Comedian Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast Of London) investigate a missing piece of punk history. Robert Lloyd, best known for fronting cult Birmingham band’s The Prefects and The Nightingales, has survived under the radar survived under the radar for over four decades.
But how, if at all, does Robert want to be remembered? The anti-rockumentary ‘King Rocker’ weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art.
Featuring: Frank Skinner, Nigel Slater, Robin Askwith, Samira Ahmed, John Peel, Gina Birch, Marc Riley, Danny Fields, John Taylor, Paul Morley, Fuzzbox, Kevin Eldon, Nish Kumar, Bridget Christie, Andrew O’Neill, Sean Walsh, Paul Putner, Steve Beresford, and more.
Press Quotes:
“Endearingly daft, it accidentally illuminates the quiet poetry of Lloyd’s work”
★★★★★ Uncut
“One Of My All Time Favourite Rock Docs”
Mark Kermode
“An inspiring comeback story that feels profoundly necessary”
The Quietus
“Lee tells Lloyd’s story with skill, passion and verve”
The Times
★★★★★ Financial Times
“The Jarvis Cocker that never happened.”
The Guardian (Pick Of The Day)
“Ferociously entertaining”
★★★★ Mojo (#2 Best Films Of The Year)
“Charming & experimental”
★★★★ The Observer (Pick Of The Day)
“Lloyd’s chemistry with Lee is the cornerstone of it’s charm”
Radio Times (Pick Of The Day)
“One of rock’s unsung heroes”
Esquire
“The story is so detailed and outrageous”
Dazed
“The new gold standard for rockumentaries”
The Scotsman
“Charming, amusing and creatively inspiring documentary”
★★★★ Chortle
“Intelligent, heartfelt and wildly amusing.”
★★★★ Record Collector
“It’s warm, it’s funny, it’s fascinating”
Radcliffe and Maconie, BBC6 Music
“The film is ace, the band is ace, Rob is a remarkable man”
Marc Riley, BBC6 Music
“A beautiful and fucking hilarious and moving film”
Shaun Keavney, BBC6 Music