Before I enter The Music is Black: A British Story I’m handed a pair of headphones with a sensor on top. These will be my auditory guide through an exhibition that tells the story of Black British music from the past 125 years. As I move through the show, my ears are blessed with the sounds of composer and conductor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, ‘Silly Games’ singer Janet Kay, Sade, jungle pioneer Shy FX and Little Simz. What is a music exhibition without the melodies, after all?
Kicking things off with a bang, the V&A East’s first exhibition explores the trailblazers, visionaries and unsung heroes of Black music in the UK from the 1900s to the present day. From swing and jazz, to jungle, grime and trip hop, no genre goes uncovered. More than 200 objects from the V&A’s collection are displayed, with photographs, instruments, fashion, sheet music and artworks on show.
The Music is Black doesn’t shy away from the murky past. At the beginning, you are confronted with the horrifying realities of slavery and colonialism – from a graphic showing the volume of slave ship voyages through the 16th to 19th centuries, to the 1633 Royal charter legalising the trade of enslaved Africans. There are items, like an Ethiopian prayer book, marked as looted by British troops (although there’s no mention of returning it). The stark opening is a grave reminder that early protest music paved the way for the tunes we listen to today.
It’s a comprehensive and triumphant ode to some of the best music to come out of this small island
From there we’re taken on a chronological journey of Black UK music through the ages, starting with some of the world’s oldest string instruments – a musical bow fashioned from a gourd fruit shell – and finishing with the Union Jack-emblazoned stab-proof vest that Banksy designed for Stormzy’s headline slot at Glastonbury in 2019.
The pinnacle of the show is the big round room in the centre, where genres are broken down into sections. Taking us from lovers rock to grime, we discover the influences and key players and get to hear some absolute bops along the way. Video clips, photographs, instruments and recording equipment make up the smorgasbord of memorabilia. They’ve got Lee Thompson from Madness’s red, white and blue saxophone, Shy FX’s clunky ‘90s synthesiser and Joan Armatrading’s acoustic guitar.
As for the photos, there are plenty of iconic shots, including work by celebrated photographers like Dennis Morris and Jennie Baptiste. One of the best is a jubilant shot of Skepta’s family and friends showering each other with red wine while celebrating the rapper’s 2016 Mercury Award win, by music journalist Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan. Music venues get a look in too, from the sign from London’s Blue Note jazz club, to footage of spinning northern soul dancers at Wigan Casino. Then there is an absolutely gleeful treasure trove of nostalgic items for nineties and noughties kids. You’ll see Craig David’s bedazzled chain, Ms Dynamite’s dub plates, portraits of Mis-Teeq and the Sugababes, All Saints LPs and a promo billboard for Dizzee Rascal’s 2004 album Showtime.
It’s not saying anything particularly groundbreaking, but The Music is Black crams in a hell of a lot of musical history while still being very well curated; it’s a comprehensive and triumphant ode to some of the best music to come out of this small island. It feels right that it should be the V&A East’s opening exhibition – it’s a victory lap for genres like grime, which were born in London’s East End, and are now celebrated in east London’s wonderful new museum.
