London

London might not have been the birthplace of rock’n’roll, but this metropolis of high tea, double-decker buses, and red phone boxes spawned a number of bands and youth movements that have made an indelible mark on popular culture, including music, fashion, and film. Stretching more than 30 miles wide with a population of eight million, the largest city in Europe has undoubtedly played a massive role in rock’n’roll’s evolution.


Absolute Beginners
The cultural revolution took its first steps in the 1950s, when rock’n’roll copycats such as Vince Taylor, Tommy Steele, and Johnny Kidd aped the looks, sounds, and moves of American trailblazers Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent. These London acts were the products of cunning impresarios who sought to capitalize on the newly burgeoning, highly impressionable youth scene. Teddy boys and girls were especially enamored by the early rock’n’roll sound, setting themselves apart from the rest of the teenaged nation with their tailored threads and distinct coifs. Much of the songwriting and recording action centered on block-long Denmark Street, which no longer produces much music but still proffers the materials (instruments, sheet music) to make it. The New Musical Express, a popular music weekly, sallied forth from an office on Denmark Street in 1952. Around the same time, producer/songwriter Joe Meek began experimenting with recording techniques, while Lonnie Donegan and various skiffle acts made waves in jazz venues (e.g., the 100 Club) and coffee bars (e.g., 2i’s). Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes provides a fictional account of London’s colorful street culture in 1958.


All Day and All of the Night
By the 1960s, blues-inspired bands like the Kinks, the Pretty Things, and the Rolling Stones were exploding out of the confines of both the city and their home isle, outgrowing the Marquee, the Flamingo, the Ealing, and other small clubs that showcased British rock, blues, and r&b. Teddy boys transformed into leather-clad rockers who clung to the music of the previous decade and raced around on Norton and Triumph motorbikes. Impeccably dressed mods took to the streets on shiny Vespas and Lambrettas, and danced to r&b, soul, and ska at the Discoteque; hard mods (who wore Fred Perrys, heavy boots, and suspenders with their jeans) would eventually become skinheads. Carnaby Street served as the heart of the Swingin’ Sixties—waifish dollybirds and other dedicated followers of fashion flocked there to stock up on Mary Quant’s scandalous miniskirts, just as discerning young men frequented John Stephen’s boutiques for Ben Sherman shirts and mohair suits. Carnaby Street also catered to the hippie/psychedelic set that took over by the end of the ’60s.


London’s Burning
The 1970s witnessed an upsurge of new musical genres, either developed in London or adopted from elsewhere (mainly the U.S.). Psych rock had mutated into both prog rock and space rock in the late ’60s, with bands like Yes, King Crimson, and Hawkwind representing the London scene. While those bands noodled away, Led Zeppelin and UFO began forging heavy metal and hard rock. On a lighter note, Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman penned bubblegum/glam songs for Suzi Quatro (the Detroit gal who led the Pleasure Seekers and also starred as Leather Tuscadero on TV’s Happy Days), the Sweet, and Mud. The latter two bands were a part of the mostly male brigade (which comprised artists like T. Rex, Gary Glitter, David Bowie, and Roxy Music) that embraced outrageous, skin-tight spandex costumes and glittery, gaudy make-up in the early ’70s.

As early as 1972, several bands, including Ducks Deluxe and Kilburn & the High Roads (formed by Ian Dury), returned to rock’n’roll basics. Performed at pubs such as the Hope & Anchor and the Bull & Gate, the rousing blend of r&b and blues was dubbed “pub rock” and soon received the 101’ers, Eddie & the Hot Rods, and Cock Sparrer among its ranks. Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, who had joined Hawkwind in 1971, channeled his need for speed and formed Motorhead with former Pink Fairy Larry Wallis in 1975. By late 1975, the scruffy Sex Pistols were confounding the public at the city’s art schools with a new cacophony called “punk” while the Jam accompanied their sharp look with a snappy neo-mod sound.

Only a smattering of punk bands played out in early 1976. This included Eddie & the Hot Rods, who began their punk crossover attempt in 1975 and even released a single on Island Records by March 1976. Fanzines such as Sideburns and Sniffin’ Glue documented the enthusiastic experiments. On September 21, 1976, the 100 Club, a long-time jazz heavyweight, kicked off the world’s first punk festival. The two-day event featured the Sex Pistols, the Clash (singer/guitarist Joe Strummer had defected from the 101’ers earlier that year), Subway Sect, and Siouxsie & the Banshees on night one, and the Stinky Toys (all-female French band), the Damned, the Vibrators, and the Buzzcocks on night two. The second night’s festivities were colored by the arrest of future Sex Pistol Sid Vicious, who had reportedly thrown a beer glass into the audience and cut some bystanders—the club immediately banned punk bands from setting foot on its stage. The Roxy, the Vortex, and even the Marquee, however, allowed local talent like Eater, the Boys, Sham 69, X-ray Spex, and Generation X to flourish (although neither the Roxy nor the Vortex lasted through the decade). Around the same time, artists such as the Slits, Bad Manners, and Madness melded ska and reggae with punk. The birth of independent record labels such as Beggars Banquet, Step Forward, and Rough Trade gave punk bands a tangible outlet for their work, as did pub-rock-turned-punk champions Chiswick and Stiff (which also supported the ska scene).

Just as London’s music scene rapidly metamorphosed, so did the boutique at 430 King’s Road in Chelsea. Hung on You (1967-68) turned out avant-garde tailored menswear for the Rolling Stones and fellow dandies. Mr. Freedom (1968-70) specialized in pop-art kitsch. Paradise Garage (1970-71) recycled Hawaiian shirts, faded Levi’s, and other American essentials from the 1950s and ’60s. In 1971, entrepreneur Malcolm McLaren and designer Vivienne Westwood took over the space. Their first venture, Let It Rock (1971), specialized in updated rockabilly/ted wear. Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die (1972) embraced ’60s rocker culture. In late 1974, their shop Sex fixated on S&M and nihilism, hinting at elements of “punk” style, but it wasn’t until they opened Seditionaries (December 1976) that stenciled shirts, bondage trousers, and see-through plastic tops appeared. The shop at 430 King’s Road has operated as World’s End since 1981 and continues to sell Westwood’s creations.


Smash the Discos
Punk took to the streets and the football stadiums in the late ’70s and continued rolling into the ’80s, led by the Cockney Rejects, the 4-Skins, and the Business. In 1980, the Meteors fused rockabilly and punk into psychobilly, which was featured prominently at the Klub Foot nightclub. London anarcho-punk raised its crusty head around the same time, with Conflict, the Apostles, and Hagar the Womb illuminating the way; Conflict eventually formed the Mortarhate label. Amid London’s acid house frenzy, the Damaged Goods label began reissuing classic punk records (including those by the Killjoys and the Pork Dukes) in 1988; by 1990, they were releasing diverse original material by the Manic Street Preachers, Wat Tyler, and the New Bomb Turks.


The Good Times Are Killing Me
In the early 1990s, Britpop bands such as Blur and Suede reigned while rawer, lo-fi acts like the Armitage Shanks and Huggy Bear clung to the shadows. Garage rockers Billy Childish and Thee Headcoats enjoyed a monthly residency at the Wild Western Room at St. John’s Tavern and, later, the Dirty Water Club at the Boston Arms (which continues to host garage gigs around town). Glossy music mag Mojo debuted in 1993, focusing on the music of the ’50s through ’70s. It continues to do so today, but manages to make occasional forays into the 21st century.

Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty (Babyshambles, Libertines), and Lily Allen may command the tabloids nowadays, but London continues to ride into the millennium on a motley wave of sound. Duck beneath the prevailing layer of indie pop/rock, nu metal, electronica, and pop punk and you’ll come up with scathing garage punk courtesy of Black Time, faux oi! from Hard Skin, updated rock’n’roll from the Jim Jones Revue, and other sonic sensations from London’s thriving underground.



***Thanks to Lemmy Caution of Black Time for his generous input.