LFF 2024 - Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story doc - popular artist calls out UK ethno-nationalism riots

#paulineblack #lff2024 #twotone
PAULINE BLACK is a celebrated singer, actor and author.
She first came to prominence as one of two lead vocalists behind the band, The Selecter, which was active from 1979 and continues to perform with Black, helming but a different collection of individuals making the band up.
She continues to tour globally and is a well-recognised and much admired figure within the music industry especially in the UK and US…
Black and established documentary filmmaker director Jane Mingay discuss what set them both on the path of making a documentary charting Black’s life - adopted into an English white family who had little understanding or sympathy for people of colour at a time when many parts of British society were overtly or covertly racist and discriminatory, she managed to succeed.
Black’s autobiography, ‘Black by Design’ (2011) covers the tumultuous early years and her entry into music following a career in the NHS as a graduate radiographer.
The Selecter was one of the founding members of a style of British music that came to be known as Two Tone - fusing musical styles predominant in Jamaica - such as Reggae, Rocksteady and Ska - itself a jumble of Caribbean Mento (a mix of European and Caribbean sounds) with American Jazz, Rhythm and Blues.
Along with The Specials - the best known of Two Tone and Ska bands playing at the time - The Selecter went onto enjoy success and popularity among those who turned away from populist racism, hate and violence (often associated with the political party, The National Front (NF), a Neo-Nazi sympathy outfit.
Slowly, these bands often racially mixed and anti the rampant individualism and greed of Thatcherite philosophy - which also had an undercurrent of racism and anti-immigration sentiment mixed in - changed young people’s attitudes - creating a more racially accepting and comfortable society, which helped Britain to define itself in new and positive ways in the 1980s and beyond…
This documentary and its themes show almost the cyclical nature of anti-immigration sentiment and growing racism - the late 1970s in Britain were a time of economic decline, high inflation and joblessness - at one point more than three million people were officially unemployed - similarly today many are hit with rising bills, poorly paid work and little idea of how to improve their lives beyond blaming new immigrants and those seeking asylum. And then, many would argue there is Brexit… which overpromised and undelivered generally and also had powerful racist undercurrents (despite being supported by some people of colour).
So, in some ways, we have come full circle with riots in major English cities and towns (in August 2024) led by white ethnic nationalists, referred in the interview by Black as ‘ethno-nationalists’ - who foment violence, encourage destruction of shared public amenities and remain troubled by ethnicity, cultural heritage and equal rights for all…
A popular movement directing people away from negativity, distrust and violence against people of colour and other minorities - worked in the 1980s and touches similar themes also covered in the LFF award-winning Rubika Shah documentary, which looks at British pop music’s response to racism in the 1970s and 1980s in Britain in ‘White Riot’. For more see - (asianculturevul...)
Production credits
A Big Talent Media Production for www.asiancultur...
Presenter-producer: Sailesh Ram
Camera-editing: Harry Clegg