lovers rock
Dir. Steve McQueen | Cast: Michael Ward, Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn | 2020
3 Dec | Unseen Cinema, Nairobi
Discover the Origin of Lovers Rock Reggae
In 2020, Academy Award winning director Steve McQueen premiered his 5-film anthology series Small Axe. In it, he memorialises five pivotal moments or movements in Black-British Caribbean history.
In the 1970s and 80s, house parties were some of the few places young Black people could congregate freely in an openly racist Britain. It is at these house parties that Lovers Rock Reggae was born.
Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, set in the 1980s, follows a young woman who sneaks out of her parents home to attend a house party in Notting Hill, London. At the party we encounter a cast of characters each seeking the best night of their lives. Community and music takes centre stage in this meticulously, and beautifully crafted celebration of West Indian Culture.
Music
worth a pictute’s Lovers ROck Playlist
Reggae is at the centre of the curation of this film. Reggae is synonymous with Africa, more so with Kenya. Its only right that we learn about its impact around the world and the origins of the Lovers Rock sub-genre so beloved by Kenyan radio stations! Enjoy this playlist and the other musical suggestions.
Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Isaacs was a renowned reggae musician from Jamaica and is seen as one of the best reggae vocalist.His contribution to Lovers Rock was both as an artist and an idol, providing style inspiration to the young men of the era. Janet Kay
British singer and actress Janet Kay also known as the “Queen of Lovers Rock” was the first Black woman to top the Uk Charts with a reggae song.Her catchy hit Silly Games, featured in Lovers Rock was a chart toper and still is an earwom!Movies
Rye Lane
Directed by Raine Allen Mille and set in London, Rye Lane is a comedy featuring two Black young adults both recovering from brutal breakups. It is witty and imaginative in its exploration of black love. The Story of Lovers Rock
The perfect follow-up to Steve McQueen's Lovers Rock, and directed by Burning an Illusion's Menelik Shabazz, this documentary captures the rhythms, romance, and communal spirit of London’s Caribbean sound system culture in the 1980s. Small Axe Anthology
Directed by Steve McQueen, Small Axe Anthology features five films that tell stories highlighting the lives of the West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s. Small Axe Anthologyi includes: Red, White and Blue, Mangrove, Lovers Rock, Alex Whieatle and Education.