Northern Soul and Mod!!

[John Paterson]

I have been a mod for quite a time,BTW i expect or demand no admiration! over the last few years theres seems to be a mixed up view of the thing we call Mod! Folks from outside the home of mod seem to think that NS and the mod movement are 1 in the same? For those who are fresh to the scene well its an easy mistake to make!! But we are talking about scenes that can live on there own merits! We the older mods have a duty to carry the torch and its mod values for there true meaning! The only reason i can see for linking the two totally adverse scenes is a profit based raeson! Why you may ask? Why have the expense of putting a nite on for 100 mods when u can have 300 of everyone!! And the answer is in the whole fabric of mod itself. Not like everybody else, well im afraid its lost its Kudos!! We the modern day torch bearers have sold ourselves down the bloody river!! Norhtern soul does not need Mod and vice versa,in fact northern soul was an opposite reaction to mod! Scooter riding people of the Revival period followed there peers of the day into the scootrboy scene,with its anything goes culture. recession was given as a reason. Coz it became too expensive and elitist to live beyond your means! But the true essence of being mod was never about how much dosh you hsd. It was about thinking outside the box, and making the best about your situation! We are carrying a legacy forward and we are making an arse of it for the new generation, we are making it so complicated for the new blood. Who's to blame, the profiteers...... bending and shaping to please everyone! Mod was never about that,in fact it was the very opposite!! its caused rifts in the past for the very same reasons......people should hang there heads in shame!!

[The Lone Wolf]

[James Thomas]

Very nice. Are there many cricket-loving mods in Australia who might be following the World Cup?

[John Paterson]

Sue the barstewards!!!

[Chris Newport]

Ahh maaan , you lucky man ! Theyre gorgeous !

[The Lone Wolf]

An education in mod from old Les

 

Fashions came and went. The mod thing started in the 50's with college boy haircuts, brown Italian suits and white macs. It was very much a London thing. Real mods never wore anoraks or had scooters with fur and loads of mirrors. That's a load of bollocks - they were way behind the times. The mod thing proper was over by 1965 whatever anyone might claim - it became fashion after that. Mod fashion was a street thing. Whatever was the style there was always suits but of course lots of other stuff. There was a time when the uniform was suede or leather jackets in all colours (the good suede jackets had a leather half collar) and full length coats in the same material with white levis worn three inches above the shoe which had to be these square toed black things with a wavy sole and black socks or at a pinch dark blue. To this day I won't wear any socks bar black. We used to have our suits made at Leslie Andrews on Deptford Broadway and they cost £64 mohair or tonik which was a f*cking lot of money then.

People were a bit more careful. I knew blokes that carried lino knives because their thinking was that having a curved blade you could properly carve someone up but it was be very unlikely that you could stab and murder them. These days they don't give a f*ck who they kill do they.

It was a good time but only because it was a time of change post war with young people having money and freedom separate from their elders for the first time really in history the music was new, exciting and constantly changing.

The 60's were good because we were the first

I got married at the end of the 60's (1970) aged almost 25 and in those days that was fucking old to get married.

You lot got a lot more freedom today and I daresay in many ways you have a better time but you're all still c*nts

[Chris Newport]

I say ! That's a bit strong old chap !    : D

[John Paterson]

Chris, not to be taken seriously mate, that was a social delinquents view of Mad i mean Mod!!! LOL

[The Lone Wolf]

Yes, I agree and most of them had the equivalent style of a modern day Vespa P Ranger !! From talking to many east enders it has become apparent that mod was a London thing, here today and gone tomorrow.

Everything else just became fashion thereafter. Just look at C&A and M&S soon after.... all there gear became early mod styling for the next 50+ years.

BTW Have I told you how much I dislike mod having any association with northern soul ;-)

Looking forward to Brighton 60s weekender this year ... I hear there might be a few northern soulers in town.

[John Paterson]

sat night is Nothern night a Klomidea!!

[Chris Newport]

Saturday night is Nowt en tet Soul at The Klomidea Clap . . . . . erm . . . . Club , for New Unscratchables . . . erm . . . Undateables . Rob Bailey was going to play Poison Ivey but he scratched it . XD  Scratch that itch baby !

[The Lone Wolf]

I am having to sell two Sat night Klomidea tix. :-) You are right however, far to much clapping, feel the love, tap ya heart and present to the whole dance floor, respect, keep on keeping on, keep the faith zzzzzzz

Off to The Long John Baldrey night at Talking Head later today. Hopefully not a bit of all that bollox to be heard. Its a mod thing and northern clap music is not !!!!!