I've very proud to have worked with the band for many years but they are the best example of the power of mod culture and surely one of our greatest rock acts. The Who of course are the group that many identify with are recognised as the iconic mod group. Add into the mix a carefully selected mix of music, a penchant for drugs to keep them dancing all night and the desire to prove they were not defined by a dreary office job - and you have a template that can be repeated whatever the year. Working class young men who wanted to look super smart when they went out at the weekend and would save for months to buy the right clothes. Fred Perry clocked this route years ago and have their Heritage range, which leverages their mod history.
Brands have cottoned on to the fact that Mod sells - Clark's have their Originals range meaning the Desert Boot will adorn feet until the end of time. It's big business too from Liam Gallagher's Pretty Green to Bradley Wiggins clothing line for Fred Perry and Weller modelling for British heritage brand DAKS. Teddy Boys though haven't had anywhere near the enduring power of Mod - so it's clear who won the war.
Mods were of course the second outburst of visible teen rebellion since the Second World War, the first being the arrival of rock n roll and smashed cinemas - the birth of the teenager. One couldn't help but wonder at how far Mod had come from the early days of pitch battles with rockers on Brighton Beach and the lurid national headlines.
A fascinating collection of artefacts mainly from the early days of the bands career including full stage set up, front covers of music papers, badges, master recordings from the studio and of course a collection of the sharpest of clothes. That's now admirably illustrated by an exhibition of The Jam memorabilia at Somerset House. You can check out The Mods here, and see more of his photography work over on the style and way of life that refuses to go out of fashion - in many ways because it really is timeless. He is a graduate of Central Saint Martins and is now the Creative Director of a Design Agency. McCann is originally from London and has recently relocated to Hong Kong. I eventually self-published a limited run book called 'The Mods', which sold out super quickly, it was great seeing people appreciate my work." McCann explains: "As I started the project I got really drawn in and just couldn't resist meeting more and expanding it. The photographs were taken in London, Belfast, Edinburgh, Cornwall, Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.
The series illustrates the different personalities, groups and styles of the people who use the term to describe themselves – "ultimately they show a huge dedication to what might appear to be a really bizarre subculture." Obviously, I had seen the odd Mod around in Camden Market or Brighton but after building connections and a few photoshoots I discovered a huge community that still held these values from such a long time ago." "I was really interested in how such an of-the-time style might still exist now. Hong Kong-based photographer Barney McCann has travelled the length and breadth of Britain photographing people who define themselves as a 'Mod'. Although the movement is over 50 years old, the British subculture has not yet been resigned to the history books.