Paul Kelly (born 23 July 1962 Farnborough,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

) is an English film director, musician, photographer and designer.

Music

The son of an RAF fighter pilot - he took up flying aged fourteen, making his first solo flight on his seventeenth birthday. However, a passion for music and electric guitars eventually led him to follow a musical path. In the early 1980s he formed the band Episode Four with his brother

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

. Changing their name to East Village the band went on to join

Heavenly Records Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves, and early singles by Manic Street Preachers. Current Heavenly artists ...

with whom they recorded an album ‘Drop Out’ in 1990. The band split in 1991 after releasing three singles. The album was eventually released in 1993. Following a brief spell as guitarist with the Saint Etienne live band, he began to concentrate more on film and design work, although he continued to produce music, forming the band Birdie with his partner and former

Dolly Mixture Dolly mixture is a British confection, consisting of a variety of multi-coloured fondant shapes, such as cubes and cylinders with subtle flavourings, and sugar-coated jellies. The origin of the name is uncertain. It has been passed down throu ...

member Debsey Wykes. They signed with Tris Penna’s It Records, releasing several singles and two studio albums, Some Dusty (1999) and Triple Echo (2001).

Film Work

A keen photographer since childhood, Kelly began to photograph some of the other bands he came into contact with as a musician. He took up film making as an extension to this photography work initially directing music promo videos for bands including Saint Etienne, Hal, Cherry Ghost and

The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled '' The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up al ...

. In 2002 he was asked by Saint Etienne to collaborate on a film project they were planning to accompany their album '' Finisterre''. Described in ''The Observer'' as a “cinematic hymn to London”, it premiered at the ICA in London and was screened around the world by onedotzero. In 2005 he and Saint Etienne were invited by The Barbican to create a film and music event to be premiered in the main auditorium. The result was '' What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day?'', a drama-documentary set in the

Lower Lea Valley The Lower Lea Valley is the southern end of the Lea Valley which surrounds the River Lea. It is part of the Thames Gateway redevelopment area and was the location of the 2012 Summer Olympics. A 2005 documentary ''What Have You Done Today, Mer ...

, the proposed site for the 2012 Olympic Games. Following the premiere, Kelly, along with producer Andrew Hinton and Saint Etienne were invited by

Jude Kelly Judith "Jude" Pamela Kelly, (born March 1954), is a British theatre director and producer. She is a director of the WOW Foundation, which organises the annual Women of the World Festival, founded in 2010 by Kelly. From 2006 to 2018, she was Ar ...

to become artists-in-residence at London's South Bank Centre. This one year appointment culminated with the premiere of their 2007 film This Is Tomorrow which included a live performance of the soundtrack by the band, accompanied by a 60-piece orchestra in front of a sell out crowd in the newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall. Kelly has completed a six-year documentary about

Felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

Denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been pr ...

and Go-Kart Mozart front man

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

entitled ''Lawrence Of Belgravia'' which premiered at the 2011 London Film Festival. Kelly and Saint Etienne collaborated again on ''How We Used to Live'' (2014), which has been described as "a cherishable, woozy-hazy trawl of London from postwar days to yuppiedom".

Selected discography

* Birdie - ''Reverb Deluxe'' 2002 LP * Birdie - ''Triple Echo'' 2001 LP * Birdie - ''Some Dusty'' 1999 LP * East Village - ''Hot Rod Hotel'' 1994 LP * East Village - ''Drop Out'' 1993 LP

Selected filmography

* ''Finisterre'' 2002 (co-directed with

Kieran Evans Kieran John Evans (born 8 February 1969) is a Welsh film director and screenwriter whose work includes music videos, film and documentaries. His 2012 film '' Kelly + Victor'', produced by Janine Marmot, saw Evans awarded the BAFTA Award for Ou ...

) * ''What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day?'' 2005 * ''This Is Tomorrow'' 2007 * ''Take Three Girls (The Dolly Mixture Story)'' 2008 * ''Lawrence Of Belgravia'' 2011 * ''Hungry Beat'' (In production) * ''How We Used To Live'' 2014 * "Dexys: Nowhere Is Home" 2014 (co-directed with

)

Selected design work

* Rickenbacker Guitars - Out of the Frying Pan into the Fireglo (2021 book) * Orange Juice - ''Coals To Newcastle'' (2010 box set) * Fender, ''The Golden Age 1946-1970'' (2010 book) * Dolly Mixture - ''Everything And More'' (2010 box set) * Pete Molinari - ''A Train Bound For Glory'' (2010 LP) * ''Caught By The River'' (2009 book) * Saint Etienne - ''Foxbase Beta'' (2009 LP) * The Magic Numbers- ''The Magic Numbers'' (2005 LP) * Saint Etienne - ''Travel Edition'' (2005 LP) * 22-20s - ''22-20s'' (2004 LP) * Saint Etienne - ''Finisterre'' (2002 LP) * Saint Etienne - ''Good Humor'' (1997 LP)

External links

Heavenly Films - official site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Paul Living people British film directors Photographers from Hampshire 1962 births