King Rocker (2020): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2020, King Rocker is a music and documentary film directed by Michael Cumming, running about 90 minutes. “A Film About Robert Lloyd and The Nightingales” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. How does a working class autodidact, with no visible means of support, maintain his role as the leader of a cult British underground band into its fifth decade? Comedian and writer Stewart Lee, director Michael Cumming and James Nicholls investigate the mysterious existence of Robert Lloyd, Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivor. Robert Lloyd’s Prefects played with The Clash on the White Riot tour in 1977, and their ongoing incarnation, as Birmingham’s Captain Beefheart suffused post-punk poets The Nightingales, recorded more John Peel sessions than any other band. Ever. But what were the social, cultural and economic circumstances that enabled and sustained such outsider artists in the punk and post-punk eras, and how has the world changed to the point where such figures are unlikely to flourish in the same way today? Lloyd’s own odyssey echoes how abstract notions of social mobility, of the value of culture and music, have changed in the last five decades.

Who’s in it. King Rocker stars Robert Lloyd as Himself, Stewart Lee as Himself, Frank Skinner as Himself and Marc Riley as Himself, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, King Rocker sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Apple TV Store. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch King Rocker page.

If you liked it. Fans of King Rocker tend to enjoy Whiplash, Coco, Green Book and The Legend of 1900.