No Jeans! No Greens! No Casuals! Roger Allen

A labour of love by Roger Allen, Lambretta owner/rider, former band manager (Speedball) and Wasps SC London member, that’s been (at least) two years in the making, painstakingly and meticulously researched, with recollections drawn from first-hand experience, from 60 of those who were there at the time. No Jeans! No Greens! No Casuals! is the story, as well as a potted history, of London area scooter clubs, venues and early (national) rallies from the perspective of those London area clubs during the period between ’79-’85. The late, great Tony Class has a chapter dedicated to him – rightly so too, as he was not only a respected DJ, scooterist and promoter in the London area, he was something of an innovator with the early rallies, as well as early days, What’s Happening For Mods informational mail-out, which morphed into The Phoenix List. This book is dedicated to the memory of Tony Class. Certainly, those of us based in the south, the Home Counties and the south-east of England will empathise with, if not have personally experienced, some of the many incidents covered within. That period from the ’79 revival to the advent of the Scooterboys was, at times, a bit dangerous in retrospect, albeit back then most of us were in our late teens or early twenties and at the time we knew no fear, coupled with we hadn’t developed the common sense that comes over time, and through the experience e of life. Main youth subculture rivals of Mods and scooterists at the time, such as Teds, Rockabillies, Punks, Skinheads and Casuals are flagged up in the book. Granted, Roger’s engaging book is London-centric; it is the story of London scooter clubs during the Mod revival to the rise of the Scooterboys after all. However, national rallies and seaside gatherings, including LCGB Southend rally ’79, Brighton ’80 and ’81, Bournemouth ’81, Clacton ’81 and ’82, Great Yarmouth ’82, Hastings ’80, Isle of Wight ’81-86, Lowestoft ’81 and ’82, Malvern ’81, Margate ’80-’82, Scarborough ’81 and Weymouth

’83 are covered, along with Phoenix Rallies, inaugural Number Ones’ meetings, the beginnings of National Runs Committee (NRC) and VFM promotions, all from a London area scooter clubs perspective. There’s an A-Z of London clubs from those six years along with a directory of sorts, punctuated with anecdotes, of clubs and venues frequented by London scooter clubs as well as some from outside the capital. More than 330 pages, overflowing with information, stories and anecdotes are accentuated by reproductions of club patches, event adverts, photographs, newspaper cuttings and the like. A captivating read, this book is sure to completely sell out, so get one while you can. Sarge

Available £12.99 (plus p&p) via eBay