Cymande – ‘Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande’ (BFI) [Film Review]

I was lucky to catch Cymande’s electrifying appearance at We Out Here Festival last Summer for V13 (read our review here) and witnessed a masterclass in timeless UK funk. If I’d have known now what I didn’t know then, then my jaw may have been slightly nearer to the floor.

This is one of the main points focused on in Tim Mackenzie-Smith’s film Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande, which is on general release now; the fact that this hugely influential band is still not as instantly recognizable as they should be is staggering.

As a long-standing fan of funk and soul, I was ashamed of my lack of awareness of all things Cymande. While I recognized the Seminal “Bra,” my knowledge ended there. Each artist interviewed in the film has in brackets, next to their name, the era that they discovered Cymande, almost an in-joke to highlight the delayed discovery of the band universally. Makes me feel less naïve.

While the film does not have the mystery quality of Malik Bendjelloul’s 2012 documentary, Searching for Sugarman, which tells the tale of how US folk artist Sixto Rodriguez discovered decades too late of his cult following in South Africa, the audience is kept enthralled by the constant unveiling of the band’s genius and how it has remained almost underground for so long.

Children of the Windrush Generation, the band, all Afro-Caribbean of origin, formed in early 1971 in London, and via many line-up changes, but with a hardcore membership of six startlingly talented musicians, their career was over by ’74. They did, however, bow out with three classic albums recorded for prosperity. A fourth less celebrated album, Arrival, had a delayed release in 1981. Getting it back follows the roots of the formation through the voices of the remaining members. While it is a celebration of the music, it is also a damning history of 1970s British politics and attitudes.

The ambitions and enthusiasm of the band were continually dampened and scuppered by the presence of far-right groups and the Tory government. Footage of furious residents of London suburbs rallying against their black neighbours is perhaps even more shocking now, viewed through 21st-century eyes. Further evidence of the struggle of black musicians in the UK at this time can be seen in Simon Sheridan’s excellent 2019 documentary, Everything – The Real Thing Story, where the same tale is told from a Liverpool perspective. The Real Thing, however, did almost become a household name after much struggling.

Cymande’s failure to launch in the UK is highlighted further when compared to their success supporting Al Green on a US tour in 1972, leading to an unprecedented headline show at New York’s Apollo Theatre the following year. Back home, it was business as usual.

So difficult was the struggle to become known in the UK that the band eventually called it quits and took day jobs. Some continued as session musicians, but the story of Cymande ended there. Or did it?

While no longer physically performing, their music lived on via the dancefloors of New York’s disco scene and then as one of the most sampled bands ever from the likes of De La Soul, Jazzy Jay, Grandmaster Flash, Heavy D, The KLF, MC Solaar and most famously their song “Dove,” forming the backbone of The Fugees track “The Score” in 1996.

The film is a beautiful celebration of a band who having reformed and appeared at gigs and festivals worldwide since 2006, are still garnering fresh interest in newer artists, such as Loyle Carner, who is interviewed onscreen. Their music seems to play continually throughout the film as a constant backdrop but also as an illustration of the many interviews taking place. The film, much like the albums has a groove, and it keeps the audience entranced at every point.

In a brilliant sequence, we see the band’s joyous effects over a montage of singing and dancing fans throughout their seminal “Brother on the Slide.”

Mackenzie-Smith dedicates his film to drummer Pablo Gonsales, who features heavily in some of the most moving interviews here but sadly died before the film was completed in July 2023. His heavily breathed comments are beautiful, and his commitment to his audience is unfailing, as we see in his words coming offstage at a festival in Brixton in 2018. We also learn how Pablo fled his hospital bed to play with the band before returning as if nothing had happened. Unstoppable to the end.

The film serves an important purpose in helping to put the band once again in the public eye and get people listening to and appreciating a band that should have been huge in the UK. It helps that it is wildly entertaining. Start by listening to their self-titled debut album and you are embarking on an unforgettable journey.

Director / Producer: Tim MacKenzie-Smith
Starring: Cymande
Production Company: BFI
Distributed by: BFI
Release Date: In Cinemas now ( Blu Ray / Streaming release Feb 26)
Run Time: 89 Mins

Cymande ‘Getting It Back – The Story of Cymande’ Film Artwork