FURTHER SCREENING DATES for the ‘Reality Asylum’ documentary The Sound of Free Speech are being announced by film distributors Doc’n Roll.

The film will be screened at Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle (8 June); Mockingbird Cinema, Birmingham (15 June, two screenings); Hyde Park Picturehouse, Leeds (21 June); The Printworks, Hastings (22 June) and Glasgow (12 July). See the full details below.

Celebratory, raw and shocking, director Brandon Spivey’s documentary Crass: The Sound of Free Speech is as close to the story of the anarcho-punk band as you’re going to get.

Crass were an art collective and punk band that formed in Essex in 1977, and disbanded in 1984. They promoted anarchism and a movement of resistance that awakened and appealed to many. They inspired many bands and artists such as The Levellers and Charlatans’ singer Tim Burgess, and seem to be more relevant now than ever. Artist and director Brandon Spivey tells the tale of Crass’ ‘Reality Asylum’, the story and the inspiration behind the album from Spivey’s point of view through interviews with Crass co-founders Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud, and Small Wonder record label owner Pete Stennett.

The film doesn’t beat around the bush and highlights what it means to be artists in the midst of a movement of anarchists no longer biting their tongue to protest against the few. Made with the blessing of Crass members, it dives into 1970’s Britain; the birth of punk and the formation of Crass, with an in-depth look at their art, music and ethos, plus its impact on those who were trying to make sense of a brutal hostile society they had no place in.

The Sound of Free Speech, Newcastle + Q&A
Tyneside Cinema, 10 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6QG
8 June 2024, 18:00
More details | Tickets

The Sound of Free Speech, Birmingham + Q&A
The Mockingbird Cinema, Mockingbird House, The Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA
15 June 2024, 18:00 (sold out), 20:00
More details | Tickets

The Sound of Free Speech, Leeds + Q&A
Hyde Park Picturehouse, 73 Brudenell Road, Leeds, LS6 1JD
21 June 2024, 18:00
More details | Tickets

The Sound of Free Speech, Hastings + Q&A
The Printworks, 14 Claremont, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1HA
22 June 2024, 15:00 (sold out)
More details | Join waiting list for tickets

The Sound of Free Speech, Glasgow + Q&A
Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB
12 July 2004
More details to follow