Mods and Rockers
Mods and Rockers came about in the early 60's, these were two different groups (gangs) of people which had different tastes in music, fashion etc...
Mods
Mods were working class British citizens mainly youths, men dressed in expensive suits and women followed a similar trend by having a masculine image (short hair, dark eye make up). Mods tended to be from the South East and London, they were seen as the followers of fashion. Mods rode around in Vespa's or Lambretta's as I mentioned in my first blog, these cheap scooters were really the only vehicles they could afford as they spent most of their wages on clothes.
Being a Mod not only meant having a unique sense of style but also in music. During the 60's The Beatles were very popular although the Mods choose a different style of music which was jazz. Part of their style of clothing was influenced by Black American Jazz Singers i.e. suits. Mods felt that this style of clothing and music made them original especially due to the fact that the American Jazz records were difficult to get a hold of. Mods preferred the lack or Jazz records in Britain as less people would listen to it although Jazz did grow popular which then resulted the Mods into listening to other styles of music such as Soul and Blues. They then moved to Jamaican Bluebeat in order to make sure they were ahead of everyone else. The Mods made music styles such as the Blues very popular in the UK and took a wide interest on several bands such as The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones. Although the most popular band who were Mods themselves were The Who (previously named High Numbers), their fashion, music taste, hairstyles were like the Mods. Their performances were different to other bands as violent acts would be incorporated i.e. instruments would end up smashed, Keith Moon (throw his drums around) Pete Townsend (smash his guitar into speakers). This act of violence reflected the Mod Culture.
Mods were having a huge impact on society there were television shows about the latest Mod trends, music and slang, a famous television show which provided this was "Ready, Steady, Go!". Famous bands would also play in these shows allowing not only Londoner's to watch it but also Mods all over the country.
Mods tended to visit several clubs in Soho i.e. Flamingo and Marque, they would also visit the Crawdaddy Club based in Richmond. Mods would meet in these clubs to socialise with others of their kind from different areas, they would trade records amongst each other and even invent new dances like the Bang and the Shake.
Rockers
Apart from the Mod's there was also the Rocker's who's style is different to the Mod's as it consists of jeans, leather jackets and boots (bad boy biker look). As you can tell they are already quite different to the Mod's who are well dressed in expensive suits, the Rocker's didn't spend as much time and effort in self grooming hence why they had scruffy and messy appearance. Rockers drove large motorcycles normally the latest model as they would spend most of their wages on their "ride" rather than on their clothes.
The Rockers were also working class just like the Mod's although they weren't interested in any new styles of fashion. Just like the Mod's the Rocker's also had their own hang out places such as the Ace Cafe where junk food was served and jukeboxes were played.
Rockers listened to different styles of music to the Mods as they were interested in Rock and Roll from the 50's rather than the revolutionary music from the 60's. Artists such as Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley were very popular amongst the Rockers.
As the gangs of Mods and Rockers became more popular their actions were exaggerated and publicised by the media therefore portraying them as criminals. Minor criminal acts such as speeding o sleeping in public areas gave the gangs a bad reputation therefore resulting in them being banned from bars and cafes. The medias accusations of the Mods and Rockers also created tension between the two types of gangs. This eventually resulted in a fight between the two in 1964 during Easter which ended with broken items such as windows etc...This act of violence was reported on national newspapers which also accused them of causing riots all over the country. It seems as though the media is what caused so much conflict between the Mods and Rockers to begin with.
Mods and Rockers came about in the early 60's, these were two different groups (gangs) of people which had different tastes in music, fashion etc...
Mods
Mods were working class British citizens mainly youths, men dressed in expensive suits and women followed a similar trend by having a masculine image (short hair, dark eye make up). Mods tended to be from the South East and London, they were seen as the followers of fashion. Mods rode around in Vespa's or Lambretta's as I mentioned in my first blog, these cheap scooters were really the only vehicles they could afford as they spent most of their wages on clothes.
Being a Mod not only meant having a unique sense of style but also in music. During the 60's The Beatles were very popular although the Mods choose a different style of music which was jazz. Part of their style of clothing was influenced by Black American Jazz Singers i.e. suits. Mods felt that this style of clothing and music made them original especially due to the fact that the American Jazz records were difficult to get a hold of. Mods preferred the lack or Jazz records in Britain as less people would listen to it although Jazz did grow popular which then resulted the Mods into listening to other styles of music such as Soul and Blues. They then moved to Jamaican Bluebeat in order to make sure they were ahead of everyone else. The Mods made music styles such as the Blues very popular in the UK and took a wide interest on several bands such as The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones. Although the most popular band who were Mods themselves were The Who (previously named High Numbers), their fashion, music taste, hairstyles were like the Mods. Their performances were different to other bands as violent acts would be incorporated i.e. instruments would end up smashed, Keith Moon (throw his drums around) Pete Townsend (smash his guitar into speakers). This act of violence reflected the Mod Culture.
Mods were having a huge impact on society there were television shows about the latest Mod trends, music and slang, a famous television show which provided this was "Ready, Steady, Go!". Famous bands would also play in these shows allowing not only Londoner's to watch it but also Mods all over the country.
Mods tended to visit several clubs in Soho i.e. Flamingo and Marque, they would also visit the Crawdaddy Club based in Richmond. Mods would meet in these clubs to socialise with others of their kind from different areas, they would trade records amongst each other and even invent new dances like the Bang and the Shake.
Rockers
Apart from the Mod's there was also the Rocker's who's style is different to the Mod's as it consists of jeans, leather jackets and boots (bad boy biker look). As you can tell they are already quite different to the Mod's who are well dressed in expensive suits, the Rocker's didn't spend as much time and effort in self grooming hence why they had scruffy and messy appearance. Rockers drove large motorcycles normally the latest model as they would spend most of their wages on their "ride" rather than on their clothes.
The Rockers were also working class just like the Mod's although they weren't interested in any new styles of fashion. Just like the Mod's the Rocker's also had their own hang out places such as the Ace Cafe where junk food was served and jukeboxes were played.
Rockers listened to different styles of music to the Mods as they were interested in Rock and Roll from the 50's rather than the revolutionary music from the 60's. Artists such as Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley were very popular amongst the Rockers.
As the gangs of Mods and Rockers became more popular their actions were exaggerated and publicised by the media therefore portraying them as criminals. Minor criminal acts such as speeding o sleeping in public areas gave the gangs a bad reputation therefore resulting in them being banned from bars and cafes. The medias accusations of the Mods and Rockers also created tension between the two types of gangs. This eventually resulted in a fight between the two in 1964 during Easter which ended with broken items such as windows etc...This act of violence was reported on national newspapers which also accused them of causing riots all over the country. It seems as though the media is what caused so much conflict between the Mods and Rockers to begin with.
No comments:
Post a Comment