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Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm

The unlikely tale of how two Welsh farming brothers turned their dairy farm into a legendary recording studio starring Ozzy Osbourne, Liam Gallagher, Chris Martin and many more.

Black Sabbath, Queen, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Coldplay, Simple Minds, Robert Plant and Manic Street Preachers are some of the greatest bands and musicians of our time, but what is the one thing these titans of music have in common?

This film tells the unlikely tale of how two Welsh farming brothers turned their dairy farm into one of the most successful recording studios of all time, producing four decades of legendary rock music. It’s where Queen recorded their seminal Bohemian Rhapsody, featured in the Hollywood blockbuster of the same name. But Rockfield’s own story has never been told until now.

Fifty years ago, deep in the Welsh countryside, brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward were starting out in the family dairy farming business. But they yearned to do something different – they wanted to make music. So they built a studio in the attic of their farmhouse and started recording with their friends. Kingsley’s new wife Ann left her job in the local bank to do the books, and they continued farming all the while. Animals were kicked out of barns to make way for recording equipment, and musicians were moved into Nan’s spare bedroom. Inadvertently, they’d launched the world’s first independent residential recording studio.

Rockfield’s reputation spread like wildfire, quickly garnering international acclaim. From Black Sabbath, Hawkwind and Queen, to Simple Minds, Iggy Pop and Robert Plant, and later Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers and Coldplay - an unbelievable roll call of artists have made music and mayhem at Rockfield.

Legendary musicians give us their awe-inspiring Rockfield stories - sharing with us the highs, lows and magical moments that created some the world’s best-known and loved songs of our times - from Wonderwall to Yellow.

Innovatively told through archive, animation and personal interviews, Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm is an extraordinary story of rock and roll dreams intertwined with a family business’s struggle for survival in the face of an ever-changing music landscape. Amazingly, Kingsley Ward and his wife Ann, now in their 80s, are still at the helm today, with daughter Lisa 'front of house'.

The film is the debut documentary feature from director Hannah Berryman, produced by Catryn Ramasut from award-winning Welsh production company ie ie Productions.

1 hour, 30 minutes

Last on

Wed 21 Aug 2024 21:00

Music Played

  • The Stone Roses

    Love Spreads

  • Hobo

    You

  • Stud Farm for Shire Horses

  • Charles Kingsley Creation

    Summer Without Sun

  • Heather Jones

    Nos Ddu

  • Spring

    Hendre Mews

  • Black Sabbath

    Blue Suede Shoes

  • Dave Edmunds

    Baby I Love You

  • Black Sabbath

    Paranoid

  • Hawkwind

    Silver Machine

  • Hawkwind

    Space Is Deep

  • Hawkwind

    Opa Loka

  • Ace

    How Long

  • Rush

    Xanadu

  • Alexander Parsons

    The Eighties

  • Adam and the Ants

    Ant Music

  • The Teardrop Explodes

    Reward

  • Iggy Pop & David Bowie

    Play It Safe

  • Simple Minds

    Changeling

  • Simple Minds

    Changeling

  • Robert Plant

    Big Log

  • Simple Minds

    Promised You A Miracle

  • The Stone Roses

    I Am The Resurrection

  • The Stone Roses

    I Am The Resurrection

  • The Stone Roses

    Love Spreads

  • Oasis

    Wonderwall

  • Oasis

    Wonderwall

  • The Boo Radleys

    Wake Up Boo!

  • The Boo Radleys

    Wake Up Boo!

  • Manic Street Preachers

    If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next

  • The Charlatans

    One To Another

  • Oasis

    Champagne Supernova

  • From Madama Butterfly

    Coro a bocca chiusa (Humming Chorus)

  • Coldplay

    Shiver

  • Coldplay

    Yellow

  • Eliza Carthy

    Devil in the Woman

  • Ace

    How Long

Credits

Role Contributor
Director Hannah Berryman
Editor Rupert Houseman
Producer Catryn Ramasut
Executive Producer Julian Carey
Executive Producer Kimberley Warner
Executive Producer Keith Potter
Composer Alexander Parsons
Production Company ie ie Productions

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