• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Design Hunting
  • New York Weddings
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Motherhood
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Science of Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Ask Polly
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
london youth
April 23, 2014

Mohawks and Face Piercings: Revisit London’s Post-Punk Club Scene

By Erica Schwiegershausen

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani

In the early ‘70s, Derek Ridgers — the British photographer best known for his ethnographic photography of music, club, and street culture — began documenting the nocturnal club scene in London. His latest book, 78–87 London Youth, out this month, looks back at his photography of British youth from 1978 to 1987, tracing the style evolution of London’s hedonistic club scene from the height of punk to the dawn of goth, skinhead revival, and the birth of acid house.

“The Bowie fans morphed into the Punks, who once really bored by the second wave of Punk and Oi (Skinhead Pub Rock), morphed further into androgyny and the sheer perversity of what the media dubbed New Romantic, where the only common denominator was visual violence and stylistic terrorism,” the video artist John Maybury reflects in the book’s introduction. “Beautiful kids (youth is always beautiful) were doing everything in their power to disguise their good looks and to subvert the conventions of fashion and style, and even of beauty itself.”

Click through the slideshow for a look back at Ridgers’s striking, confrontational portraits of the radical self-representation in the early ‘80s, from mullets to mohawks, shaved heads to dreadlocks — and even a cameo from Hamish Bowles.

Related

Fug Girls: The 10 Punk Winners From the 2013 Met Gala
View
1 / 15 Photos
Leslie at Blitz, 1980.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Leicester Square, 1980.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Magenta at Fulham, 1981.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Ladbroke Grove, 1981.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Leicester Square, 1982.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Boy George at Le Beat Route, 1981.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Phillip at Le Beat Route, 1982.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Joshua, Camden Place, 1982  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Gita, Kings Road, 1983  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Jessica, Wag Club, 1983  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Robert, Kings Road, 1983  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Flanagan in Chelsea, 1983.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Sacrosanct, 1986.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Hamish Bowles at Café De Paris, 1986.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
Babs in Soho, 1987.  Photo: Derek Ridgers/Damiani
1 / 15

Tags:

  • derek ridgers
  • london youth
  • punk
  • goth
  • acid house
  • skinheads
  • slideshow
  • photos
  • ethnography
  • More

More Galleries

campaign trail Jan. 28, 2021
 The Best Fashion Campaigns From Spring 2021  This season’s best from Prada, Versace, Miu Miu, and more. 
By Florence O'Connor
in memoriam Dec. 30, 2020
30 Incredible Fashion Moments From Pierre Cardin  Remembering a creative visionary. 
By Andrew Nguyen
rest in power Dec. 23, 2020
A Photo Memorial for an Iconic Model  She passed away suddenly at the age of 50 this week. 
campaign trail Nov. 18, 2020
‘Tis the Season for New Fashion Ads  See the best ones from Gucci, Prada, Versace, and more. 
By Emily Burns
nyfw spring 2021 Oct. 26, 2020
How a Great Collection Comes Alive  Christopher John Rogers launched its first-ever online shop, along with a new campaign. 
By Andrew Nguyen
campaign trail Sept. 24, 2020
See the Fashion Campaigns for Fall 2020  From Prada, Michael Kors, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
nyfw spring 2021 Sept. 22, 2020
See the Coach Spring 2021 Collection  Worn by Megan Thee Stallion, Kate Moss, Cole Sprouse, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
fashion Sept. 16, 2020
The Stunning Awkwardness of Face Masks on the Red Carpet  Celebrities tried to make the best of a strange situation at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. 
one word one shot Sept. 15, 2020
72 Designers on Their Spring/Summer Inspirations  Just in time for Fashion Week. 
By the Cut
red carpet Sept. 8, 2020
This Red Carpet Was Totally Surreal  But also amazing. See all the looks at the Venice Film Festival. 
By Emilia Petrarca and Andrew Nguyen
in memoriam Aug. 31, 2020
Remembering Chadwick Boseman on the Red Carpet  His style was bold, risk-taking, and always impeccable. 
the wedding files Aug. 21, 2020
The Design-Minded Couple Who Didn’t Want to Try Too Hard  The bride got a wonderful surprise the morning of her wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 14, 2020
A Costa Rica Wedding During the Rainy Season  Thunder roared during the toasts. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 7, 2020
A San Francisco Wedding at a Big, Empty Pier  The bride changed into crushed-velvet pants for the disco-infused reception. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 31, 2020
An Elopement Among the Lupines in Iceland  The late afternoon was spent snapping photos near waterfalls and black beaches. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 24, 2020
A Pennsylvania Potluck for 280 People  “I looked at her for the first time and had this feeling like, You. I know you.” 
By Kaitlin Menza
milan fashion week July 22, 2020
Behind the Scenes at Gucci’s Virtual Show  Instead of models, members of the design team sported the eccentric collection. 
By Andrew Nguyen
the wedding files July 17, 2020
A Dance Party Under Puerto Rican Palm Trees  Bad Bunny blasted and pitorro flowed. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 10, 2020
A Zoom Wedding Only Two Digital Creatives Could Produce  The couple coordinated multiple video segments, breakout rooms, and a dance party. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 3, 2020
The Anti-Spectacle Wedding That Turned Into a Spectacle  Brooklyn Bridge Park was the site of their first date, proposal, and wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Trademark
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2021 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.