtrack to Hot Fuzz. The siren, the drums, the glam of it all.

The song is dangerously catchy and it bloody knows it is. It’s arrogant about how good it is just like Violet but you love them both anyway. Cheers to Edgar Wright for reminding me of this one… plus you need something a bit uplifting as you’re bring this plane in for a landing, don’t you?

2 Shots – David Ford

Another very specific lockdown-related song. I’m a huge fan of David Ford, he was the first artist I saw post-pandemic and this song is about getting vaccinated getting back on stage. The forward-looking, the melancholy, the hope.

For a while none of use were sure we would have the hope. But then it came and I think this song has that uplifting quality. And it might be the only song with the name of a pharmaceutical company in it!

Probably less about Violet and the gang, this song is more of a reminder on the soundtrack of what we collectively went through and how fucking weird it was. But we got through it and we got through it together. David did regular lockdown streaming gigs (again, if you read this David, THANK YOU) and these were ways for us all to come together when doing so was strictly forbidden.

But that couldn’t be the end…

Instant Street – dEUS

The coda as the gang get back together at the end of the book. This might be one of my favourite songs in the world and it’s perfect for the end of Rockdown. I could probably go through line by line and draw comparisons but I’ll try to keep it short (too late).

The coming together of friends, colleagues, a makeshift family. Lyrically, the song slides perfectly into the ideas and themes I was playing with as I wrote the book. Musically the calm first half feels like it’s complimenting the denouement as it unfolds but there are choppy waters ahead and about halfway through it shifts into something different and darker.

By the time the song moves into a higher gear it’s become something entirely different. As if that might be some sort of indication as to how the gang’s next outing may pan out…

But that, as the saying goes, is another story.

Don’t forget, you can listen to the lot as a Spotify playlist:

Rockdown In Lockdown Original Soundtrack

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