Remember the eighties? Incredible pictures show the youth culture of Britain
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Incredible photos from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s have been published in a zine harking back to a golden age of youth culture in Britain.
The images capture a range of overlapping subcultures, from rockabilly, teds and punks to ska fans, skinheads and mod revivals.
Immortalized by photographer John Ingledew, they are available in the exclusive photozine published by the Museum of Youth Culture.
The one-time zine, Looking for troubleshowcases an array of snaps from Soho’s back streets, basement pool clubs, and football patios from the era.
Chelsea skins: These two women, one named Donna, with their largely shaved blonde heads were pictured on a night out in 1980
Mullet man: Eccentric haircuts were all the rage in the 1980s. This man was photographed at Bowie Night, The Music Machine, London in 1982
On the Beach: This gang of young skinheads, punks and a Madness fan were pictured on Brighton Beach in 1983. One was wearing a T-shirt with Sid Vicious, the bassist of the punk band Sex Pistols on it
John said: ‘The publication is part of an ongoing series put out by the wonderful people at the Museum of Youth Culture who celebrate British youth culture.’
The photozine – which costs £10 – shows gangs, couples and individuals, many of which are being published for the first time.
They also showcase the Bowie club nights in Soho, plus the Blitz crowd and the start of the Football Casuals and Perry Boys, with each group having their own very lively scene and styles.
John said: ‘I think the attitude of many of the people in the photos is very strong.
“Just look at the young woman’s reaction to the CLASH fan.
“That’s the attitude you get when you’re in a gang and know you look really good.
‘Looking for Trouble is of course a line from an Elvis song. It’s a perfect title, because this was the original youth rebellion that scared straight society.’
About how society has changed since the 1980s, John said: ‘I think it was a great time then, a short period where everything seemed to be accelerating compared to today.
Looking for trouble: these rockers were captured in Brighton 1982, many sporty leather jackets, some with skulls on
Incredible photos from a unique time: This skinhead couple was captured in London’s Leicester Square, 1980
Music went from Pubrock to Punk, to New Wave, to Tone Tone and then Mod revival in about three summers.
‘There were a lot of live music venues and going out was cheap. That has disappeared lately, I’m afraid.’
He said he hopes today’s youth enjoy their youth — like him and so many in the 1980s.
He said: ‘I really hope there are just as many young people who are having just as great a time today.
“Following a band or being part of a scene is a part of everyone’s teenage years.
Rockabillys – early fans of Rock and Roll – outside the pub next to Kursaal Amusement Park, Bank Holiday Monday, Southend on Sea, 1983.
Overt drug use: This photo, taken by John, shows someone allegedly sniffing glue in a Crystal Palace pub, London 1982
“However, there are a few things I hope aren’t up to the mark, like sniffing glue on one of the photos. I’m glad that fad is long gone.’
John also shared how he came to capture these people and events and become such a skilled photographer.
After being offered a place at St Martine’s School of Art in 1978, the then 18-year-old boy was surprised to receive a letter from his congregation in Essex stating that he was entitled to an equipment grant to help with his studies.
With the £80 he then bought a Pentax camera to take all these pictures.
He said: ‘People who know they look great like to be photographed.
“When people look at the camera, I’ve always been asked to take a picture of them and I can’t remember ever being turned down.
‘It was very different, cameras were quite rare then and being photographed seemed a little more special to me than now.
“When I went back to a club, I always took prints to give to the people I had photographed and befriended some like Kev The Ted, who I later shot at home with his Eddie Cochran LP.
Unseen footage: This photo captures West Ham Pringle Boys outside Upton Park football field, 1983
A moment in time: The character, captured by John, is Kev The Ted at home in Teddington, 1982
The zine, Looking for Trouble, is published by the Museum of Youth Culture and is for sale via the museum’s website
‘I run into him every now and then and saw him recently. I always looked like the scruffy art student I was and that look seemed to fit everywhere.’
Reflecting on what has changed in photography over the decades, John said, “Photography is great because you can keep little bits of time forever.
‘Photos mature as time changes – everyday things that looked so normal now seem unfamiliar.
“I wish I’d taken more shots, I’d often only shoot one or two frames to get a good one, because I’d only have a 36-shot roll of film for the day.
‘In any case, today’s digital photography has given the photographer the freedom to select images from it.’
Looking for Trouble is not the first photozine published by the Museum of Youth Culture.
It has previously created photozines about Rave, Rap, Carnival and one called FOR LIFE featuring photos of football fans taken over the past 40 years.