Entertainment / February 4, 2022

Sugar Club to host short film about Andrew Weatherall ‘Sail We Must’

Andrew Weatherall: ‘When the superstar DJ began, I thought, DJs? Heroes? Are people really that desperate?’ Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian
Entertainment / February 4, 2022

Sugar Club to host short film about Andrew Weatherall ‘Sail We Must’

Words: Dylan Murphy

The 10 minute piece tells the heart-warming, chance encounter between Andrew Weatherall and Cork Fisherman Gerard Sheehy.

In 2020, iconic DJ Andrew Weatherall passed away. After his death, tributes poured in that referenced his slogan, “Fail we may, sail we must”. The story goes that when Weatherall was playing a gig in Ireland he met a fisherman who gave him a lift. He spoke in an interview with Dummy magazine saying how the phrase ‘Fail we may, sail we must’ which he got tattooed on his arms and became the title track of his 2010 album was inspired by the conversation with the trawler. A year after his death, RnaG An Taobh Tuathail presenter Cian Ó Cíobháin made a call out online and the Irish Examiner posted an article highlighting the search for the man.

Now, after having been located, The Tenth Man have created a short film directed by Grizzly telling the story of the meeting between Weatherall and fisherman Gerard Sheehy.

Sail We Must explores how the words of wisdom Sheehy shared with Weatherall changed his path and went on to influence another generation of musicians and creatives. The film also features Cian Ó Cíobháin who was instrumental in finding Gerard, as well as Andrew’s close friend and collaborator Sean Johnston.

“We can’t thank those closest to Andrew enough for allowing us to create this film,” says Eric Davidson of The Tenth Man. “This is a celebration of club culture, dance music, and the cultural ties that bind us all together. But more importantly, it’s a celebration of a once in a generation artist, Andrew Weatherall.”

Sail We Must is screening on 16 February in Dublin’s The Sugar Club, featuring a live discussion between Cian Ó Cíobháin, Johnny Moy, and Billy Scurry about Andrew’s links to Ireland, as well as a DJ set from Billy Scurry inspired by Andrew’s life. All proceeds from the evening will go to Andrew’s family and the charities that meant the most to him.

For those who can’t make the Dublin launch, the film will be premiering live online on Mixmag on February 17.

Tickets start at 11.53 Euro and are available from Eventbrite.

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