This is What Great Britain's SKINHEADS Were Like in the PAST

Comments · 141

• BR

  @BritishTimeCapsule · 1 year ago · pinned

  🎵✊ Born from working-class pride and Jamaican beats—does the true story of skinheads surprise you?

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• OC

  @Occident. · 1 year ago (edited)

  As an old Skinhead from Newcastle, permit me to put my two penorth worth in. The Skinhead look evolved from the Mod Scene 1963 onwards. By 1967 some of the fashion of that subculture was getting a bit soppy. Frilly shirts etc, and long hair. So the &quot;hard Mod &quot; Working class element went for a more masculine look. They kept the Jeans, and sta press trousers, button down shirts etc, and cut their hair very short, and wore Work boots or Doc Martens. These were basically Working class boys, who could not afford flash clothing, and basically wore work clothing. Jeans and Union shirts being amongst the first styles that were popular. This started in East Ham and Hoxton around early 1968 I believe. They were West Ham supporters, which brings me to the football hooligan element of the scene. This was definitely part of it. Boots for fighting, cropped hair, so it could not be grabbed. Other football fans adopted the look on seeing the West Ham fans.The media called these rough looking working class dudes &quot;Skinheads&quot;. It spread around Britain over the next 3 years. I first became a Skinhead aged 11 in Spring 1971. My brother got the &quot;Skinhead&quot; book for his 13th birthday, May 1971. We were converted. We were a couple of tough nuts growing up on Tyneside, so the image was ideal for us. I&apos;d say 50% of youth around our way were Skinheads. Many girls too. The look was Levi or Wrangler jeans sta press trousers, &nbsp;, and the jackets, cord levi Jackets were sought after. Harrington Jackets, long Cream raincoats, Crombies, Doc Martens boots or shoes, Monkey boots, riding boots, brogues and Loafers. Button down colour shirts, cardigans and tank tops. All of a snug fit. Nothing loose. Paisley scarfes, or football scarfes. This initial scene for me and Wor kid, and others around here lasted about 18 month, because we got in trouble at school etc for our look. Most lads grew their hair, and mobs became known as boot boys. We still wore the gear, but it was the hair cut that had made you a skin. By 1973, we were wearing flares etc. 😳 Fast forward to 1978. The Punk/New wave scene had hit. Some Great music but a crap look. So I revived my Skinhead look. Ordered a Fred Perry, Wrangler jeans and Doc Martens from my sister&apos;s catalogue, they arrived that Friday I got my first wage as an apprentice Butcher on £20 a week, and i got a quarter inch hair cut on the way home. I was a Skinhead again. I was the only one till a year later 1979, when a nationwide Skinhead and Mod revival started. I met a few Skinheads my age in a pub at Low Fell, and we become good mates. We adopted a cool Skinhead image. Not the half mast trousers, or combat army pants crap. We were cool and dapper. We were Skins for years, but they all eventually dropped the look. Only I kept it going. &nbsp;As for music. Well there&apos;s no such thing as &quot;Skinhead&quot; music. There was music and bands that were popular amongst Skinheads, just as they were amongst. Herbuts. (A Herbut was a lad who&apos;s not part of a subculture) So in the late 1960s Jamaican Ska was fairly popular, so Some Skins liked it, as did other sections of the youth. But Skinhead Scene had nothing to do with Jamaica. No Ska bands wore Skinhead attire. Skinhead came from the White working class of the East end of London, &nbsp;England. Skinheads also followed all the popular bands at the time. The Rolling Stones, and the Who etc, then later &nbsp;Bowie, T-Rex, Slade and others. In the late 1970s some bands adopted a Skinhead image, played a fast based Punk music, which later became known as Oi. They had a large Skinhead following obviously, and &quot;Oi oi&quot; became a Skinhead greating and chant. Now the touchy subject of Politics. From what I saw, yes some Skins did support Nationalist movements. There&apos;s no denying it. Others, less in numbers supported leftist groups, that opposed Nationalism etc. But so did many other sections of working class youths from other sub cultures. It was not specifically a Skinhead thing as the media liked to make out. The fact is, the Majority of Skinheads, like myself had zero interest in Politics those days. We were young lads, working hard all week, and at the weekend, we just wanted to get our gear on, hit the town, have a drink, meet Girls, have fun, go to football matches etc etc. Even the violence was exaggerated. &nbsp;Yes Skins got in fights, I did occasionally couple times with other Skins, but so did Herbuts. It happens when your young in working class towns. I&apos;m 65 now. Still got the cool smart Skinhead image going, which is appropriate as I&apos;m bald. The summer look for me is, streight leg Chinos. Always Doc Marten boots. I have 4 different colours. Usualy a Fred Perry shirt, or short sleeved checked Ben Sherman shirt. Autumn looks is the same, but with a Harrington Jacket &nbsp;on. Got 3 different colours. Winter look is more or less the same, but long sleeved button down shirt, V neck sweater or cardigan, with a Crombie top coat, with Folded Handkerchief in pocket of various colours. I also have a long Tweed Herringbone Top coat, and a long Cream Rain coat. I have various Paisley scarfes that Finnish off the look. There&apos;s still a few of us old Skins around Tyneside, and I notice a handful of Young dudes have adopted the look. Oi oi you Skinheads! from Newcastle Upon Tyne. 😎 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m3AdTJMQrM&amp;t=975">16:15</a>

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• BA

  @bangerchich5274 · 8 months ago

  The Skinhead way of Life is getting Stronger every Day !!! RiP ian Stuart Donaldson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧🇭🇲🇧🇻

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• MI

  @mitch_44 · 9 months ago

  I became a Skin in 1968, nothing to do with west ham . It wasn&apos;t racist then, that came a lot later. Not from original Skins. We were into the Reggae type sounds, Motown etc. Yeah the football violence was there, but Bank holidays the coastal gatherings were largely peaceful, except when the police made a point of stirring it up. I loved those days, 73 now. 16 when I started.

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• HO

  @HowardSteele-h6y · 5 months ago

  These were my best years

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• GR

  @gregorybeckett9205 · 1 year ago

  oh yeah...i grew up in Sheffield, 70.s through the 80&apos;s, my people...

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• JI

  @Jimmyzedy · 5 months ago

  Arsenal were the original skinhead football team. That first black and white picture with the guys standing and sitting are north bank boys from the late 60&apos;s.

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• MR

  @MrX-rv1iu · 2 months ago

  I admit (at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m3AdTJMQrM&amp;t=205">3:25</a>) those lads weren&apos;t probably the nicest of chaps but i absolutely love the picture. It frames the late 70s early 80s UK skinhead culture. I think its from Southend in 83 - Bank Holiday.

• DW

  @DWKThedogbreaths · 1 year ago

  When I tell people I was a skinhead in 1969, dancing to reggae music at the Ilford Palace, &nbsp;10 years old and owning the world.<br>Never lost the attitude but 4 distinct youth cultures came and I loved all of them.<br>Youth are soulless today

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• RI

  @RicoM380 · 1 year ago

  It&apos;s SKA not SCAR

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• KO

  @kopynd1 · 4 months ago

  1970 was the best year walker agro boys

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• DE

  @devonmalcolm34 · 1 year ago

  The 80’s.