Club Focus: Setting Sons SC
Lockdown has given us all a bit more time to actually do things we’ve been talking about for years. David Tompkins used that time to reflect on his club’s history…
We're not as young as we were, and ageing comes with drawbacks. Dave Thompson realised there would never be a better time to actually write down the history of the Sons, and while folk could actually remember what they got up to!
We're not as young as we were, and ageing comes with drawbacks. I realised there would never be a better time to actually write down the history of the Sons, and while folk could actually remember what we got up to. What follows is a mixture of memories sent to me by some of those who were there at the time, some tales from the FB page and things I remember…
In the beginning…
Small groups of Mods started meeting in early 1979 around Tyneside and eventually got together during the summer. Early members included Jasper and Crispy (both RIP), Swizz, the Coldwell cousins, John Scotland and Gary and Cath Lewis.
First meetings on scooters were by the Armstrong Bridge in Jesmond, Newcastle. Numbers grew, and the Punch Bowl pub in Jesmond on a Wednesday night became the regular haunt. The group of Mods became the Setting Sons in late 1979. The car park round the back was full of scooters. A couple of older scooterists turned up one evening, less than impressed at the new kids on the block. Members were mainly from the coast (north of Tyne), Newcastle and Gateshead. Already, the scene was becoming a bit edgy. The March of the Mods tour in August 1979, at the Mayfair nightclub in Newcastle, had been – literally – a riot, with bottles, chairs and tables being thrown, skinheads, rock fans and Mods (not Scooterboys then) fighting on the dance floor. Scooter riders were considered targets by motorcyclists, car drivers and pretty much anyone looking for trouble. Mind, most of the Mods were more than capable of looking after themselves. The police often pulled scooter riders over for a chat and a ‘producer'. The club grew rapidly, and was attending rallies across the country. In 1979 members rode to Ambleside and Southend, and then 1980 onwards saw large numbers of Sons heading across the country to national rallies. About 90 members made it to Scarborough for the traditional Easter rally. The popular magazine of the time, Scooter Mania, featured an article by Martin Dixon which stated that the club had done more miles than any other scooter club in the UK that year. The Sons were well respected on the national scene.
He was in the world…
At the same time, the club was moving around, meeting at different pubs and clubs. Prior to the end of 1982, we had met at The Punch Bowl, The Newcastle Arms, the Red House, Sun Inn, Egypt Cottage (all in Newcastle), and the Central in Gateshead. Memories include someone removing a toilet door at the Red House and tobogganing down the stairs. Guess why we had to keep moving on. When lots of members rode to rallies, vans were often hired as back-up. Inevitably they filled up with non-riders which meant there would be loads of Geordies in Scarborough and further afield. On more than one occasion, bikers ambushed the scooterists, and then found a dozen lads leaping out of the back of the van to join in. These weekends were great, the sort of times you still remember 40 years later. But rallies away from traditional destinations often brought trouble. A riot in Keswick, gangs of chain-wielding bikers in Ayr, CBers in Dunbar, all took a shine off the trips. And the theft of a lot of club cash and accompanying allegations didn't help. A gun was fired at a club party (by an outsider), again, the sort of thing you remember 40 years later. People started moving on and forming other clubs, but the Sons continued to meet and travel, albeit with fewer members. One of the new clubs was the Tyneside Tigers. Relationships with the new clubs weren't always good, and both the Central Bar and St Dominic's Social Club, Byker, witnessed some ‘disagreements', and of course, people were no longer smart Mods, but Scooterboys – boots, jeans and flying jackets.
There was a man…
Paul McCourt was a member and photographer at that time; some of his stunning nostalgic images accompany this article. By 1983 the club was based in Gateshead. Steve Ware took over from Ken Parkin as the No. 1. The club continued to travel huge distances to attend rallies across the country including the Isle of Wight, Newquay (during the famous 1987 ‘storm of the century'), Porthcawl, Aberystwyth, Oban, Fort William and a 22-hour trip to Torquay. But numbers slowly shrunk over the years to about 10 or 12. Lack of cash, families and work commitments, among other things, all got in the way. However, Steve and a hardcore group continued to travel. They flew the flag abroad as well, riding to EuroVespa at Barcelona, 1986 and Krems in Austria, 1987. Pubs used by the club to meet at this time included The Nine Pins, The Gold Medal and the Barley Mow, all in Gateshead. And scooter nights at various clubs were still held, which remained popular. The club arranged a pre-Dunbar rally do, and entertainment at the Grand Hotel in Tynemouth for the 1991 national rally in Whitley Bay. At this time Steve was also representing the club and area on the NRC/NSRA. Throughout the Nineties and Noughties the Setting Sons SC was kept alive by a small number of dedicated members. The club at this time remained well known and respected, other scooterists being aware of the massive distances members had to travel to get to some of the rallies.
Full of grace and truth
But as people got older, spare cash started appearing in some pockets, families grew up and scooter riding became an option again. Rideouts were being organised by groups of mates and the scene quickly picked up again. Some of the original members reappeared, as did some stunning scooters. Nationally, scooter riding has become popular again, now without added aggro. Past and present members decided to formally get the club back together and arrange monthly meets. As well as members of the Sons, riders from other clubs – and independent scooterists – come along to the Tyne Bar (in Ouseburn, Newcastle) on the second Tuesday of the month. But pretty much every Tuesday sees scooterists meeting there before heading down to the Quayside to join the Black Knights SC. To see 20 Lambrettas parked in a
On more than one occasion, bikers ambushed the scooterists, and then found a dozen lads leaping out of the back of the van to join in.
row, plus sweet Vespas and modern autos gladdens the soul. But more than that, we now see a good number of youngsters and lasses riding to meets. The recently formed North East Scooterists Collective (northeastscooteristscollective.co.uk) is pulling people from all the different clubs together, and the post-Covid future's looking good for both the Setting Sons and scootering generally. As they say, Stay Safe and Keep the Faith.