This was by the BBC at the height of the British punk movement. The band X-Ray Spex attracted attention for two rather unusual things in the male-dominated punk scene: the first was the band’s vocalist, Poly Styrene, who was very different from the testosterone-fuelled squallers of the usual punk bands, and the second was the use of a saxophone, a rather unusual instrument in a scene characterised by mostly amateurishly played guitars, bass and drums. The mid-length documentary focuses not only on Poly Styrene’s explosive stage presence (“I’m a poseur and I don’t care. I like to make people stare”), but also reveals, through very private interviews, a fascinating young artistic personality who undermines stereotypes of ethnicity, gender and identity in a very natural way. In terms
of content, Poly Styrene mainly dealt with capitalism, consumer behaviour and the oppression of women. This film is a gem and gives us the opportunity to see rare X-Ray Spex concert footage and to experience a very influential artist at a young age – one who is characterised by her authenticity and positive attitude, enriched with a good dose of social criticism and rebellion.

Karl Wratschko

Dread Beat an’ Blood is a mid-length documentary by Italian-born film producer and director Franco Rosso. It captures London’s reggae, dub and soundsystem scene in the late 1970s and focuses on the poet, musician and political activist Linton Kwesi Johnson. Shooting largely in Brixton in a Direct Cinema style, Rosso presents a vivid portrait of music and poetry as tools of empowerment and protest. Johnson’s searing performances and sharp social critiques resonate deeply, underscoring reggae’s role beyond entertainment – as a force for change. Dread Beat an’ Blood captures Johnson’s spoken-word performances (he says in the film, “The spoken word has more immediacy. It reaches more people than written poetry could ever do”), his work in the recording studio and his outspoken activism, and remains a testament to the resilience and creativity of a community struggling for recognition and justice. The
film also includes footage of the Notting Hill Carnival riots in 1976, an event that had a profound impact on the British society and its legislation. Director Franco Rosso would continue his work in the reggae, dub and sound system culture of South London, releasing the fictional drama Babylon just a year later, now considered by some critics to be one of the best British films ever made.

Karl Wratschko