Being young in Bradford
The youth culture of the 70s and 80s in Bradford is being celebrated in a new exhibition, which draws on the experiences of several individuals who grew up in the era. The material on display has been collated by a diverse group of workingclass individuals who deliver their stories through authentic exhibits and their own personal musical soundtracks.
The idea for the exhibition was developed when Steven
Ashley (aka ‘Ash') who was one of the founding members and former No 1 of the Night Owls SC, Bradford bumped into an old punk enemy, but now good pal, Jonah. “We got chatting about the old days and thought it would be great if we could develop an exhibition about the subcultures in Bradford.” Ash and Jonah developed a ‘pop-up' exhibition of their own in Bradford city centre. “It attracted a lot of interest from the public and local media. Also having heard about the exhibition, Bradford Museums became interested and talks about developing it opened up.”
On display are a wide range of interesting genuine artefacts from all the subcultures represented and Ash represents the Mod/Scooterboy side of things. “I was brought up on the Ravenscliffe council estate in Eccleshill and got into scooters in 1977. At that time scooters were mainly used as a cheap mode of transport and became popular when Quadrophenia came out. After that, as well as going to rallies we also used to use them to go to Northern Soul venues such as Wigan Casino and The Twisted Wheel, which is how the name of the club came about.”
The Night Owls SC was formed in 1978 and ran from 1979 to 1984. “At its height we had about 130 members. There was a lot of rivalry with local bike gangs, punks and even other scooter clubs, which meant we had to fight our way into the scene. You also had to be your own scooter mechanic, but like most of us know, that's how it was in the day,” Ash smiled.
The items on display in the Mod/Scooterboy section of the exhibition include Ash's original parka and helmet and his Night Owl themed custom Vespa.
Along with these exhibits are a variety of other interesting pieces of scooter memorabilia and original photos from the era.
The exhibition is being held in Gallery 5 in the Cartwright Museum, Lister Park, Bradford. It officially opened on Wednesday, May 26 and on the following Saturday it was visited by a good number of scooter riders who were eager to see what it was all about.
The event will run until August 30, 2021 and plans are currently being considered to increase the size of the exhibition. Ash would like anyone who might be interested in lending any artefacts, pictures or memorabilia to contact him at the Night Owls Scooter Club official site Facebook page.
Words and photos: Stu Smith More information about the event can be found at: www. bradfordmuseums.org/whats-on