The Mod Attitude

London was the centre of the Mod subculture, which emerged in the late 1950s and hit its peak in the mid-60s. By this time teenagers were bored with what they deemed as the dull, uninspired British culture around them, repressed and riddled with class war. The Mod lifestyle revolved around clothes, clubs and music and scooters and there was a desire to get closer to the culture of the black Jamaican rude boy through listening to music such as African-American soul, Jamaican ska, British beat music and R&B.

Teenagers had greater disposable income than ever before and they relished their leisure time, going to nightclubs, listening to music and collecting records. They rejected the gruelling nine-to-five working week that their parents endured, demanding more fun and more freedom - and they had the means to get it.

The Mod was a product of a culture in constant change, kept alive by its initial underground nature. It was created by young people who customised their look and mixed up fashions, but by 1966 the look had been commercialised and many drifted away from the scene. In its place came the hippie and bohemian culture which grew out of the latest phase of psychedelic rock music.