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The V&A East Opens With an Exhibition That Reconsiders Britain’s Musical History

The thematically ambitious and sonically immersive show considers eight distinct genres of Black British music in a single, sweeping narrative that roots them in centuries of diasporic history.

A graffiti-covered piano played by the captivating 1950s pianist Winifred Atwell, the first Black British artist to top the U.K. charts; Dame Shirley Bassey’s dazzling Bond-esque gown, worn for a performance of “Goldfinger” at the 2013 Academy Awards; the iconic Union Jack vest donned by boundary-breaking rapper Stormzy during his 2019 Glastonbury headline set. Weave your way through “The Music is Black,” and you’ll encounter some of the most visually striking and historically important artifacts of the modern British musical story.

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The exhibition, which opened in April, is the first at the new V&A East Museum, the East London-based offshoot of the prestigious South Kensington institution (think of it as a cool younger sibling). “The Music is Black” embarks on a sweeping, ambitious tour through the history of Black British music, tracing the emergence of eight unique genres created and developed in Britain: lovers rock, Brit funk, 2 Tone, trip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, U.K. garage and grime. In addition to analyzing their cultural importance and the relationships among certain........

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