How Anna Calvi threw out the guitar rulebook to write the Peaky Blinders score

For most guitar players, composing music is a means for self-expression that often can provide the deepest and most profound insight into their hearts, minds and souls. The same can also be said of Anna Calvi’s three solo albums, though by the London-based songwriter’s own admission it was a somewhat different approach for her original score for Peaky Blinders seasons 5 and 6, released on CD and vinyl at the beginning of this year.

In these creative situations, she reasons, it’s not her own story being told, but rather that of the characters depicted on screen, so her primary objective is to join the dots between what people see and what they hear.

What does a show like Peaky Blinders call for, musically? The themes are quite bleak, so you tend to work in minor keys.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s happy music! But it’s treading a line between violence and beauty, which is essentially the ethos of the show. Some of it feels quite punk in that it’s adjacent to the norm and quite rebellious. I really try to score [lead character] Tommy Shelby’s inner voice with my guitar.

“It’s nice to work in a more philosophical and abstract way, rather than the usual ‘I’m a guitarist!’ approach. I’d play with a bow or hit the strings with the guitar on the ground, all sorts of weird stuff. Because my job was to score what was happening in that character’s head rather than anything about me. I enjoy the freedom it brings because I’m not solely responsible for the vision.”

Gina, for example, is a fitting homage to the character seen on screen. 

“I have to say Gina Gray is quite a personality! I love it when certain people jump out of the screen at you, and it’s important for the music to match those moments in terms of charisma.

“With Tommy, because he’s the main character, I would often start with a note and let it descend into chaos, which is how his mind works. And that’s why there are a lot of descending slide motifs – because Tommy himself is sliding downwards.”

So what tips can you offer all the budding scorers and composers out there?

“Trusting your gut instinct is really important. You shouldn’t be afraid of those first ideas because you’re watching a scene and responding to it with your guitar in a more emotional way.

“I often find those moments are my most productive ones… so always remember to press Record, because you’re using your heart over your head. I find the more you overthink things, the worse it gets. My method is to find a sound I believe in and stick with it. That’s my general approach to tones.”

That makes sense given how you’ve stuck with a 1997 sunburst American Standard Telecaster for much of your career.

“When I bought that guitar I knew nothing about Telecasters! I literally just got it because I saw Jeff Buckley had been using them. But it made me a better player because I loved the sound it was making. I’d never had that before. When you enjoy hearing yourself play, it spurs you on.

“Telecasters can cut through so well, but they also have this chiming quality, especially with reverb. They can be very angelic and subtle compared to something like a Gibson, but when you add distortion they can get growly. I find they respond to the character of the player better than other guitars.”

What else did you use on the new soundtrack?

“The sunburst Tele did most of it, though I also used my Gretsch baritone for certain moments. Those are my two main guitars, plugged into my Vox AC30. I own a couple more but don’t play them much and look at them as spares.

“I prefer to have a real relationship with each instrument. I’m a bit of a monogamist in that sense. I want to know them really well instead of going around loads of different models.”

We’re also hearing reverbs, slapback echoes and tremolo on tracks like You’re Not God, Tommy’s Plan and Esme’s Dream.

“I find tremolo works really well with soundtrack stuff because it provides texture without too much information. You always have to play less than you think you should on stuff like this, so it’s nice to have a pedal to help pulse away behind whatever else is going on.

“My main overdrive is a Crowther Hot Cake, which is quite warm and retro-sounding, and I use my T-Rex Room-Mate Tube Reverb and an EarthQuaker delay for wetness.”

Other songs like Black Tuesday feature some aggressive slide guitar work… 

“I remember it was a long scene and the director told me to just solo for six minutes… which felt like a lot! I was intimidated at first. You can hear the desperation and sleeplessness in what I’m playing, and that ties into the story.

“Jack White is a big slide hero of mine. Obviously I’ve listened to a lot of Robert Johnson, but as a young adult I was listening to the White Stripes and learning from their modern take on it.

“I almost think of slide as a human voice. You get these microtones from going into and out of notes, to the point where it’s kinda not in tune but it sounds so cool.”

• Peaky Blinders: Seasons 5 and 6 (Original Score) is out now via Domino.