The Sing-Along-A-Wicker-Man Scrapbook: In Search of the Pagan Heart of Britain

by David Bramwell

Since 2010 David Bramwell (Oddfellow's Casino) has been performing as Lord Summerisle in Sing-Along-A-Wicker-Man, a show that attracts more than its fair share of pagans, despite the film’s portrayal of them as a homicidal cult. Across history and culture in the West, pagans have invariably been portrayed as purveyors of the dark arts. But what is it that has led us to demonise a way of life that honours nature and gave us such beloved festivals as May Day, Halloween and Yuletide?

In this entertaining and thought-provoking ‘scrapbook’, Bramwell unravels the history of The Wicker Man and its irreverent and popular sing-along and charts how, despite an unpromising start, the film’s current status as an iconic cult means that it has been referenced everywhere from comedy shows and a Radiohead video to a homespun

92 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

Dr. Bramwell is a man who likes to keep busy. A magpie by nature, he is the creator of the successful Cheeky Guide series, founder and host of Brighton’s Catalyst Club and singer-songwriter in the band Oddfellows Casino (Nightjar Records). His music and spoken word material have been featured on BBC radio 1, 3,4 and 6.

David has written books on subjects ranging from difficult words to sexuality for Penguin, Harper Collins and DK, has spoken at and hosted TEDx events, curated a tent at Port Eliot Festival and, together with fellow musician Eliza Skelton, entertained festival and cinema audiences with “Sing-along-a-Wickerman”.

His one-man show, The Haunted Moustache, won him awards for “Outstanding Theatre” and “Best Comedy Show” during the Brighton Festival, a BBC R3 commission for the series Between the Ears and a Sony Award in 2011.

His second one-man show, the No9 Bus to Utopia was based on a year spent travelling round communities in Europe and America in search of a better life. The show premiered in the Earth Ship in Brighton’s Stanmer Park and has since featured as a TED lecture and been performed at Alain de Botton’s School of Life, 5X15, the Idler Academy and Port Elliot Festival. He is happiest, however, performing it in the back room of a pub.

It is worth noting that Dr Bramwell is a medical man by rumour only; approach with extreme caution, particularly if he offers to whip out your tonsils in exchange for a packet of biscuits.

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

Musings inspired by several years' experience at the head of the titular cinema experience, circling around familiar questions (who's the baddie?) but able to bring new perspectives (I was particularly taken with the pagan copper's position on a film where his loyalties were always going to be complex). Touring the show has given Bramwell plenty of anecdotes, many entertaining though some less so - Robin Hardy's later years sound like they should have been better, in all senses. But having been recommended this book by John Higgs' newsletter, there were definitely times when I would find myself spotting a crack in the narrative and thinking, Higgs would have delved into that and found something more there. Hell, so would Bramwell if this were a song - his band Oddfellows Casino's album Oh, Sealand is the best musical encapsulation of Brexit Britain going. Still, I suppose this did admit from the off that it was a scrapbook. And I can't fault the ambition of trying to redefine the film's companions in folk horror's unholy trinity, even if I think Bramwell's version creates at least as many problems as it solves, not least by missing that the bagginess of the original definition was surely part of the point.

[Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid fan of the film and a one-time goer to the Sing-along, this was a wonderful accompaniment that posed some questions around faith and morality that I was certainly wrestling with. I enjoyed very much the thorough bibliography throughout and will definitely be exploring the 'further reading'!