Garry Stuart | Swindon's Rockabilly/Psychobilly Scene, 1982.
Photographer Garry Stuart captured images of the Rockabilly revival and Psychobilly scenes in Swindon during the early 1980s.
Garry “My Rockabilly photographs came about when I took my camera to a gig at a run-down Swindon pub called The Greyhound. The band playing that night was The Polecats, who had just had a record hit the charts, and there were many rockabilly fans crammed into a dilapidated backroom. Every Saturday morning and afternoon, the Swindon Rockabilly kids hung out at a 50s-style Milk Bar called The Tartan Cafe. I photographed them in and around the cafe and took prints to show and sell to them.”
“One gig I photographed is now legendary amongst rockabilly fans. It was billed as Ivan’s Birthday Party at a Swindon Sports Club. The headline band was the infamous Meteors, who invented the extreme brand known as Psychobilly. They had a hardcore of avid fans known as ‘The Wrecking Crew’, whose specialty was to form a violent moshing and hammer the hell out of each other.” – Garry Stuart.
Gallery first published 28th June, 2022. © Garry Stuart / British Culture Archive. All rights reserved.
READ THE FULL FEATURE ON GARRY’S SWINDON SERIES HERE
All images © Garry Stuart, all rights reserved. No usage or reproduction of any kind without prior permission of the copyright holder.
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