The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Still rocking on
Punks. Mods. New Romantics. Musical eras that began a generation ago are still going strong, as we discover.
With his green mohawk, combat trousers and brutish Doc Martens, Lee Guthrie is every inch the punk. As frontman of Dundee band The Eddies, Lee has been into the scene since he was a young lad.
“I stopped listening to Abba and got into The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned when I was 11,” he recalls.
Originally from London, Lee, 51, moved to Perth when he was 13 and started hanging around with older punks.
“I had an English accent and kids at school were like, ‘who’s this weirdo?’” he says.
“I was always getting into fights – I got the belt a lot. Pals and I played hooky and drank bottles of sherry.”
Lee loved experimenting with punk clothing and sported homemade bondage trousers, ripped jeans and T-shirts, safety pins and badges.
Leaving Perth Grammar before his 16th birthday, he didn’t have plans for the future.
“I wanted out of an establishment, as is the punk rock way,” he grins.
He had a series of “non-committal” jobs before joining his first punk band – Baby Aspirin – aged 26.
Having been with The Eddies for two decades, Lee, a sound engineer, never tires of performing his energetic sets and wears a horror mask for one song.
But he doesn’t have any tattoos, saying: “I thought it was more punk not to”.
What of the lyrics? “There are serious songs and jokey songs about pals getting drunk as well as angry songs.”
So what is it about punk that keeps Lee, now a granddad-of-four, hooked after all these decades?
“Punk is a big family,” he explains. “It’s a very friendly scene. For older folk like me, it was about ‘xxxx the establishment, don’t conform, and two fingers up to the status quo’, whereas for younger people, it seems all a bit too nice and radio-friendly. In the 70s, it was about getting up and expressing yourself rather than great musicianship.”
When asked to define what punk means to him, Lee says it’s “indefinable”.
“You either get it or you don’t” he smirks. “If someone says they used to be a punk, they never got it. It’s about attitude. I’m punk ‘til I die.”
Lee’s punk pal Stuart Whitehall, aka Scooby, styles his bleached hair in spikes when he heads out.
The dad-of-three, who is 54 and from Cupar, is a massive fan of fast, aggressive music.
“If I don’t see a live band every fortnight, I get the DTs!” he says.
“I’m reasonably politically motivated so I was into the likes of The Clash.
“I’ve been chased a few times by police, just because I had blue hair and was a punk.”
Stuart, who works in quality control, also played records at Dundee’s Club Feet in the 80s. “And I still get up for a dance,” he says.
CRIMPED HAIR AND BOYS IN FRILLY SHIRTS
From new romantic to synth-pop, Perth singer Dawn Fuge has been mad about the 80s since she was a little girl.
“I turned nine in 1980 so my musical memories are tied with that time,” says Dawn, 45.
“Not long into the 80s I bought my first single – Dexy’s Midnight Runners’
You either get it or you don’t. If someone says they used to be a punk, they never got it. It’s about attitude
Come On Eileen.”
Growing up in New York, Dawn was 12 when she fell for Duran Duran.
“They were sexy, modern and English – just what American tweens went crazy for,” she beams.
“Then David Bowie stole my heart with his Let’s Dance album. That ignited a flame that has never extinguished.”
Mum-of-two Dawn, who owns a gift shop in Perth, enjoyed her first gig in 1984 – INXS at The Beacon on Broadway.
“I loved UK bands like Prefab Sprout, Kate Bush, The Smiths, and The Cure but also American bands like Talking Heads and REM.
“And Prince – I can’t think of anyone who better represents the 80s for panache and raw talent.”
Fashion played a huge role in the 80s, some of it rather unflattering.
Dawn ran the gamut, starting preppy, going hippie, then quasi-punk until deciding she “just wanted to look nice”.
“I tapered my jeans with a sewing machine so they were like drain-pipes and wore DMs, creepers and monkey boots.
“I crimped my hair and used an extraordinary amount of bleach and hairspray. Sadly, the style for over-sized clothing corresponded with my best figure!”
As a talented singer, Dawn found her calling when she joined 80s band Electric Dreams. On stage she dresses up in sequins, bright make-up and crimped hair.
So why the fixation with the 80s?
“Songs from the era stand the test of time and bands had glamour,” shes says.
“Boys in frilly shirts and full make up were somewhat novel. They were very of their time, marrying music with pioneering videos and fashion.”
LMEET THE MODS
ike many folk who were mods in their youth, Gary Kydd remains one to this day.
“It was always about the music and the clothes for me; I’ve never had a scooter,” says the 46-year-old from Dundee.
“It was all about rebellion; I’ve never been a conformist and we stood out from the crowd.”
Gary and his mod mates hung out at Dundee’s Baxter Park pavillion, City Square and cafes in the Overgate and their first mod night was at the YMCA.
“We drank carry outs behind the leisure centre because we were underage,” he recalls.
Gary, a support worker and dad-oftwo, picked up second hand mod gear from Dens Road market and Paddy’s market in Glasgow.
He also got suits and hipsters tailormade and used a school grant to buy a pair of Cuban heels.
“I got slagged rotten about them but to me they were cool,” he says.
“It was about being authentic. Me and my mate made our own shirts, sewing on arrows and stripes, pop art style.
“There were dress code rules mods followed; suits always had three buttons or more and shirts had to have button down collars.”
Travelling to mod nights across Scotland, Gary, an avid record collector, would bring boxes of vinyl and often managed to grab a DJ spot.
A few nights stand out for him – the Purple Hearts concert at the Marryatt Hall, and the Mary Slessor mod ball, an all-nighter.
Much fun was also had at The Fountain, Maxine’s and Coconut Grove nightclubs.
Meanwhile, Dundee pals Jenny Alexander and Allison Smith, both 47, have been mods since their early teens.
“We were the second wave of mods and loads of girls were into the scene,” says Jenny, events coordinator for 71 Brewing.
“It was a big family. At weekends, we travelled to places like Blackpool and Scarborough for mod balls, rallies and all-nighters.”
Allison, a primary school helper, recalls trips to jumble sales and filling bags full of “granny-style” clothes for 50p.
“We loved two-pieces and crimplene,” she laughs. “Musically, we were into Tamla Motown, Northern Soul, R&B, ska reggae and Jamaican stuff.
“We were too young for pubs so we hung about with tape decks, dancing to music while folk turned up on scooters.”
As we chat, mum Allison reveals she’s heading to an all-nighter in Liverpool at the weekend.“Once a mod, always a mod,” she smiles.