Tower Block Dreams documentary follows Charlie Sloth and Skinnyman

15 April 2020 65

The story behind Tower Block Dreams and the search for young voices in London’s underground music scene

Made 18 years ago, Tower Block Dreams followed young artists trying to build lives through music.

Its director, David O’Neill, has now shared how the BBC Three series came together and how Charlie Sloth, Skinnyman and a wider generation of artists found their way into the films.

Watch Tower Block Dreams Spittin’ and Shottin

How Tower Block Dreams began

O’Neill and a friend started Raw TV in 2001 while looking for ideas for new programmes. After O’Neill was held up at gunpoint for his motorcycle, he became interested in the lives of young people growing up nearby but within very different cultures and communities.

Finding a way into those lives was not straightforward. Music became the route in.

London’s Garage scene was developing while Grime was beginning to emerge, and O’Neill saw an opportunity to explore that world through the people making and promoting the music.

From the Pilot to a Three-Part Series

The BBC first commissioned a pilot. O’Neill filmed young promoters putting on a Heartless Crew event, but the night quickly became chaotic when the crew arrived three hours late and the crowd turned on the promoters.

The footage was strong enough to help secure a three-hour series.

Each film was designed to feel different. O’Neill wanted the stories to reflect a wide range of young people who were trying to change their circumstances through music.

Charlie Sloth Finds His Story

O’Neill first met Charlie Sloth at a pirate radio station. He remembers Sloth as a bold and uninhibited character who seemed completely comfortable in front of the camera.

At first, O’Neill was not sure how much of Sloth’s story he believed. Then Sloth called to tell him he was in trouble. That was the moment the director decided to focus on him.

Raised in Somers Town, Sloth was trying to move towards a career in music while leaving his earlier life behind. Tower Block Dreams captures that period before his later success in broadcasting.

Finding Skinnyman

Finding the right access to Skinnyman proved more difficult. O’Neill had read an interview with him, but he was still incarcerated when the director began trying to make contact.

By the time Skinnyman was released, another production team was already filming him. Even so, his story became part of Tower Block Dreams.

The documentary follows a period when Skinnyman was trying to rebuild his music career independently. His later album Council Estate Of Mind would become an important part of his story and of UK hip hop.

The Stories That Never Became Episodes

O’Neill also spent a great deal of time with NASTY Crew while filming early material with artists including Kano, Sharky, D Double, Stormin’, Flirter and Crazy Titch.

He regularly visited the small basement studio at Jammer’s family home, but struggled to find a strong enough narrative for the material to become one of the finished episodes.

A few months after editing was complete, O’Neill heard that Marcus had returned to the scene in dramatic circumstances. Looking back, he felt that this was the missing element that could have given the story its shape.

A Snapshot of London’s Underground

Alongside Charlie Sloth and Skinnyman, Tower Block Dreams captured a wider network of artists, promoters and producers working across London and beyond. The series visited places including Tottenham, Finsbury Park, Bow and Archway.

Adam Smith directed the middle film in the series. O’Neill says that episode later became an inspiration for People Just Do Nothing.

Nearly two decades later, Tower Block Dreams offers a record of a changing period in UK music. It also shows just how many stories were developing around London’s underground scenes, including some that never made it into the final series.