Explore the rich musical heritage of Deptford and New Cross in a film programme mixing drama, documentary and music video. Industrial music pioneers Test Dept and UK rapper Blade both used the area as an integral part of their music and visual identity, both emerging in the 1980s from the radical punk era that gave birth to Rock Against Racism (as portrayed in Rubika Shah’s documentary White Riot: London [2017]). Dancehall and ragamuffin was the sound of an Afro-Caribbean community across South-East London from Lewisham to Peckham through New Cross & Deptford, as brilliantly shown in Julian Henriques 1992 short realist drama We The Ragamuffin, featuring performances from Buckey Ranks and Mickey General. The early 2000s artrock music scene around the Paradise Bar gave birth to bands such as Bloc Party and Art Brut as portrayed in the Blaine Brothers documentary Rocklands (2004).
A walking tour led by Rachel Balmer will explore the sounds and venues of Deptford and New Cross, to be followed by a screening and discussion hosted by Paul Richards (Scared To Dance) that brings together this heritage, where we will be joined by musicians and filmmakers from the film programme including director Rubika Shah, members of Test Dept, and local musical promoter Cathy St Luce.
