Tom Aspaul unveils ‘Black Country Disco: The Movie’

Tom Aspaul unveiled the long-awaited short film to accompany his critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Black Country Disco’ – ‘Black Country Disco: The Movie’.

A love letter to the Black Country, the film was shot over the summer months of 2020 on location in Wolverhampton and Birmingham, by fellow filmmaker Sam Taylor-Edwards. It includes three songs from the album, ‘W.M.’, ‘01902’ and ‘Tender’, the 10-minute clip encapsulates the same feelings of heartbreak, loss and acceptance expressed on the record – which charts Tom’s journey from the end of a five-year relationship in London, to his move back home to the West Midlands.

  The film, shot entirely on film and VHS and is s a nostalgia-tinged romp , Wolverhampton landmarks and long journeys along the M6. 

In Tom’s words: “I have been making and releasing music for quite a while now and in that time, I have tried (and failed) to create some kind of music video that I felt matched up with the music. Be it budget restraints or health emergencies (my appendix burst on the day of a shoot once!) I never quite managed to finish a visual – but with ‘Black Country Disco’ being my debut album, I decided it deserved something bigger, more ambitious and more expansive, mostly so I could express all the emotions I had on the record, which to me is as much about dancing and joy as it is pain and heartbreak – but also to try and encapsulate the ‘Black Country’ as a place, distinct, removed from London and full of character and history. It was really important for me to work with a queer director, so we were both on a certain level aesthetically and referentially – and Sam has pulled it off and truly realised the vision I had for this film! I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it! The dancing! The stomping around Wolverhampton! The 70s styling! It has all been an absolute joy.”

In Sam’s words: “Oddly, growing up, it hadn’t occurred to me why I loved pop music so much. Or why I was drawn to the often epic, event-like music videos that came from likes of Madonna and Britney… aside from being a closet gay-boy! Now an adult, I’ve come to realise it’s because pop videos have always been about spectacle. They’re colourful and loud and shamelessly unapologetic. That’s exactly what Tom and I wanted to channel with Black Country Disco: The Movie – but gayer.”

Tom Aspaul has been writing and releasing music since 2013. His self-penned first single ‘Indiana’, was produced by Grammy-nominated superstar MNEK and ultimately covered by Australian pop-Goddess, Kylie Minogue (who, in a full-circle moment, featured two songs from Tom’s debut album, ‘W.M.’ and ‘Dead Already (Save Yourself)’ on her own carefully curated ‘Infinite Disco’ playlist’). 

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