The guy with mask and the cape runs onstage, to the screams of thousands of people standing in Victoria Park on a characteristically brisk April day in 1978. He calls himself “Mr. Oligarchy,” but folks backstage — and some of the savvier people attending this outdoor concert — know him as Red Saunders. “This ain’t no Woodstock,” the gent tells the assembled Britons before him. “This is the carnival against the fucking Nazis!”
As Saunders himself recounts, decades after the fact, the cheer from the crowd was massive. Back then, he was a curly-haired,...
As Saunders himself recounts, decades after the fact, the cheer from the crowd was massive. Back then, he was a curly-haired,...
- 10/16/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The Clash and Sham 69 frontman Jimmy Pursey rip through “White Riot” in a clip from the upcoming documentary about the 1978 Rock Against Racism concert, also dubbed White Riot.
As noted in the clip, Pursey’s collaboration with the Clash was a savvy attempt to spread the movement’s anti-racism message to a broader audience. But it was also a potentially combustible one, as Sham 69 — despite not sharing these politics — had attracted some fans who were far-right skinheads or members of the fascist National Front party.
“We thought it would be...
As noted in the clip, Pursey’s collaboration with the Clash was a savvy attempt to spread the movement’s anti-racism message to a broader audience. But it was also a potentially combustible one, as Sham 69 — despite not sharing these politics — had attracted some fans who were far-right skinheads or members of the fascist National Front party.
“We thought it would be...
- 10/9/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Two films capture the volatile climate with race relations in Great Britain during the mid-Seventies into the early Eighties: Franco Rosso’s 1980 feature Babylon, starring Brinsley Forde with a score by Dennis Bovell, and Rubika Shah's ever more urgent White Riot (2019 London documentary winner). The latter focuses on the evolution of Rock Against Racism in 1976, which led to the 1978 Victoria Park concert, featuring Steel Pulse, The Clash, Tom Robinson, Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69, and Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex.
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove, co-written with Alastair Siddons, starring Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright, and Malachi Kirby, and shot by Shabier Kirchner, is neither of the period, nor a documentary, (as are the respective films mentioned above) and yet, it manages to convey a vivid sense of time, place, and community, plus the critical...
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove, co-written with Alastair Siddons, starring Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright, and Malachi Kirby, and shot by Shabier Kirchner, is neither of the period, nor a documentary, (as are the respective films mentioned above) and yet, it manages to convey a vivid sense of time, place, and community, plus the critical...
- 9/26/2020
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A bullish Parker yearned to gatecrash the film industry and do things differently. Against the odds, his dreams came true
If Sir Alan Parker ever felt the urge to shoot a Horatio Alger story, charting the hero's journey from working-class upstart to establishment lion, then the rough draft is sitting right under his nose.
The protagonist starts out as a chippy young hooligan, purple-faced beneath a pageboy haircut. He winds up white-haired and well-upholstered, a pillar of whatever passes for the British film industry these days. To misquote John Huston in Chinatown: "Politicians, whores and Alan Parker. They all get respectable if they stick around long enough."
Parker has directed some decent, clamorous pictures (Bugsy Malone, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments) and some dodgy, clamorous pictures (Evita, Midnight Express, Angela's Ashes). He is a knight of the realm and a former chairman of the now defunct UK Film Council.
And...
If Sir Alan Parker ever felt the urge to shoot a Horatio Alger story, charting the hero's journey from working-class upstart to establishment lion, then the rough draft is sitting right under his nose.
The protagonist starts out as a chippy young hooligan, purple-faced beneath a pageboy haircut. He winds up white-haired and well-upholstered, a pillar of whatever passes for the British film industry these days. To misquote John Huston in Chinatown: "Politicians, whores and Alan Parker. They all get respectable if they stick around long enough."
Parker has directed some decent, clamorous pictures (Bugsy Malone, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments) and some dodgy, clamorous pictures (Evita, Midnight Express, Angela's Ashes). He is a knight of the realm and a former chairman of the now defunct UK Film Council.
And...
- 1/23/2013
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
The original lineup of Sham 69 has reformed and will play a one-off show in London. Frontman Jimmy Pursey has rejoined the punk band for the show at new venue Electric Brixton - formerly known as The Fridge and The Ace - on October 28. Pursey said: "Being asked by so many people to do a gig is heartwarming, but feeling and wanting to be back in the best live punk band in the world is heart-pumping." Steve Forster, who is behind the reopening of the venue, said: "We are delighted that Sham 69 are reuniting in their original lineup to headline our Ace series of gigs. "As one of the original authentic punk acts, we (more)...
- 8/2/2011
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
As the makers of Synth, Metal and Folk Britannia turn their cameras on the audience, the days of battling jazzers, hippy free-for-alls, or huge convoys of crusties may be over, but outdoor rock is booming
Last year, roughly one in 10 British adults attended a festival. The Performing Rights Society estimated that around 150 festivals generated some £450m for the British economy, with just 10 events accounting for half that total. Whether you fancied dressing up at Bestival, slam-dancing at Sonisphere or waving at a BBC camera at Glastonbury, there was something for everyone. The festival circuit is now a fully enshrined, middle-class version of the aristocratic Season, making this the perfect time for BBC4's Festivals Britannia film. "My suspicion is that it wouldn't have been made even 10 years ago," admits writer and director Sam Bridger. "And it's slightly different to the other films in the series [Pop, Synth, Folk and Metal Britannia] in that it's not about one genre of music.
Last year, roughly one in 10 British adults attended a festival. The Performing Rights Society estimated that around 150 festivals generated some £450m for the British economy, with just 10 events accounting for half that total. Whether you fancied dressing up at Bestival, slam-dancing at Sonisphere or waving at a BBC camera at Glastonbury, there was something for everyone. The festival circuit is now a fully enshrined, middle-class version of the aristocratic Season, making this the perfect time for BBC4's Festivals Britannia film. "My suspicion is that it wouldn't have been made even 10 years ago," admits writer and director Sam Bridger. "And it's slightly different to the other films in the series [Pop, Synth, Folk and Metal Britannia] in that it's not about one genre of music.
- 12/13/2010
- by Justin Quirk
- The Guardian - Film News
Sham 69 singer Jimmy Pursey and talkshow host Robert Kilroy Silk have been linked to the new series of I'm A Celebrity... . Bosses at the jungle reality show, which begins on ITV on November 16, are hoping to cause controversy with the addition of the punk icon and veteran TV presenter. According to the Daily Star, producers want Pursey to "cause mayhem" (more)...
- 11/5/2008
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
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