Two Scottish Icons – The Macallan and Simple Minds – Collaborate In A Short Biopic
The song “Solstice Kiss” by the iconic band, embodies the true message of short film “The Spirit of 1926”, starring Emily Mortimer in the role of Janet ‘Nettie’ Harbinson
Musician Jim Kerr calls The Macallan “part of Scottish history,” but the same could be said of the band he’s been part of for almost 50 years: Simple Minds.
Along with bandmate Charlie Burchill, Jim composed a song to accompany a touching film from The Macallan that tells the story of the inspirational Janet ‘Nettie’ Harbinson, who in 1926, crafted the most valuable bottle of wine or spirit ever sold at auction: The Macallan Fine & Rare 1926, which was famously sold at Sotheby’s in 2019 for £1.5m.
The beloved band – famous for hits such as Don’t You Forget About Me, Alive and Kicking and Belfast Child – wrote the bespoke soundtrack for The Spirit of 1926, a short film starring Emily Mortimer as the inspirational Nettie who took over The Macallan after the death of her husband Alexander Harbinson.
“The story is all about people finding their vocation in life. It’s really about holding onto the memory of someone that you really love,” Emily says. “Nettie is living in the first half of the 20th century. She just enjoys her life then her husband dies. She had to decide what to do with the business and she decides that she’s going to run it.”
The song, explains Jim, “evokes the landscape behind the story,” and has a Celtic influence that connects to The Macallan’s deep Scottish history and heritage.
Kerr admits he was “blown away” to be associated with The Macallan but felt confident he could capture the spirit of the distillery in the song after the sound of the Celtic pipes came to him in the early hours one morning. “Simple Minds are known for big landscape music, and we felt we could eke out something from ourselves that would fit perfectly with what they were aiming to have going on in the film,” he says.
Solstice Kiss – which was composed by Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, and Ged Grimes is taken from Simple Minds’ latest studio album, Direction Of The Heart and features vocals by Sarah Brown. It has since been released as a single by BMG globally on 30th June.
It is the first single to be released in its own right by an artist following a collaboration with The Macallan, which has previously partnered with Nicola Benedetti and Mogwai to write and perform dedicated compositions too.
“We approached Simple Minds because the story behind The Macallan Fine & Rare 1926 is unique to Scotland, so it was important to us to work with a Scottish band for the soundtrack,” Jaume Ferras, Global Creative Director for The Macallan and a producer of The Spirit of 1926, says.
“Solstice Kiss, has a beautiful dramatic quality that we felt conveyed Janet’s love for her husband and also her determination to continue what they had built together at The Macallan.”
Directed by the legendary Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral), The Spirit of 1926 can be viewed here, while an invitation to join The Macallan Society, where you’ll be kept up to date on news and events for a richer and more meaningful journey with The Macallan, can be found here.
For more information on The Macallan’s rich history visit themacallan.com