We Were There

This is the story of a hidden Britain. A Black Britain. One that existed outside London and forces us to reappraise what it means to be British.

**AN OBSERVER, GQ MAGAZINE, ESQUIRE AND INEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR**

Rocked by economic turmoil, the rise of the National Front, heavy-handed anti-immigration policies and widespread civil unrest, Thatcher’s Britain was in tumult. And yet, all around this nation, Black creativity, community and resistance flourished like never before.

From Bradford’s towering mills and Northern Soul’s euphoric dance floors to the multicultural docks of Cardiff Bay and rolling hills of rural Britain, from Rastafarians and rugby stars to artists and activists, Lanre Bakare unearths the overlooked places and people who made Britain what it is today.

Alive with energy and purpose, We Were There is a dazzling, profoundly important new portrait of modern Britain and a shared legacy which belongs to us all.

'A vital corrective' STEVE MCQUEEN
'A revelation' NESRINE MALIK
'Necessary and urgent' GUARDIAN
'Joyous' GQ

© Lanre Bakare 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025