GETTING IT BACK: THE STORY OF CYMANDE in cinemas this week

So great to see Cymande getting some recognition, and with the support of the BFI. A gorgeous melting pot of sounds.

The film’s out on Friday, and you can order the Blu-Ray here (the first pressing comes with a bonus illustrated booklet).

The debut feature film from British director Tim Mackenzie-Smith, this is a riveting account of what happened to Cymande, a Black British group from the 1970s, who by rights should have become homegrown superstars back then, but whose songs did eventually change music history – and the dancefloor. GETTING IT BACK: THE STORY OF CYMANDE had its world premiere at SXSW last year followed by its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. It will be available digitally on BFI Player and released on Blu-ray by the BFI on 19 February.

They’re the greatest band you’ve likely never heard of but whose music you may well know – and this is their incredible untold story. In early 70s south London, in Balham and Brixton, a group of Black musicians, who came to the UK from the Caribbean as children, part of the Windrush generation, formed Cymande. Led by Patrick Patterson (guitar) and Steve Scipio (bass), they combined jazz, funk, soul and Caribbean grooves to create a new sound; music that was political, spiritual – they were all about peace and love, a dove was their symbol – and ahead of its time. Despite finding success in the USA with their first three brilliant albums and their hit songs ‘Bra’, ‘Dove’ and ‘The Message’, they faced indifference through prejudice at home, became disillusioned and disbanded in 1975. But their music lived on as new generations of artists, in the UK and the US, in Hip Hop, House, Drum and Bass, R&B and Rare Groove, discovered, sampled and reworked their pioneering sounds, taking their beats to new audiences. And so they came back 40 years later to play some more.

Illustrated with archival footage, the story of these unsung heroes is told on screen through new interviews with the original band members filmed over two years. There are tributes from musicians and producers who have been influenced and enthralled by their music, including Mark Ronson, Norman Jay, Jazzie B, Khruangbin, Loyle Carner, DJ Maseo of De La Soul, Jim James, Louie Vega and more.

Cymande will be on tour in support of the film throughout 2024. 

The band continues to reach new audiences and are being embraced by yet another breed of fan – the generations who weren’t even born when the band originally split up.