Boys
The lads who sparked the revolution in Manchester rapidly gained a superior attitude towards all that came before, even the Perries. They dropped the tennis player’s name from their Thing, which was Nameless. They were simply Boys. Numbers of kids begging, stealing and borrowing smart sports- and street-wear to parade in at the football exploded like an algal bloom in a well-fed pond. And from that rudimentary slime of Adidas Kick and Fred Perry rose a formidable array of designer labels and expertly cut threads. Lacoste, Munsingwear, Fila, Diadora, Ellesse, Sergio Tachini, the list was endless. Only the richer kids could afford to wear Fiorucci jeans but the cheaper Ritzy/Razzy, FU’s, Inega, Lois, Lee and Levis were top class anyway.
Manchester had its share of neighbourhoods with fearful reputations; places like Collyhurst and Openshaw, which seemed to possess a high percentage of football lads decked out in the proper gear. And then there was that Salford Mob, not a crew to mess with if you could avoid it.
The mobbing up into big crews was as much of an attraction as anything else. Chester Road, the main drag from Manchester city centre, saw giant teams of lads patrolling its length. Only the brave or the ignorant made that walk from the train stations unescorted and emerged unscathed.
“Boys” was like a secret word. Back then, people either wore the fashions or they didn’t. At all. It was a stark contrast, the hundreds clustered on the forecourt or the station participating in this covert but glaring movement. Did the police know about it yet? That was a good question, because for the most part they seemed a bit uncertain what they were up against. From 1979 to 1982 the rivalry was unique between Liverpool and Manchester; no other city even knew this thing had come to pass.
The shops in Manchester, like Jean-Jeanie, Tyldsley & Allbrook, Hurleys, Austin Reed, Gansgear, Jean Machine and many more began stocking only these styles as the craze had taken off so hugely it was bad business not to. Even places now scorned, like Stolen From Ivor and Top Man sold great shirts, jeans and training shoes. Anyone who says otherwise simply wasn’t there. End of.