Manchester, England | Late-70s
Late-70s Mancunians knew full-well what "Perry Boys" were; they were Soul Boys who were fond of their auburn-rinsed hair, David Bowie and lambswool jumpers. What they didn't know was that Perry Boys abroad were busy fleecing Europe of its luxurious designer novelties; near-figments of the English imagination, but all too real on the sunny streets of Nice and Munich. The post-Punk palette was devoid of colour and style. Perry Boys were about to change all that forever.
For a year or two the world of fashion had been stalled, lost in the aimless horse latitudes of New Wave nothingness. The Disco-riddled music charts were a pale shadow of their former Soul-full self. Bowie and Bryan Ferry were the dual lighthouses that served to guide kids' blinkered coolness into a new harbour. Then, they slowly emerged, from Northern Soul and football roots, to coalesce in a new look that seemed so right; Clarke's Polyveldt, Hush Puppies and Adidas Kick were the featureless tadpoles from which numerous forms sprang. Peter Werth polos, burgundy chunky sweaters and Fred Perries were the shirts. Levis and Lois were the jean. The hairstyle was the wedge. Meanwhile up the road in Liverpool, the local Scallies had developed the same theme but were slightly ahead, both in numbers and attitude. In fact, Scousers were the very first to take that style onto the terraces en masse. When the two tribes met the reaction was hatred and denial. The rest is history.
Perries
The Perry Boys wore many Mod styles, but it was the Fred Perry logo that eventually provided a brand with which to label them. People feared Perries, but they were a rare sight in the mid-70s, favouring night-life over day, Soul over Glam-Rock and music over football. Despite the obscurity, they were feared as nasty lads, very insular and ready to strike at anyone who looked at them, full stop. They were the Perry Boys. They knew who they were, even if you didn't. They proved to be a prototype for much that evolved after and their offspring, the Boys, declared undying war on the Merseyside Scallies.
Perry Boys (more) »
Scallies '78-'80
The Liverpool Scallies were characteristically cut from different cloth than most Englishmen; cocky, separatist and crazy about music and football, they refused to label their post-Punk version of the late-70s style vacuum. Eric's nightclub was the hidden vault where Scouse bands made a unique sound, much like the accent itself. And all the while the collars and trousers were becoming narrower and the Adidas trainers were pushing out the Soul sandals and Hush Puppies. When the Scally went to Europe with LFC he took the sportswear revolution into overdrive, and 80s-style fun 'n' games began.
Liverpool Scallies (more) »
Boys
By the time the Perries were extinct and the Scallies had exploded in number, a whole new dimension to youth culture had sprouted in northwest England. Perry Boys had been swallowed up in the late-70s whirlpool, to surface suddenly on the terraces of Old Trafford and Maine Road in continental sportswear. They enjoyed more visibility than their Northern Soul prototypes and they amassed in city centre train stations and stadium forecourts every week. It was a Nameless Thing, but most of these multicoloured specimens referred to themselves and others like them as "Boys". There was no turning back now.
Manchester Boys (more) »