Soul Power!

Talking of the southeastern corner of Greater Brockley, the Brockley Jack Film Club will be screening Soul Power on Monday 8 February:

While the eyes of the world were on the Rumble in the Jungle, the ears of the world were on Zaire ‘74, a legendary music festival to accompany the epic boxing match between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman. Using spectacular archive footage, this exhilarating documentary conveys all the colours, styles and sounds of a bygone age. People who lived through the 1970s won’t forget it; people who didn’t, won’t believe it. Roll up, roll up, come see the flamboyant costumes, extreme personalities, and melodramatic performances. And that’s just offstage. Onstage we see and hear music legends at the peak of their talent - including James Brown, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, Bill Withers and many more - all giving the performances of their lives to a mammoth Zairian audience. Soul Power packs a bigger punch than Ali or Foreman. This was one of the definitive music events of the 20th Century. Luckily, someone filmed it.

Watch the trailer

If you've seen the wonderful When We Were Kings, Leon Gast's awesome documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle, some of the most compelling scenes are of the Zaire '74 concert, especially Miriam Makeba at her absolute best, so Soul Power should be a real treat.

Here is one of my personal gods, BB King, performing his best song, "The Thrill is Gone", at Zaire 74.



Now go and book your tickets!