Greetings again from the darkness. Discovering a new band that plays the kind of music you love is exhilarating. But what if that band has been around for years? And what if the bands you listen to were heavily influenced by this mystery band … and may have even sampled their work in songs? Tim MacKenzie-Smith profiles “the greatest band you’ve never heard of” with this documentary on the 1970’s British funk band, Cymande.
Where are they from? Where did they go? Why weren’t they more successful? All good questions that MacKenzie-Smith tackles with help from Cymande superfans like producer Mark Ronson and My Morning Jacket’s Jim Jones, the latter who describes his love of the Fugees “The Score” in which they sample Cymande’s “Dove”. It’s this and other examples that allow us to discover the band’s influence on the beginning stages of hip-hop. It also helps makes sense of an included quote, “some music is bigger than music.”
With most early band members hailing from the West Indies, they were never accepted in the U.K., and discrimination and racism clearly played a part in blocking their success. The band did find more popularity in the U.S. thanks to their fresh and original music, but one of the band members admit they were beaten down by the system. MacKenzie-Smith includes many interviews with band members, most of whom are now in their 70’s. They come across as likable guys carrying almost no bitterness.
Of course, Cymande should be well-known for their contributions and influence over the years, and the film features much of their music, as well as clips from live performances. It’s a smooth groove with a fantastic bass line, and it’s the music itself that helps us understand how it contributed to club and dance music of the 1980’s and 90’s. The film made the festival rounds in 2022 and is now getting a limited theatrical release in conjunction with the band re-forming and touring. Perhaps that lucky break is finally happening all these years later, but regardless, these guys will be playing music … as it should be.
opens in NYC July 26, 2024
Movie Reviews from the Dark 
Great reviews as always. I don’t normally watch documentaries but your strong review has compelled me to see this one. I have always enjoyed movies telling stories of real-life musical bands and how they were formed. As a huge fan of The Beatles, I love documentaries that have depicted the band’s rise to stardom. For instance, I adore Martin Scorsese’s documentary “George Harrison: Living in the Material World”. It provided an insightful glimpse at the process that went into the making of an iconic band. In comparison, this documentary is obviously quite different. The Cymande is a musical group that didn’t achieve the same level of success as The Beatles. Nevertheless, I’m still curious about this band and your review has made me gain an interest in their history. So, I’ll definitely keep the film on my watchlist of movies to see. Thanks for the recommendation.
Here’s why I loved “George Harrison: Living in the Material World”:
Not enough people have seen Scorcese’s George Harrison documentary. It’s superb.