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Big Bob’s Mod Photo Album

Big Bob Morris is a long-time associate of Vice and well-known London raconteur and sportsman. Recently he showed us this huge archive of east London mod photographs. We used one of them by the table of contents in last month’s Anti-Music Issue...

WORDS BY BOB MORRIS AND PAUL HALLAM

PHOTOS BY PAUL HALLAM

Bob invades the stage as the Rhythm Steadies play the Wellington Pub in Hoxton. This was our pub when we had Countdown Records. It was run by Ronnie Diamond and when he used to do the school run he would lock me and Terry Rawlings in the pub with an honesty jug—that was the only glass that was never full.

Big Bob Morris is a long-time associate of Vice and well-known London raconteur and sportsman. Recently he showed us this huge archive of east London mod photographs. We used one of them by the table of contents in last month’s Anti-Music Issue, but didn’t have space for the rest of them, so here they are now. Oi oi!

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Although the mod revival became a real movement in late 1978, it was soon considered to be over by the top boys in the scene when

Quadrophenia

came out and every dickhead in the country suddenly had a parka.

By the time 1984 arrived, all the part-timers were married with kids and had given up on looking sharp and having a good time. This meant the dedicated few, such as myself, were left to get on with the time-consuming job of being full-time mods without any interruption.

We had our own clubs six days a week, our own record label called Countdown and all the clobber and music was spot on. Here’s the story in pictures from Sneakers and Crawdaddy R&B club DJ Paul Hallam, who bought a decent camera (an Olympus Trip) and chronicled the year.

If you liked these photos, please check out “Mods ‘82” a DVD shot by Bob available from scooteremporium.com. Bob is currently writing a book on his experiences so watch out for that too.

Big Tony from south London and Dave Dee. Tony sadly hung himself in early ’86. His real name was Tony Mohammed but he led the mod world to believe he was Mediterranean rather than Muslim.

Crawdady R&B at the Ben Truman, SE1. This is me and Drew cracking up over something. We’re either taking the piss out of someone, or talking about how we hit someone across the head with something.

Mick was from Dartford and a bit of a weekend mod, as we see from his badly concealed wedge.

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Collier Row Moduals. In 1982, a lot of mods turned into casuals but some of them came back to the fold when we started the Crawdaddy and Sneakers R&B clubs.

The Red Lion, Kingly Street, Soho, W1. We’d meet up there before going to a club—that way we always turned up at clubs mob-handed and take over. No wonder everyone hated us.

Jolie Daniels and Vicki Roche walk through a deserted Soho on their way back from a 100 Club all-nighter.

Jim “Matty” Masters dancing at Oxford City Football Club. London mods would often travel as far as Birmingham on a night to see bands or dance.

The 100 Club, Oxford Street, W1: Paul Keating (middle) and Paul Flynn (right). We caught up with Flynn and he said they used to get Keating to chat up other firms’ birds and when they started on him they’d iron them out.

The Countdown Christmas party at the Clarendon Hotel, Hammersmith.

Teenage mod girls, including Donna and Ella, who are still around today, at Crawdaddy at the Metropolitan in Farringdon.

Goldberg’s, Upton Lane, Forest Gate: Goldberg’s was run by three brothers in their 70s and was an Aladdin’s cave of cloth and off-the-peg sports jackets.

Crawdaddy R&B club at the Ben Truman, SE1: Classic shot at Ben Truman that sums up a Saturday night.