“The STORY OF LOVERS ROCK is a feature length documentary tells the story of an era and a music that defined a generation in the late 70s and 80s. Lovers Rock is romantic reggae that was uniquely British. It developed from a small UK scene to become a global brand through the likes of UB40 and Maxi Priest.

Lover’s Rock is a uniquely black British sound that developed in the late 70s and 80s against a backdrop of riots, racial tension and sound systems. Live performance, comedy sketches, dance, interviews and archive shed light on the music and the generation that embraced it. Lovers Rock allowed young people to experience intimacy and healing through dance- known as ‘scrubbing’- at parties and clubs.

This dance provided a coping mechanism for what was happening on the streets. Lovers Rock developed into a successful sound with national UK hits and was influential to British bands (Police, Culture Club, UB40) These influences underline the impact the music was making in bridging the multi-cultural gap that polarized the times. The film sheds light on a forgotten period of British music, social and political history.”

I saw a rough cut of the film a while back and wrote about it here. I am really looking forward to seeing the finished version at Hackney’s Rio Cinema on Friday.

It is also showing at the Brixton Ritzy and Peckham’s Peckhamplex on the same day, and possibly elsewhere – check your local indy cinema for details.

The official website has exceded its bandwidth, which is annoying but a sign that there is a lot of interest in the film!

A more general release and DVD are planned.

Grievous Angel and I did a Lovers Rock megamix a while back to get you in the mood. A second installment is in the can and will be available in due course.