Rally Report: Brighton Mod Rally
Sixties mod-god, the late Pete Meaden, coined the phrase ‘clean living under difficult circumstances’, to describe what being an original mod meant.
August Bank Holiday weekend is, invariably, the most profitable, with thousands upon thousands of scooterists descending on the muchloved south coast resort of… Brighton!
Although said quote was made decades ago, it could've been made to describe what being of the mod persuasion meant, and applied to August Bank Holiday weekend, Brighton 2019. The tired, iconic Victorian seafront architecture along Madeira Drive has supposedly been undergoing refurbishment for several years. Instead of any visible progress, more areas along the seafront have been closed off, while parts of the town centre are undergoing extensive (re) building works. Dirty, drab and distinctly unwelcoming are accurate descriptions of Brighton Bank Holiday 2019.
That, my son, is Brighton
August Bank Holiday mod rally has been a fixture on the calendar for some time, certainly since 2014 as many thousands visit Brighton for the August mod rally. It's blossomed into the second biggest gathering of scooters, anywhere. It almost goes without saying that the injection of mod money provides a significantly sizable boost to the local economy. For the first time that I'm aware of, instead of welcoming those in town for the weekend gathering, Brighton traffic wardens declared open season on scooters parked up u in the town, issuing £70 parking tickets t to scooters parked up around bars, pubs p and eateries away from the seafront. What a lovely welcome Brighton council gave with that policy! Last time a similar welcome was given to scooterists there was the one National rally that took place in the 80s, when all scooters arriving were in effect impounded at the far end of Madeira Drive. Brighton needs cash to fund restoration of the historic seafront. Officiously coming down like a ton of bricks on visitors is not, I'd say, the way to ensure return business! Rightly or wrongly, Brighton has been elevated to the ultimate mod mecca. A certain film released 40 years back has had more than a bit of influence on Brighton's mythical status. Many local businesses and outlets have tailored their enterprises to target Brighton’s inextricable link with the mod movement for visitors all-year round. August Bank Holiday weekend is, invariably, the most profitable, with thousands upon thousands descending on the South Coast resort.
I hear there's a few mods about
Centred around New Untouchables 'official' mod rally locations of daytimes at Volks Bar on Madeira Drive, and nights at Komedia on the edge of The Lanes, August Bank Holiday weekend has grown into an event of epic proportions. Live original bands, along with covers and tribute acts, are in abundance from Thursday through till Monday, as are
specialist DJ events, with entrepreneurial promoters looking to, usually successfully, grab a slice of the mod pound. A good barometer, a way to gauge how many are in Brighton for the mod rally being numbers attracted to the free DJ night at The Dorset. One of the regular door supervisors at that venue informed me that he had never experienced as many people people in and around the popular bar as he had this year! In addition to the aforementioned, there were a couple of spectaculars held over the duration, with the charity fundraiser Grand Experience held at the Grand Hotel on the Friday night, plus Gary 'Spider' Shail's Quadrophenia 40th celebration on the pier on the Sunday, which was a fundraiser for Brighton's homeless. Both were well subscribed and added to the numbers visiting Brighton over the weekend. Contrasting with last year’s washout (Sunday), like most of the UK, Brighton experienced a mega heatwave, scorchio being a gross understatement. Brighton August Bank Holiday weekend by tradition is all about peacocking, posturing and promenading in your best finery, while showing off your scooter. Mods and those of a mod leaning are no different to most UK residents, as when a bit of sunshine arrives, they strip s down to shorts and flip-flops, exposing parts of the body that certainly, in some cases, shouldn't be revealed in public, the result being lobster-coloured skin, which really isn't helpful if you're planning to be wearing immaculately tailored vintage attire later. Any material coming into contact with sunburnt flesh tends to bring a tear to the eye!
I don't wanna be the same as everybody else
Original 60s mods were about being ahead of the game in everything – clothes, records, scooters and the like. Staying ahead of fast, ever-changing fashions f and styles was an all-important factor f to any young modernist. From very much m a British youth subculture, the basic spirit, ethos and aspirations of mod hasn’t changed much over the ensuing decades, although there is a formulaic uniform appearance for the differing retro mod styles these days. Mod in the second decade of the 21st century is global, and is reflected in the Brighton August Bank Holiday gathering, with many nationalities represented. Brighton mod rally was created by New Untouchables, who initially held their August Bank Holiday gatherings on the Isle of Wight.
The first NUT Brighton mod rally was a two-day affair, attracting a few hundred NUT members. Fast forward to 2019, and Brighton mod rally unofficially runs from Thursday to Monday, attracting many thousands to the south coast resort. While NUT events are at the epicentre of the weekend, just about every interpretation of what constitutes mod can be seen and catered for over the duration.
Daytimes involve maybe a trip around the Lanes vintage shops, or a visit to Jump the Gun, at some point heading to the seafront. Volks Bar hosts a vintage market, with NUT DJs providing a suitable soundtrack. Meanwhile, both sides of Madeira Drive have row upon row of scooters parked up both sides of the road, glinting in the sunshine. If you're planning on meeting someone in Brighton, the seafront around Volks Bar is where they'll be at some stage.
Lost... and found
Late morning to mid-afternoon on the Sunday is peak time for the mod rally, with the annual scooter show followed by the ride out. After being washed out last year, this year saw over 500 scooters eventually set off, albeit after running a clutch-burning, single file quarter-mile gauntlet of people heading towards Beachy Head. Maybe instead of targeting scooters for parking in the town centre, Brighton council should consider safety factors and dispatch a few wardens to the seafront to marshall traffic and pedestrians? Saturday afternoon saw two separate groups of scooters head off for the same destination from Brighton
seafront. By all accounts, both the Grand Experience and Quadrophenia 40th were successful, as were most events aimed at the mod influx over the four days.
As part of the Quadrophenia 40th, a Brighton Walk of Fame plaque was unveiled on the pier to mark the anniversary of the film. It was reportedly stolen a few hours after, but after a social media campaign, it turned up several days s later. Thankfully, it wasn't in several pieces at the bottom of a cliff, as some suggested! Eddie Piller's live Modcast event also 'lost' a sizeable banner from outside their event, with no news to date regarding its safe return.
All in all it was, in the main, another superb mod rally in Brighton, aided and abetted by the weather, of course.