WHITE RIOT
Notes on the lauded Rock Against Racism doc.
The last day of April 1978 will be a day long remembered – thanks to Rubika Shah’s exhilarating new documentary, White Riot. That day, 100,000 people marched from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Park in London, where The Clash, X-Ray Spex, The Tom Robinson Band and others performed at a concert. Behind it was Rock Against Racism, forged two years earlier in response to British nationalist party, the National Front.
Shah began researching White Riot five years ago after finishing her short doc Let’s Dance: Bowie Down Under. Sifting through archives, she came across footage of The Clash’s Victoria Park performance, including the band’s seminal track, ‘White Riot’. “The more I started digging, the more interesting I thought this story was, and I couldn’t believe no-one had told the story of Rock Against Racism.”
After attending an exhibition of photos by Syd Shelton, one of RAR’s key activists, Shah was introduced to several core players, including co-founder Red Saunders. While the film traces the origins of the movement, from publishing homespun fanzine Temporary Hoarding to organising concerts, Shah always knew the ultimate focus was to be the 1978 gig. “We really wanted to tell
that story – how all those people came to London and marched in solidarity.”
Featuring new interviews with performers including Tom Robinson and The Clash’s Paul Simonon, Shah was shocked by some of the footage she found. “I was surprised by how violent the times were. We’ve used some violent footage but there’s more. The language and the level of hatred coming from some people… and some of the things people would say about people of colour I found quite difficult.”
While the National Front was soundly defeated in the 1979 election, Shah concludes the film with the cautionary phrase, “The fight goes on.” Trump’s rise to power, the Brexit debate and Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd have made the story more relevant than ever. “The fact Britain voted to leave [the EU]… that was all during the production of the film, so it did influence what we were feeling when we were cutting it together,” she says. “It is scary.”
Since finishing it, Shah has seen a rapturous reception for White Riot, winning the Grierson Trust Best Documentary Award at the BFI London Film Festival and a Special Mention for the Crystal Bear at the Berlinale. While Covid-19 has delayed a cinema release, the summer will bring a series of online screenings in association with the music festivals it was due to play at – including Meltdown, Glastonbury and Latitude. “This is the beginning of the journey of getting the film out there,” Shah says. Time to turn up the volume. JM
ETA | TBC SEPTEMBER / WHITE RIOT OPENS LATER IN THE YEAR.