Join Mykaell Riley and Linda Brogan in conversation at The Whitworth, a public talk chaired by David Olusoga, Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester.

The talk provides a space to reflect on the historical complexity and challenges – practical, ethical, political – involved in the curation and archiving of black British music and black music in Britain. With special guests Linda Brogan and Mykaell Riley, we hear about two different projects that have challenged narratives of black British music and popular culture, making visible – and audible – other sounds, voices, places, technologies and stories that have, until recently, remained metaphorically and literally buried.

Mykaell Riley was a founding member of the Reggae band Steel Pulse and then the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and throughout the 1990s and 2000s worked as a writer, producer and consultant for numerous hit artists, as well as producing music for film and TV. Mykaell is currently a Reader / Associate Professor at the University of Westminster, and Director for The Black Music Research Unit (BMRU). 

Linda Brogan is a multi-award winning playwright. She has been writer-in-residence at the National Theatre, Contact Theatre, Askham Grange Prison, and the Whitworth Art Gallery. Her recent work has concentrated on the Reno, a legendary 1970s funk and soul club in Moss Side, Manchester.

David Olusoga is Professor of Public History at The University of Manchester, specialising in the British Empire and how different communities experience its lasting effects in modern society. Awarded an OBE in 2019 for his services to history and community integration, David has presented several historical television programmes on the BBC. These programmes include Civilisations, Black and British, Our NHS: A Hidden History, A House Through Time, and the BAFTA award-winning Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners.

This event is presented in partnership with Creative Manchester and the British Pop Archive. The event is hosted and supported by The Whitworth, with additional support from Creative Manchester and the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at the University of Manchester. It is organised by Dr Roddy Hawkins, Lecturer in Music at the Music Department.

Find out more and reserve a ticket via Eventbrite.