Don Letts
AMONG THE GUESTS AT THE EVENT THE DJ AND VIDEOMAKER DON LETTS
On Sunday 1 December Fred Perry and Alphaville, the historic independent record store in Piacenza, celebrated the 40th anniversary of The Clash’s London Calling album. An important birthday, celebrated through a talk and a jam session, whose most awaited guest was certainly Don Letts. In fact, the DJ, producer and videomaker is among the few lucky ones to have worked with the Joe Strummer’s band. His is the documentary Westway to the world, winner of a Grammy Award in 2003.
Violaine Violette
The Clash were able to blend punk with reggae, rockabilly and ska. All this, always managing to remain oneself, that is, musicians capable of passing on a message of rebellion against a bourgeois and reactionary society. And this is only part of the monumental history of the band. Fortunately, people like Letts are still able to tell it. During the evening the videomaker told the British cultural and musical climate that gave rise to London Calling, a fundamental album in the history of music, incredibly in touch with the reality of the late ’70s and in clear anticipation of the times, to the point that the Rolling Stone magazine has included him in eighth place among the 500 best of all time, surpassing the legendary Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon.
RP Sounds
Fashion note: Don Letts is a grand fan of Fred Perry, a fashion brand known worldwide for its independent style. In particular, it is renowned for collaborations with very cool music stars.
After the talk, at the Fred Perry and Alphaville event, a concert followed, which was attended by various bands such as Betty Blue, Blugrana, John Belpaese, Kubri, Nagual, Operation Octopus, Teeepeee, The Legendary Kid Combo. The result was a mixture of musical genres, from surf rock to psychedelic, from electro hip-hop to blues rock.
Alessio Rizzi
