Nick Laird-Clowes
Composer · Born February 5, 1957 (69) · London, England
Nick Laird-Clowes is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film composer best known as the frontman and primary lyricist for the 1980s pastoral pop band The Dream Academy. He achieved international fame with the band’s melancholic 1985 hit single "Life in a Northern Town". Over his decades-long career, he has transitioned from alternative pop star to an accomplished film score composer, often collaborating with prominent documentary filmmakers.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- February 5, 1957 (69)
- London, England
- Composer
- 8 on MovieCove
What are Nick Laird-Clowes' films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 4
Grounded 8 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 3
Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4
A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Nick Laird-Clowes' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Nick Laird-Clowes' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
8 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Whitney: Can I Be Me(2017)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
About Time(2013)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Silent Army(2008)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Battle for Haditha(2007)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Fierce People(2005)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
The Invisible Circus(2001)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 4 titles from 2001 to 2013.
How do Nick Laird-Clowes' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the sound and music 63/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Nick Laird-Clowes work with?
People who share at least 2 of Nick Laird-Clowes' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nick Broomfield shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Nick BroomfieldShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019), Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017), Battle for Haditha (2007)See all 4 shared titles with Nick Broomfield
Writers
- Marc HoeferlinShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019), Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017), Battle for Haditha (2007)See all 4 shared titles with Marc Hoeferlin
Cinematographers
- Barney BroomfieldShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019), Battle for Haditha (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Barney Broomfield
- Sam MitchellShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Sam Mitchell
Producers
- Charles FinchShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019), Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017), Battle for Haditha (2007)See all 4 shared titles with Charles Finch
- Shani HintonShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019), Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017), Battle for Haditha (2007)See all 4 shared titles with Shani Hinton
- Kyle GibbonShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Kyle Gibbon
- Lisa SavageShared titles: Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019), Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Lisa Savage
Mixed roles
- Tristan M CopelandShared titles: Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac (2021), Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Tristan M Copeland
- Rudi DolezalShared titles: Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019), Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Rudi Dolezal