Suedehead
Suedehead ( English suede = suede , head = head) is today a collective term for the members of a subculture similar to the skinhead scene .
history
The first suedeheads appeared around 1969. There are the following theories about the origin of suedeheads:
- The long cold winter of 1969/70 is said to have contributed to the fact that some skins grew their hair, although there have always been skinheads who wore their hair longer, as can be seen on the British band's album cover "Skinhead Moonstomp" Symarip from 1969.
- The film Bronco Bullfrog from 1969, a so-called kitchen sink drama, which takes place in the working-class milieu of the East End of London and in which south heads can be seen, is said to have started development.
- Repelled by the skinheads' image of violence, young people in this scene, who no longer wanted to be considered members of the fighting youth gangs, the Bovver Brigades , became suedeheads.
- The macho cult and the brutal image of the skins did not find a big hit with women in the late 1960s. Skingirls, or Renees , only became more common since the second wave of skinheads.
The name suedehead comes from the length of the hair: the hair of these former skinheads was usually 3–4 cm long and was easy to comb.
Suedeheads are a "further development" of the skinheads, they adopted the smart style and changed it with many small details, such as: B. the sock color. Some prominent members of the early Oi! -Scenes like Jimmy Pursey from Sham 69 or Garry Bushell from The Gonads counted themselves among the suedeheads.
Another theory is that the skinhead / suedehead style is in a sense not a new style, but at the end of the 1960s a return to an earlier one, namely the original mod style. The original "Preppie" look of the first mods of the late 1950s and early 1960s was strongly based on the American college look (also called "Ivy League" or "Preppie"), as seen in American GIs and in the cinema . Actors like Steve McQueen were mod icons, and their style - penny loafers, brogues, button-down shirts, sta-perst and windbreaker ("Harrington") for "casual" and slim-fitting "tonic suits" and or car coats short trench with concealed button placket for "smart" occasions - became formative. 1967 is commonly viewed as the year of the demise of the first wave of mods. Many mods were repulsed not only by the sell-out of the style, but also by the increasing "psychedelization" and feminization of fashion - colors, hair length, etc. A return to the origins of the style was obvious for these "hard mods". However, it was not copied 1: 1, but new style elements were added that were typically British - and at the same time very masculine. Interestingly, these were borrowed from the clothing style of the British upper class (such as the classic Crombie or the tightly rolled umbrella as an accessory) as well as the British working class (DocMartens, suspenders).
In the 1980s, the movement experienced an upswing in Great Britain , Germany and Austria , when skinheads and mods began to take an interest in the suedeheads. At that time there were also some Suede fanzines : "The Suedehead Times", "The Upsetter", "Summer Suede" (all from Great Britain) and the "Intensified" from Germany. This first upswing lasted around 1985.
The second upswing came in the 1990s. This also produced some fanzines, including a. the “Fantomas” from France and “With umbrella, charm and bowler hat” from Germany. The second upswing ended around 1994/95. But even in the new millennium there are still people who call themselves suedeheads.
Appearance / clothing
Most suedeheads had hair about 3–4 cm long. Light mustaches or chin beards were also popular.
The clothing of the suedeheads consisted of:
- Levi's Sta-Perst pants .
- Button-down shirts, preferably from the Ben Sherman brand , so-called grandpa shirts (collarless) from the Brutus brand and penny collar shirts (button-down shirts with round collar tips).
- Loafers , brogues or Norvegians.
- Crombie coats or trench coats from MAC, in winter: Sheepskin coats
- Instead of suspenders, narrow belts were worn.
- Instead of ties, white silk scarves or scarves were popular, which were tucked into shirt collars or crombie coats.
- Checkered things ( tartan and the so-called kitchen towel pattern) and suede jackets (suede cardigans) were generally in great demand.
- In the evening blue, black, brown or tonic suits (three buttons, three pockets) or double-breasted gangster suits in blue, black or with a pinstripe pattern were worn.
- In addition, bowler and stick umbrella or pork pie hat.
- Corduroy jeans suits (or jeans suits in general) were also popular.
- Polo shirts from the typical mod and skin brands ( Fred Perry , Ben Sherman , Lonsdale or Merc) were more popular at the Suedehead Revival.
- Colorful, single-colored socks, mainly in the basic colors .
- plain wool sweater with V-neck.
music
The musical preferences were or are with Ska , Rocksteady and Early Reggae . There were also Motown and Northern Soul sounds. In the 1980s there was still a preference for oi punk bands that performed in the clockwork orange style, and in the 90s Latin soul was added. Over the years, however, modbands have always been heard.
The following bands are often associated with the suedehead style: The Style Council (early phase), Madness or the "Blades". A band that really consisted of Suedeheads were the "Marylebone Martyrs", they only brought out one tape that only contained three tracks: "In Unity ... Nothing": This was a cocktail from Ska, 1960s -Soul and melodic punk . The band's name was borrowed from the Richard Allen novel "Suedehead".
Trivia
- On the album cover of "Absolutely", Madness’s second record , some of the band members are dressed in suedehead style.
- The Smiths singer Morrissey successfully released a single called Suedehead .
Movie
Barney Platts-Mills' underground film " Bronco Bullfrog " from 1969 is set in London's south-head milieu and triggered the first wave of south-headers.