In order to understand the pattern that radical concepts move through, it is crucial to realise and appreciate the significance that subcultures have in that process.
Subculture is defined as ‘the behaviours, beliefs, or practices of a particular group of people within a society that differ from those of the majority or dominant culture.’ (Oxford Dictionary). Based on shared interests, lifestyles, principles, or characteristics, subcultures provide a sense of belonging to their members, surrounding them with like-minded people.
Throughout the evolution of our society, subcultures have always existed. Focusing specifically on art and media, the realm of a subculture will always inhabit others who are inspired, influenced and interested in the work circulating, therefore forming a community. These communities are the foundations of a subculture, allowing messages and concepts to flow under the mainstream current of beliefs. They allow for freedom of expression, in a distinctly important way.
The value of a subculture lies within the people, not the profit.
As previously mentioned, Dick Hebdige’s book: ‘Subculture; The Meaning of Style’ has been a rich source used for understanding the relationship between subcultures and mainstream cultures. Not only has it widened my knowledge on the significance of subcultures but it has expanded my perception on art, media and styles as a commodity. Hebdige analyses the movements of counterculture throughout contemporary history, recognising the pattern of commodifying a once ‘extremist, radical’ concept.
Though generally more critical of the “loss of soul” that occurs when a subculture is tamed through entering the corporate world, Hebdige does acknowledge that the act of recuperation allows radical ideas to reach a wider audience, although no longer deeming it as a radical idea. It shifts the “cultural needle” even if the original subculture and their intent is sacrificed in the process. This shift is often crucial for the evolution of our understanding on people and lifestyle. To a certain extent, this whole process seems inevitable, therefore it feels important to at least recognise a positive effect that recuperation can have. (Although I am not in support of it).
Subcultures rely on a purposeful search, they aren’t fed to you, you have to actively seek to find your specific community within the undercurrent.
There are prominent examples of a subculture piercing through into mainstream, for both positive and negative reasons, the exposure of a different way of thought is often the catalyst for societal change.
‘Teddy boy’
Teddy boys and girls, or simply ‘Teds’, marked the arrival of the most distinctive post-war youth style of 1950s Britain. Emerging through working class teenagers who defied austerity with fashion and music. They wore long drape jackets and drainpipe trousers, often interpreted as a reversion to Edwardian fashion, hence the name Ted – The term ‘Teddy boy’ was originally coined by the popular press in 1953, and derived from the word ‘Ted’ being commonly used as a shortened alternative for the name ‘Edward’.
Inspired by a more American life, Chicago Gangster and zootsuit styles were a huge influence on the fashion and conducts of a Teddy boy. In Britain, these specific styles became associated with the ‘spivs’, the cockney boys who dealt in the black market of the 1940s, often deviant and violent- much like the Teds (through the eyes of the media).
More than just a style, Teds had symbolic significance. They represented a radical break from the post-war frugality and class rigidities, rejecting the societal expectations that Britain conformed to. By reinstating the Edwardian styles, which were originally marketed towards young upper class men through high end Savile Row tailors, these working class youth asserted a new sense of pride and social visibility.
Teddy boys also became a symbolic focus for the social anxieties that the changes of post-war Britain provoked. Through the eyes of many, they were seen as both the perpetrators of a new wave of violent crime, and, as a benchmark of the nation’s wider, traditional cultural dissipating.
Punk
British punk emerged in 1976, driven by bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash, Punk spread throughout the suburbs, provinces and cities of the UK. Characterised by clothes designed by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, with their Kings Road shop ‘SEX’, they forged an aesthetic of rips, fractures and tensions, capturing the mood of the time. Punk informed everything from music through to design, fashion, artwork, writing and performance. It served as the voice of expression for the youth generation that felt increasingly alienated by the stagnant social and economic life of the late 1970s.
“To act took precedence over receiving/consuming.”
Punk was seen to reload and rejuvenate youth culture as a place of freedom, provocative fun, protest and imagination.
However, almost immediately, punk proved a contested cultural space, a site of resistance that was simultaneously under siege by the forces of the media. After Sex Pistols’ ‘foul-mouthed’ appearance on teatime television in December 1976, moral panic ensured punk moved overground into the wider public consciousness.
As time went on Punk did survive, often trying to leave the presence of the ‘establishment’, however struggling to. Through the exposure, Punk lost its once revolutionary, extremist value through commodification. The artefacts of punk, the safety pins, the distorted chords, the DIY aspects were quickly identified by the “infrastructure of commercial institutions” as valuable trends.
Rave Culture
British rave culture emerged in the late 1980s, exploding with the in 1988-1989, “Second Summer of Love”, with the rise of Acid House sparking the phenomenon. Initially occurring in the warehouse parties of London, rave culture grew fast and soon spread to locations all over the country, occurring in large abandoned industrial areas or in open countryside landscapes. London warehouse parties, along with pirate radio and the introduction of ecstasy established the scene of rave culture.
The synergy of house music and ecstasy catalysed a dance movement that broke the pretentiousness of the existing UK club scene. The relationship between the music and the effects of MDMA made for a loving intensity of liberty within the dance and party world. It was a DIY movement that thrived on building, not buying (much like most subcultures).
The UK scene was initially dependent on tracks from Chicago, Detroit and New York, but soon began to develop its own rich forms of house and techno. Rave culture brought about a significant, and often controversial, shift in UK youth culture, creating a new youth movement that left a lasting impression on British society. It allowed for a space of communication that was open and fuelled by passion, inspiration, connection and dance. An impression that is still very relevant today, having changed our approach to dance music.