By Ryan Finnigan, Programming Assistant

The combination of music and documentary has always been a catalyst for exciting cinema. Films like Don’t Look Back, Gimme Shelter and Let it Be captured Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles at their peak, but also at their most fraught and human. These films changed the way we looked at musical icons beyond their public persona or what was written about them in the press.

In the years since these genre-defining rock-docs, the music documentary has thrived and expanded. Breakout hits of the 21st Century including Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Dig!, A Band Called Death, The Devil and Daniel Johnston and Searching for Sugarman have helped forgotten or outsider musicians to find a wider audience, often relaunching their careers. The scope and appeal of the music documentary has often become about learning more about the music we don’t know, rather than that we know and love. 

Doc’n Roll returns to Showroom Cinema 10-12 November with three exciting films that may similarly ignite (or reignite) interest in a trio of acts that may not currently be a household name but may soon be your new favourite act.  

On November 10, Lee Fields: Faithful Man explores the legacy of seventies soul singer, Lee Fields. A James Brown contemporary making his living touring the legendary Chitlin’ Circuit alongside some of the greatest names in blues and soul history, Fields saw his soul career wind down during the last days of disco. Although his career looks all but over for good, just one phone call could change everything. 

On November 11, Energy: A Documentary About Damo Suzuki takes an existential journey through the power of healing with the enigmatic Damo Suzuki, the former lead singer of krautrock legends CAN. Following Suzuki over five years of his life in Germany and the UK as he confronts cancer and attempts to continue a never-ending global tour. 

Finally on November 12, Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande tells the tale of the British group, Cymande. The first British band to play at Harlem’s legendary Apollo, their message of peace, love and funk sailed beyond Britain’s shores and helped shape music for five decades. Long after they stopped playing in the 1970s, their innovative jazz-rock-funk fusion was sampled by the likes of De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, and The Fugees. This newfound success saw Cymande return, and this film tells the story of their revival for the first time.

If you love Doc’n Roll, put another dime in the box office, baby, and book tickets here. 

This article first featured in the Sheffield Telegraph on Thursday 10 November 2022.