Jim Iron and John Steel

Glory Boys (Caffeine Nights Publishing)

Summer of 1979 and the Mod revival is beginning to explode; the fictional book Glory Boys covers a 10 day period in August of that year. Chris Davis, mirroring the Jimmy Cooper character in Quadrophenia, is working in the post room of a many storied office block. He works to fund his lifestyle as a Mod revivalist in East London, albeit in a job that invades his own time, due to bullying managers who have been promoted to the level of their incompetence.

It’s a necessary evil he tolerates to pay for his scooter, clothes, records and partying. Secret Affair’s debut single hits the shops, a band Chris and his close mates have followed for several months. One of his mates, Dave, has an unhealthy liking for violence, and aspires to be fully accepted by the older Glory Boys and West Ham ICF football hooligans. Over the helter-skelter 10 days of the story, there are encounters with other local youth culture tribes, both at night and even during the day when moonlighting selling dodgy gear door to door.

Clubbing, gigging and getting together with 2-tone girl Charlotte at a Squire gig early on. Sex, drugs and violence set to a Mod revival and original Mod soundtrack, Glory Boys culminates in a Bank Holiday Monday scooter excursion to the seaside (Southend), for the day, with a plan to head over to Canvey Island for an all-Mod revival line gig. Incidents in Southend, however take several surprising turns, prior to the Canvey gig where it seemed the UK Mod revival united as one. Glory Boys is fictional, yet captures the spirit, excitement and essence of the dawning of the Mod revival era as a national entity, from its East London roots.