YOU’VE probably already seen some of Marc Hockley’s works: appearances in Ted Lasso, After Life, and Ashes to Ashes are just a small part of his contributions to film and TV.
He has also performed as a Robbie Williams tribute act for nearly 25 years, with a pretty spot-on tribute to Michael Buble under his belt too.
But for Marc, his latest project, more original music, has seen particular excitement from the singer/songwriter, especially as it has led to an explosion of creativity in him.
Little Devils is set for release on streaming platforms from Tuesday, October 31, a fitting date for a song of that title.
“It’s my first single in about eight years,” he explained, “only the second since I had an album out a decade ago– it’s the very first I’ve written and recorded on my own.
“I always collaborate with other people; my last album was a collaboration with Smiley, who drummed with Robbie Williams and Joe Strummer.
“It’s also the first single from my upcoming album, and I’ve written about 60 songs for the next project I’m doing.”
While it is not unusual for Marc to be writing his own music– “I’ve written since I was about 11” —
he explained that it feels more personal this time around.
“The last 24 years I’ve performed as a Robbie Williams and a Michael Buble tribute act.
“I’ve picked up some TV and film work, but singing is all I’ve done for two and a half decades– just before lockdown I started getting keyboard lessons.
“So everything I have in my head when I collaborate is less diluted, I can communicate it uncompromised now.”
It’s led to a shift in how he approaches his songwriting, brining a more personal element to the works.
He said: “It’s so invigorating– it means there’s nothing more exciting than the next project, and I’ve never worked this quickly before.
“This new material is a lot more personal because of it, and the songs of my youth are really informing the sound.
“It’s synthy, a bit 80s; I grew up on Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Nik Kershaw, Thomas Dolby, Bowie, even some Trevor Horn samples, and it makes a really exciting sound palette.”
Not only has the sound of his output seen something of a shift, but also his methods of production, which he described as a “massive turning point” for his creative process.
“I wrote it music-first, finished all of the instrumentation, and then I opened up the mic and just sing whatever comes into my head.
“The melody is unencumbered by words, just whatever feels natural, then I fit the words to the patterns afterwards.
“Every time, on each of the 60 songs, they end up flowing and becoming about something.”
So the first of this new batch to see the light of day is Little Devils, the lead single for an upcoming album expected early in 2024.
The single showcases not only the remaining influence from previous works, he explained, but also what is to be expected on the album.
“Little Devils has an ambiguous subtext, it’s less anchored down, but it is definitely one of the more out-and-out pop songs on the album.
“It straddles electronica, disco, and dance, which all feature on the collection, but it’s more straightforward too.
“It deals with confronting your demons, and wanting to be better while doubting yourself, into an accessible, catchy pop tune.”
The video itself is straightforward, too, using footage of Georges Méliès’ The Devil in a Convent.
“That was more out of necessity, however; about five years ago my friend and video producer, Keith, passed away from cancer.
“This was the first time I wasn’t able to call him and say that I was thinking of putting something together, and I didn’t know what to do.”
But he had been reading about fair use of public domain footage, including short movies, and he happened upon the film.
“I was watching with the intention of cutting it up and creating something else with it, but it was perfect.
“It’s a really cool film, and the way it’s filmed makes everything fit with the song, so I dropped the song on top and it just worked.
“It’s a silent film, so there wasn’t any sound to worry about, and I haven’t had to tinker with Méliès’ vision; I haven’t cut a frame.”
