Singled Out: Simon Scardanelli's Battle Ships

06-04-2025

Simon Scardanelli recently released "Battle Ships" from his forthcoming folk-opera album "La Mer", and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

"Battle Ships" was very much inspired by the maritime history of Brittany. After moving here at the end of 2017 I immersed myself in the culture, attempting to learn Breton dancing (- not as easy as you'd think!) and going to concerts, known as "Fest Noz" (literally "night festival" in Breton) to listen to the great traditional Breton music. With its Celtic roots the music really resonates with me - I've written a lot of music in 3/4 and swing-triple time, and long been a fan of Irish music.

Somehow in all this I developed the idea for my Folk-Rock opera "La Mer" - which I hope to launch later this year. This is a huge multi-media project - music performance, narration & movie screen backdrop.
Musically it veers between folk-rock and an almost classical form - so I guess I might be accused of writing a Prog-Folk-Rock Musical - well I never follow fashion...! When I began writing, the Celtic influences and swinging rhythms just naturally appeared . "Battle Ships" appears in the musical when the young folk are going off to war.

A defiant battle cry - the song calls for an uprising of a mythological race fighting to save the planet from human destruction.

"Battle Ships" was actually one of the first songs written for the opera, though it's song number six in the work. As soon as I'd written it I started playing it live in my "normal" concerts, and it always brings the house down. Something about the power of the amplified Ukulele (playing live I put the Uke through an octivider to add some punch and weight) The angry energised Ukulele really becomes a rhythmic call to arms. Massive drums join in - an army on the march. A french horn calls the theme, bodhrans clatter with the marching drums "'til the Devil's dead!"

The Ukulele was a new instrument to me only a few years ago. Playing guitar since the age of 14 I never got around to trying the Uke. In 2019 I'd written "Clean - the Musical" with Sam Chittenden, a playwright in England; we later staged it at the Brighton Fringe Festival, where it won awards. Having no budget meant we needed actors who could play an instrument. It turned out that 4 of the 7 cast members played the Ukulele. Having written everything for guitar and piano, I thought I'd better get myself a Ukulele and rearrange the songs for this instrument. I quickly fell in love with the Ukulele and it made its first appearance on a couple of songs on my 2019 album "The Rock, the Sea, the Rising Tide". This was also when "La Mer" began to appear as a rough idea in my head - the title of that album gives you a clue as to my thinking at that time....

I love the fact that the Ukulele can be played fingerstyle like a classical guitar. In "La Mer" there are some very delicate beautiful passages with the Uke played in this way. I guess most people know it from the lilting Hawaiian strums - gentle, rhythmic and soothing - but equally it can be a powerful chord monster!

"Battle Ships" is just one of those songs that seems to instantly grab attention live, and there isn't a concert I play where it doesn't get heard.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here