At Home in Hackney - Legacy in the Dust: The Four Aces Story + Remembering BRAFA + Q&A

Legacy in the Dust: The Four Aces Story

After the screening we'll be joined for a Q&A by director Winstan Whitter and special guest, plus Leon Leiffer from BRAFA.

Remembering BRAFA (British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal) reunites the surviving members to tell the story of how, in the mid-1980s, local reggae musician Leon Leiffer brought together leading British reggae artists to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.

Screening alongside the 'At Home in Hackney' photography exhibition, all of the films in this programme celebrate representations of the borough of Hackney on screen, from independent documentaries and short films, to Hollywood blockbusters, all using Hackney as a filming location.

Charting the life and death of the legendary 'The Four Aces Club', which started in 1966 in the entrance halls of the 1886 Dalston Coliseum and theatre buildings. It introduced new music genres to the UK and played host to some of the most Influential international music and musicians of our time. Home to many reggae sound systems including Count Shelly and Sir Coxone, who hosted talent contests and made the discovery of Louisa Mark who gave birth to the Lovers Rock genre. It was London's equivalent of the New York Apollo. This club hosted acts such as Stevie Wonder, The Skatalites, Ben ‘E’King, The Ronettes, Desmond Decker, Otis Redding and many others. Visited by Bob Dylan, The Clash, Malcolm McLaren, Billy Ocean, Vivienne Westwood and Bob Marley who were regular patrons there. The venue played an integral part during the 70s and 80s against the backdrop of social issues like, racism, violence and SUS Laws. In the 1980s the Four Aces merged with the main auditorium, it became north London’s legendary home to ‘Labyrinth’, pioneering the new music genres of acid house and drum & bass, and where ‘The Prodigy’ made one of their first public appearances.

'At Home in Hackney' is a collaboration between Hackney Museum, East London Photographers Collective and East End Archive. See the exhibition for free at Hackney Museum and Hackney Picturehouse.

Photo taken by David Corrio.