A celebration of fashion, music and Mod subculture; 'The Devil' truly is in the detail in this claustrophobic look into a timeless British scene as real Mods from the 60s, 80s and the 21st century come together for a night out. Narrated by Paul Weller, produced and directed by Emma-Rosa Dias, written by Mark Baxter.
James Hogg reports on the mod revival currently taking place in London. He interviews Ian Page - the vocalist with the new mod group Secret Affair - and John Entwistle of mod's elder statesmen The Who. Is the mod rebirth just a flash-in-the-pan, motivated by money, or is there more to it than that?
The whole affair is regarded with some amusement in Yorkshire, where the mod scene never really went away, and where there are still several thriving scooter clubs. What do these veteran mods make of what is happening down in London?
Originally broadcast 13 September, 1979.
To mark the BBC's 100th birthday, our wonderful archivists have been asked to pick THEIR favourite BBC moments.
"Semi-mythical item (purely as very few people seem to have seen it, and has never to my knowledge ever been re-used in any archive programmes). Captures the late 1970s Mod revival at a pivotal point, and looks at the scene in northern England as well as London." - Andy
You have now entered the BBC Archive, an audiovisual time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.
"These earnest young Midlands entrepreneurs are the epitome of free enterprise in Margaret Thatcher's brave new Britain" - Tony Wilkinson.
Tony Wilkinson reports on the phenomenal rise of a small independent record label in Coventry, 2 Tone. The label is at the heart of the second wave of ska music, promoting groups like The Selecter and The Specials, bands who blend Jamaican rocksteady, ska and reggae with British punk.
Wilkinson chats to Jerry Dammers - keyboard player in The Specials and 2 Tone founder - about the origin of both the label and the music, and singer Neville Staple about his vocal style and anti-violence stance.
Clip taken from Nationwide, originally broadcast on BBC One, 22 May, 1980.
The story of how 2 Tone, a record label from Coventry, went on to have a global impact. The brainchild of Jerry Dammers saw dance music with a message dominate the charts from 1979. Terry Hall and The Specials, The Selector, Madness, The Beat, Bodysnatchers.
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 Tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude". Lyrically they present a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than most other ska groups.
The band wore mod-style "1960s period rude boy outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits and loafers)". In 1980, the song "Too Much Too Young", the lead track on their The Special AKA Live! EP, reached No. 1 in the UK. In 1981, the unemployment-themed single "Ghost Town" also hit No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
In the 1978 classic reggae film Rockers, Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace swaggers about the Kingston, Jamaica, ghetto he calls home, dapping up all of his sidekicks, and patting some down for money owed. Immediately it’s apparent that while the famed Burning Spear drummer is slight of frame and of simple means, he’s a man of considerable style...
Official music video for The Monday Club featuring Deano Mumford, Laura Cherry and various Block 33 fans who backed our crowdfunding campaign for our new album. Shot at The Marquis in Covent Garden, London. The Monday Club is the second single taken from The Promised Land which you can pre order via the link below!