“The man who introduced reggae to punk”, iconic musician Don Letts comes to Lincoln
Lincoln arts venue, The Drill, will host the musician and director Don Letts for a special screening of his explosive 2020 documentary ‘Rebel Dread’, followed by a Q&A and DJ set.
Featuring previously unseen footage, ‘Rebel Dread’ focuses on Letts’ rise to fame as the first-generation Black British filmmaker known for directing such quintessential classics as ‘London Calling’ by The Clash, ‘Pass The Dutchie’ by Musical Youth and ‘One Love’ by Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Set at a time of growing disaffected youth in Thatcher’s Britain against a backdrop of racism and unemployment, it centres around a unifying message that the film’s director William E. Badgley says is especially relevant now “in the culturally hostile climate of today.”
Lead by exclusive interviews with the likes of legendary DJ Norman Jay, Grantley Marshall (aka Daddy G) of Massive Attack and John Lydon, former frontman of the Sex Pistols, it explores how Don was at the very centre of the cultural crossover between Rastas and Punks in 1966-7 as the resident DJ of The Roxy – a London nightclub created during the original emergence of the Punk-rock genre.
William E. Badgley, Director of ‘Rebel Dread’ said: “Don was on the ground floor of the revolutionary and divergent London-based fashion scenes poised to be worldwide forces. He introduced first-wave British Punk to Reggae at London’s first punk Club, The Roxy [and was] an early multicultural voice as the music video director who brought MTV their first video starring a black musician, to decades worth of feature film work. “Don was able to see past the divisions and find unity in the world and in himself.
As a result of Don’s heart and vision, he has shown us the connection between us all by connecting the lives and careers of artists such as Joe Strummer & Paul Simonon of The Clash, John Lydon of The Sex Pistols & PiL, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Musical Youth, Gil Scot-Heron, Sun Ra, Mick Jones and Don’s own band Big Audio Dynamite.”
Rebel Dread, the story of Don Letts, will be shown in a special screening at The Drill on Friday 18 November at 7pm, immediately followed by the chance to speak to Don personally in an audience Q&A session.
The event will close with an energetic DJ set from Don himself, supported by selectress sugarKane, inviting guests to enjoy the skills of the man who, according to Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys, “changed the way we thought about music.”
