[Music] Brighton 1964 Rockers v Mods

[Wardy's twin]

Well we used to go round the playground at St John the Baptist in Kemp Town demanding "Mod or Rocker?". Not that we had any clue (aged 7) what they were. There was no right answer btw.

i remember that.

 

[zefarelly]

Britih Bike prices are simply mad. My BSA Rocket Gold Star (genuine RGS not a copy) got sold after complete rebuild for £2000 in 1987, last one I saw up for sale was £27000. Lovely bike to look at, not so nice to ride btw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDeEsnNyv4Q

We had a 67 Bonny which was similar, quite nice to ride to a point . . . . in reality it went faster than a scooter but wasn't in anyway a pleasure to ride at speeds any faster than a decent Lambretta can manage! and they're all silly money now. we sold the Bonny a few years ago for £5k, it had been an ornament for some years . . . . went in 24 hours.

my £300 Lambrettas have gone up more than an extra 0 on the end in 20 years. I guess it just reflects the cost of actually restoring them properly, or the scarcity if they're original and good.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Same here ... except we were in the playground of Fairlight School. At the time I was firmly in the Rocker camp but it was all mild banter. None of us were in the business of getting into scraps.

I did see some of the barneys on the seafront; to my seven-year-old eye, it looked like a bit more than handbags.

Shocking, we went to the same school.

 

[Surf's Up]

2:03 into Brighton Beach Fight 1964, isn't that Hastings with the rounded end building?

I thought that, in fact quite a few of the clips are from Hastings not Brighton.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

doubt those cages would hold anyone who really wanted to get out

 

[Mr Bridger]

Went to a Mods & Rockers day at a local pub a few years back, place was packed with mainly old mods , scooterists from the mod revival days, basically around 50 years old. Live music all day and plenty of scooters to have a look at whilst having a beer.
Half way through the day we were all inside having a drink when an old rocker walks in on his own, must have been an original from the 60’s due to his age on and buys a drink.
Once he’d paid for the drink he turns round and shouts in a loud voice “ what times the fight then”.

 

[zefarelly]

I thought that, in fact quite a few of the clips are from Hastings not Brighton.

Whilst Brighton was a destination, I always thought Hastings and the Essex coastal towns bore the brunt of the so called 'invasion'

very few survivors from 56 years ago and so much has happened since. when I got my forst scooter in 87 scootering was a subculture and very unfashionable. It didn't become at all popular until the mid 90's, fuelled by britpop. Which raised its profile to the high street, retirees rediscovered their youth and the market for anything vintage went bananas. 'mod' has almost become a parody of itself. most true mods have returned to a subculture to avoid it all!

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

A few paper headlines.

The more I read about the event, the more I am thinking the mods way outnumbered the rockers and if it was an even battle there would be no question who would win....

The Rockers, maybe I am biased as my dad was there clad in leather coat and biker boots with white woolen scarf and he told me he took his belt off and wrapped it around his fist with a brass buckle, which I cannot even imagine him doing now...

He was handy with his fists and probably got in more trouble than me in his youth, considering he was a vicars son and ex alter boy.....

Probably lots of pent up anger and a proper rebel.

 

[richinlondon]

Interesting. Used to use the clips, and the Quadrophenia film in my A level Sociology classes, mods and rockers were part of the crime and deviance section. Took great delight in telling the pupils I was there, my 14 year old self resplendent in leather jacket, with red and white logo on the back. ( In reality I was somewhere along the seafront, and only saw a few people running, and no actual fighting, didn't tell the kids that bit.).
If anyone wants a good explanation of the phenomenon, Stan Cohen's book 'Folk Devils and Moral Panics' is a readable commentary.

 

[zefarelly]

It lived on . . .before I got on the road, the local scooter club was Southern inspiration SISC they had a significant run in with a biker gang, both used to use the Bridge in Shoreham. SISC ultimately disbanded, by the time I was 16 it was the Dirty Devils, Worthing way was the Talismen, and Hove was the Trojan Horses. All 3 survive to this day one way or another.

I'm the founding, and so far only member of SLAG. The Shoreham Lambretta Appreciation Group.

One thing that's always amused me is a lot of the scooterboys from the 80's embraced Americana and now all ride bikes, or massive slammed cars!

 

[richinlondon]

A few years later, when working with my Dad in the summer holidays, we used to ride to work, him on his lambretta, me on my huge Suzuki 50 cc. Power!!!!

 

[zefarelly]

nothing says power like 50cc.

I have a 50cc Lambretta, just for a laugh and its a Bertone design classic.

It's more of an ornament TBH, but is a hoot to ride and is almost as good at pissing of car drivers as the lycra twats.

 

[Barrow Boy]

My Brother, was in his late teens and a dedicated biker back in 63/64, he was more into his bikes than anything else, although he did adopt the the so called 'Rocker' image at the time. We lived in Shoreham and although he had some mates in Brighton and Portslade he tended to mix with friends out in the 'sticks' around the Beeding/Steyning area. I think my Mum was worried at the time that he might get involved in the trouble going on and had a few 'words' with him, but as he had just got the bike he had always wanted he wasn't going to risk getting it damaged by some twats in Brighton. He'd had many bikes since passing his test but was finally able to afford a 'Goldie', BSA Gold Star 500cc single cylinder with clip ons and rear-sets, it was known as the ultimate Cafe Racer and he absolutely loved it. He took me out a couple of times on pillion which was 'fun' as it had a racing seat only meant for one! I know he had an embroidered patch on his leather jacket saying 'Little Chef motorcycle club' on it, and that was in reference to the Little Chef in Brighton.
I was born in 53 and, along with my mates, took to scooters and the 'Mod' style in the late 60's (much to my Brothers disgust), it was the tail end of the Mod era, although fully dressed scooters and the associated Mod clothing were still around. There was still a small 'hardcore' group of Rockers/Greasers who used the Dolphin Coffee bar in Shoreham as their base, but we knew them and apart from a bit of banter there was never any trouble (they were harder than us anyway)!

 

[zefarelly]

My Brother, was in his late teens and a dedicated biker back in 63/64, he was more into his bikes than anything else, although he did adopt the the so called 'Rocker' image at the time. We lived in Shoreham and although he had some mates in Brighton and Portslade he tended to mix with friends out in the 'sticks' around the Beeding/Steyning area. I think my Mum was worried at the time that he might get involved in the trouble going on and had a few 'words' with him, but as he had just got the bike he had always wanted he wasn't going to risk getting it damaged by some twats in Brighton. He'd had many bikes since passing his test but was finally able to afford a 'Goldie', BSA Gold Star 500cc single cylinder with clip ons and rear-sets, it was known as the ultimate Cafe Racer and he absolutely loved it. He took me out a couple of times on pillion which was 'fun' as it had a racing seat only meant for one! I know he had an embroidered patch on his leather jacket saying 'Little Chef motorcycle club' on it, and that was in reference to the Little Chef in Brighton.
I was born in 53 and, along with my mates, took to scooters and the 'Mod' style in the late 60's (much to my Brothers disgust), it was the tail end of the Mod era, although fully dressed scooters and the associated Mod clothing were still around. There was still a small 'hardcore' group of Rockers/Greasers who used the Dolphin Coffee bar in Shoreham as their base, but we knew them and apart from a bit of banter there was never any trouble (they were harder than us anyway)!

Pete Finch (RIP) was probably one of the bikers in the Dolphin cafe, I played in a band with him years ago, He'd had Triumphs for decades. a proper biker. There was always a mutual respect despite our different tastes, because we actually rode and went places. Obviously playing music was a big common ground.

 

[Barrow Boy]

Pete Finch (RIP) was probably one of the bikers in the Dolphin cafe, I played in a band with him years ago, He'd had Triumphs for decades. a proper biker. There was always a mutual respect despite our different tastes, because we actually rode and went places. Obviously playing music was a big common ground.

My brother worked as a Barber in Marshalls in Gordon Road at the time he had the Goldie, and he used to reckon you could hear him start it up outside the shop right up where we lived on the Upper Shoreham Road near The Royal George pub, it was that loud. He used to live in fear of it 'Kicking back' on him when he started it!

 

[Hamilton]

Mods & Rockers

Found some wonderful old clips of the seafront, bored working class kids finding their identities siding with who they can identify more with.
The Mod working class, smartly dressed, Italian scooters, Modernernirst who wanted to move away from dated Rock'n'Roll, so they went further back to the blues for influence and jazzed it up with an English feel.
The Rocker or Ton up Boy again working class, dressed for work and practicality when working on a greasy bike, with the sound of Gene Vincent ringing in their ears whilst smoking a fag whilst doing a 100mph on the North Circular.


I was only born in 1969, so by the time I was a youth these had come around again although this time the rockers had disappeared and the Mod revival was in full swing late 70s early 80s. Although I like the scooters I could never be a mod, having been listening to my dads Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran records from a young age, I progressed to Rockabilly but we had no mass seaside fights with anyone, just the local youth and skinheads in towns or clubs and at gigs.

So who was there in the 60s ? was it all just really handbags ? who had a scrap in the 60s ?

https://youtu.be/pN7EIpqrPw8

https://youtu.be/8K5AgYw97cY

F*cking pensioners! What's the world coming too?

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

One thing that's always amused me is a lot of the scooterboys from the 80's embraced Americana and now all ride bikes, or massive slammed cars!

I first got into Rockabilly, then Psychobilly came along and one of the main places you could hear it and see bands was at scooterboy rallies, So I got myself a Vespa and joined a local scooterboy club in Wigan at the time, obviously Wigan was famous for the Casino and Northern Soul so there were plenty of revival gigs and clubs still going frequented by old soul boys, new wave mods a few skinheads and us the scooterboys in us army jackets, army pants or bleached jeans and steel toe cap boots.
The scooterboy scene was great fun and a mix of music and styles, so many funny stories, alot of the scooterboys later went into the rave scene and on to make music style of their own...

Like this fella Ian Brown who I actually knew and met at a rally and at a Stockport Crusaders party...
The photos show the real mix of Psychobillies, Skins etc, we used to wind the mods up something rotten because of what we did to their lovely clean machines.... it was a reaction to the boring stagnating mod scene I guess....

 

[Hamilton]

It lived on . . .before I got on the road, the local scooter club was Southern inspiration SISC they had a significant run in with a biker gang, both used to use the Bridge in Shoreham. SISC ultimately disbanded, by the time I was 16 it was the Dirty Devils, Worthing way was the Talismen, and Hove was the Trojan Horses. All 3 survive to this day one way or another.

I'm the founding, and so far only member of SLAG. The Shoreham Lambretta Appreciation Group.

One thing that's always amused me is a lot of the scooterboys from the 80's embraced Americana and now all ride bikes, or massive slammed cars!

As you lived in Shoreham, did you remember a kid who gave himself the moniker of 'Ernie Wise'? I never knew if that was his real name or not. He used to have a 'reputation' shall we say for ruling the manor.

 

[Comrade Sam]

As you lived in Shoreham, did you remember a kid who gave himself the moniker of 'Ernie Wise'? I never knew if that was his real name or not. He used to have a 'reputation' shall we say for ruling the manor.

Knickname. He lived at the end of mine and Zefarelly's street. His mum was black and he had at least one brother his age and a younger brother and sister. I once saw him walking behind a copper with a girl on his arm. Every time the copper tried to turn to look behind, Wise would shout 'keep walking, don't you f**king dare look round!'. Nasty skinhead - pretty sure he didn't survive the 1990s.

 

[Hamilton]

Knickname. He lived at the end of mine and Zefarelly's street. His mum was black and he had at least one brother his age and a younger brother and sister. I once saw him walking behind a copper with a girl on his arm. Every time the copper tried to turn to look behind, Wise would shout 'keep walking, don't you f**king dare look round!'. Nasty skinhead - pretty sure he didn't survive the 1990s.

That's him.

Headbutted me on the Upper Shoreham Road for no reason at all. Was quite the pyscho.