Haunting #3 - Ska Town, Ghost Town: Arena: Rudies Come Back (BBC2, 1980) 30 mins and Play for Today: Three Minute Heroes (BBC2, 1982) - June 2018.

We took a trip back to the 1980s with a screening of Rudies Come Back, a BBC2 documentary that looks at the vibrant music history of Coventry. We were joined at the screening by the programme's director, Jeff Perks, who loved the opportunity to see his work again (and in such a fantastic setting). The documentary features performances and interviews with The Selecter and the Specials. We also screened the Play for Today episode Three Minute Heroes which was made in and around Coventry about the city's ska scene. Proceeds from this event were split between our hosts at Coventry Cathedral and the Coventry Music Museum.

What our visitors were saying:

“Helped me recognise there are positives – it’s too easy to focus on what isn’t working”

“I was 15 year old female and this was my life growing up in Stoke Aldermoor in Cov. It wasn’t easy growing up then and looking back now, listening to the words again and the archive film was just like I went back. The words sent a very important message to the youth of Cov then and it’s a shame it wasn’t more emphasized now in 2018. Knife crime etc. Diverse then as it is now. Very powerful. Thank you for this wonderful experience”

“Such archives should be more accessible to people. It’s part of a country’s heritage”

Preview article in Hot Music Live