The history of soundsystem culture in the UK, born from what were known as 'lawn dances' in the Caribbean, stretches back through the decades to the arrival of the Windrush Generation. It's a fascinating history filled with larger than life characters and a fair amount of mythology, and thankfully at least some of it has been immortalised by writers and filmmakers.

One such record is this 1980 documentary which interviews with some of the greats — Count Suckle (owner of the Q Club), Lloyd Coxsone (owner of Sir Coxsone Sound System, pictured), Bill Vaz (owner of the Carib Club), Jah Bones (from The Voice Of Rasta), Frank Irving (owner of the Palm Tree Club) — whose sound systems and dances pioneered much of reggae's evolution over the years.

According to Jah Bones, the history of Blues Dances stretches back to 1950s Jamaica with the advent of affordable speaker systems coupled with the import of American blues music, a trend that ultimately made its way to the UK. It wasn't just London either; Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool all have long histories when it comes to Blues Dances and soundsystem culture.

However, thanks to racist door policies at basically all venues and the closure of Black-owned clubs by authorities, anyone wanting to host an event had to find an abandoned council house, sneak in a soundsystem and some drinks, and do their best to avoid the attention of angry neighbours, police and patrolling council staff. Not only that, but many of the houses were falling to bits, so party-goers were even at risk from the house itself.

While we're at it, the whole of the Saffron Saffron YouTube channel is worth a deep dive, including classic reggae sets, documentaries and interviews from across the decades.