Story of rock band with disabilities turned into film

Trying to neatly label Ultimate Thunder's music would be as futile as guessing the direction their gigs will take. Besides, it's entirely against the band's ethos.

The Leeds-based group have been defying expectations - and the odds - for more than a decade now, having two albums and countless performances under their belts.

Predominately made up of members with disabilities, the band is the focus of an independent documentary which will debut at Sheffield DocFest next Saturday.

"We weren't making a film about disability. That wasn't the point at all," director Ben Brown says.

"We were making a film about a band of musicians and artists that have gone through this time together and create amazing music."

Guitarist James Heselwood established the group in 2012 after Leeds charity People In Action said they had "three guys who want to start a heavy metal band".

The line-up has changed over the years but now features Heselwood, Alex Sykes, John Densley, Matthew Watson, Kenneth Stainburn and Scott Anderson.

Known for their largely improvised sets, their Band Camp profile describes them as "post experimental, post punk and post disco".

"It started off as this little project and then it's just slowly evolved," Heselwood says.

"We played pubs in Leeds and Bradford but as soon as you put a record out, you can send it a lot wider and it turned into something quite serious."

That's not to say there haven't been bumps in the road; like any good origin story, Ultimate Thunder have navigated a series of setbacks over the past decade.

In 2024, they faced an uncertain future after their Arts Council funding came to an end.

The public, venues and musicians including Tim Burgess from the Charlatans and Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, rallied to raise money for the band to carry on.

The film captures the ups and downs of the initial funding cut and the increased publicity that followed, which helped the band land several high profile gigs, including Kendal Calling and a 5,000-strong crowd at Millennium Square in Leeds supporting Yard Act.

It also documents the band members' health struggles - drummer Anderson underwent surgery, and singer Watson lost his voice for months, unable to speak or sing.

"All this stuff kind of unfolded in front of us," Brown says.

"Matthew's the most talkative person you've ever met, and without him being able to speak it was stressful for everybody involved.

"We had this tension - are we all are we going be able to do it? Is it going to pay off?"

Producer James Mabbett has worked with the band on both their albums, the first of which was created over Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"People would phone in from home and I'd capture the sounds they were making on their instruments and voices and all sorts and put it together into a record," he says.

He and Heselwood have since gone on the create Easy Listening Records, which Ultimate Thunder is signed to, as a way to "re-balance" the music industry.

"One of the things we set out to do when we set up the label was provide a platform for people with learning disabilities that was on an equal level," Mabbett says.

"The art and the music that these guys make is equally as valid."

"There's not many bands around who break through that have disabilities," Heselwood adds.

"The music industry is completely inaccessible, so it's our job to make it work."

The documentary will debut at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield on 13 June, followed by a Q&A with Brown and the band members.

Bassist Stainburn, who cites his musical influences as 80s rock such as T-Rex, says he's "nervous" about the occasion.

His favourite part of being in the band is "people enjoying the music, joining in with it and dancing with it", he adds.

After the fanfare is over, Ultimate Thunder will be back to the studio - a new album may be in the works for later this year.

Although the documentary is finished, Brown says he'll "be a fan forever".

"The guys are probably sick of me going to rehearsals, but they won't get rid of me that easily," he jokes.

Deemed the "most punk rock band in Britain" by Big Issue in 2022, does the band still proudly claim that title?

"It depends on what you mean by punk rock," Mabbett muses.

"I think from a DIY aesthetic, which is kind of what punk was then that's fair. Punk as an attitude, rather than a genre."

"No one is playing the part or trying to be punk - the guys just want to play music," Brown adds.

"I guess there's nothing more punk than that."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.