How the Peaky Blinders soundtrack enhanced the creative delivery of a period crime drama 

''On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man...'' This is how Steven Knight introduced his Birmingham gangster in the BBC period series Peaky Blinders. This Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds masterpiece is now as iconic as Tommy Shelby's (Cillian Murphy) brooding slow walk and his iconic flat cap.

Knight's Peaky Blinders, which has emerged as a global streaming success in recent years, used an anachronistic soundtrack to aid its 1920s gangster drama, inspired by a real-life criminal gang from the 1880s. The show opens in post-WWI England with haunting background music, complete with 'almost bluesy, heavy guitars.'

Nick Cave's Red Right Hand, Arctic Monkeys, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Laura Marling are among the many artists whose music is featured throughout the six seasons of Peaky Blinders. The haunting, somewhat gloomy, and melancholic beats of the music not only enhanced the show tenfold but also helped in translating the urgency of Tommy Shelby's world.

More on this in our story.

Peaky Blinders: Exploring the anachronistic soundtrack in the BBC period drama

Who would have thought that Nick Cave's 1990s peppy tunes would complement a Birmingham gangster in the early 20th century so well, but their combination is now as iconic as Peaky Blinders itself. It's almost impossible to imagine Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby without his flat cap, cigarette, and the roaring tunes of Red Right Hand running in the background, such was the impact of Cave's music on the show.

While this iconic Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' song has been used in many films and TV shows throughout the years, including Scream and The X-Files, it achieved new heights of fame when featured in Knight's period drama in 2013. Every Peaky Blinders episode opens with a wide shot of Tommy Shelby slow-walking or riding on a horse, paired with the hauntingly beautiful tunes of Red Right Hand.

Right from the gloomy music and haunting lyrics, Cave's song complements Tommy Shelby perfectly, aiding viewers in understanding his inner monologue without dialogue. The show is a perfect example of how music not only helps but also elevates brilliant storytelling.

In an interview, Hartley, the music supervisor on the period series, explained the music choice as follows:

"We’re very much driven by the idea that the commercial music we use is what’s inside Tommy’s head. With some shows, the music is used to drive the editorial on, but we try not to do that.''

She also revealed that Nick Cave's masterpiece was chosen by Otto Bathurst, who directed the initial episodes of Peaky Blinders. His vision that Red Right Hand's “dusty black coat” matches perfectly with their protagonist, who is introduced as a shadowy, tall figure in a long black coat, eventually became a popular gothic aesthetic for the show.

Cillian Murphy was initially skeptical about the anachronistic music in Peaky Blinders

While the anachronistic tunes of Arctic Monkeys, PJ Harvey, and Radiohead eventually complemented Knight's 1920s Birmingham, Murphy was initially skeptical about the music choice for the show.

In an interview with Radio Times, Murphy revealed his initial impression of the anachronistic soundtrack in Peaky Blinders:

"I have to be honest I thought it was a terrible idea when someone told me first that it would be contemporary music against a period story.''

He added:

"I didn’t think it would work but then something happened where it just clicked and we always - you know the people that made the show - we always talked about whether a tune is ‘Peaky’ or ‘not Peaky’."

While Murphy's fears were somewhat justified, the success of the show (and its soundtrack) proves that music transcends time, and the beats of one era can still complement an altogether different period in history.

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