The Thatcher Crisis Years

As punk spluttered to a standstill in the late 70s – except for some sod awful bands that tried to keep the flame alight – a whole load of youth cults bubbled to the surface. One of them was a revival of the 60s mod sound and look. Around Carnaby Street, you could once more bump into chaps who looked like they’d just been auditioning to be in The Who circa 1966.

The Jam were at the forefront but they were always much, much more than simply a mod revival combo. The Purple Hearts, The Lambrettas and Secret Affair formed the core of this movement and scored some chart hits. But it was an 18 month to two year wave that came and went – though the same could be said of the other youth cults of the time.

The classified ads section of the music papers were full of mod gear you could buy. Here’s a shopping list from 1980 with prices of mod gear on sale at a shop in the Midlands.

Union Jack Fabric Belt – £1.75

The Who belt buckles – £2.90

Target Straight Ties – £2.90

Badges were 40p each or 5 for £1.75 with Lambrettas, Merton Parkas, Specials, Selecter, etc.