Mods & Rockers

By 1964, the majority of British youth was split into two factions called Mods and Rockers who each dressed in their own distinctive style.

Mods were the smarter of the two and wore sharp lightweight suits or smart jackets over polo necks or Fred Perry shirts, and donned US Army Parkas to ride their Vespa and Lambretta scooters to a club to dance to black Soul music.

The Mods were originally an exclusive group of fashion-conscious men, but by 1963 the term 'Mod' had taken on a much looser meaning and could be applied to most tailored youth fashions of the period.

The Rockers wore winklepicker shoes, tight jeans and leather jackets with polished studs. They rode large motorcycles such as Triumphs, BSA's and Norton's (and had a greater affinity with motorbike grease than a tailor's measuring tape).

Every Saturday night the Mods and the Rockers would dress  themselves with great care, groom their hair so that not a strand was out of place, go out on the town and beat the sh1t out of each other.

The clashes between Mods and Rockers originally took place on Bank Holidays in seaside resorts such as Margate, Clacton and Brighton.

In May 1964, most major southern seaside resort in England were turned into a battlefield by the warring factions. Worst hit was Brighton where over 600 youths had to be controlled and 76 were arrested.  

The violence, which included fist fights, bottle and stone throwing and general vandalism, terrified holidaymakers engulfed by the chaos. 51 youths were also arrested in Margate, where two teenagers were stabbed.

...the Simpson sisters (I can't stand either of 'em)...

.....The Mods & Rockers are still around but they seem a tad more tolerant of each other these days. They're a lot older & a little more sensible now. I wouldn't go so far as to say they ever became friends. ....

Composing & performing were separate skills until fairly recently & some of the best music ever written was by composers who couldn't play an instrument at all well & never set foot on a stage. The lyrics were very often written by someone else.