Books
Punks on Scooters BARC002
Like many young people in the mid 70s Michael Salter adopted punk as his protest against ‘no future’ politics, dreary chart music and the pomp and excess of prog rock. But as the punk sub-culture split and evolved, Salter and his friends moved away from the spiky haired shock tactics to the sharp-suited, 1960s retro-style of the mods.
The mod revival embraced the music of 60s bands such as The Who and created new acts such as The Jam and Secret Affair. It also saw the revival of scooter clubs across the country.
But as in the 60s when mods and rockers fought running battles, the mod revival was steeped in violence and Salter doesn’t pull his punches in recalling the violent scenes played out most nights at Steamers night club in the centre of Bristol or the suburban violence which saw mods being attacked and leading the attacks in and around the pubs of Kingswood, Downend and Winterbourne.
Punks on Scooters is Salter’s autobiographical account of the fashion, music and violence of the mod revival. The book also includes appendices with pieces on The Newbeats and Colonel Kilgore’s Vietnamese Formation Surf Team and contributions by mod girl Eve Pearce, leading Bristol mod Geoff Rice, Steamers DJ Jerry Cripps and Jon Andrews of Bristol mod band Mayfair.
Punks on Scooters is a collaboration between Tangent Books and Bristol Archive Records and accompanies the BAR CD Mods, Power Pop, Scooter Boys 1979-1987 (CAT NO: ARC287CD)
