music, shoreditch

Rockabilly indeed.

We’ve observed with interest a growing number of lanky chaps wearing red and black lumber jacket shirts and slicked-back hair on a Saturday night around Kingsland Road/Hackney Road junction. For a while we just thought it was the same guy who was always out, but then we saw more than one of them at once. They looked at each other, took a double take and then both dived down Hackney Road.

Then one of our friends (who incidentally is really quite pretty) turned up to meet us rocking a pretty incredible look complete with high-waist skirt and curls in her hair. Something was clearly awry. She informed us that she couldn’t stick around because she was off to the Old Axe on Hackney Road for a night called Rockabilly Rebels. We’re always up for a new night so we fumbled to put on our jackets, however she stopped us mid-act; “thing is, you kind of won’t fit in, it’s better if you’re kinda dressed up”.

So there we have it, we got blown out and thought nothing more of it. Until..it happened again. Hackney Road junction, more lumberjack shirts, only this time uglier. Always ugly. So much so we were confused whether this scene was called Rockabilly or Uglybilly. We read this weekend that apparently Rockit on Brick Lane (bulemia-inducing scenester, vintage rip-off merchants) have found around 150 ugly chaps to buy said red and black lumberjackets.

If you’re a little confused, this should give you a little glimmer of what rockabilly is kind of about, although it is is a very fragmented genre…

My advice is, give it a bash – it’s open til 6am and what’s the worst that can happen? (Actually best if you don’t run through the answers to that question too deeply!).

3 Comments

• On 03.24.09 Bette wrote these pithy words:

  it a bummer that you weren’t willing to give us a try. We’re a good subculture. =]]] And I feel great, like this.

• On 03.24.09 Bette wrote these pithy words:

  And for the record, I know the man in that picture and he’s a real class act.

• On 03.25.09 chairmanmeow wrote these pithy words:

  Thanks Bette, you do make it sound like a good vibe. Your friend does look quite money in retrospect, the image was just pulled to assist the story – nowt personal. Whilst we’re on the topic we’re you just friends with our quiffed hero or did you get down to the shake, rattle & roll?

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