Edward Fyfe

Tim Polecat, singer of the legendary band The Polecats, recalls the input of the major labels:

“I was always into the standard Cochran, Vincent, Holly type stuff from childhood, but in the 70s, I started to discover bands like Crazy Cavan. Around that time, big record labels such as MCA, Mercury, RCA, Imperial, etc., released hidden gems from their back catalogues.”

Most of the women in the clubs drank from straws. Whether this was a matter of style or an attempt to get drunk quicker, I don’t know, but the erotic sight of glasses and straws smudged in bright red lipstick is forged into the memory of every male London Rockabilly.

Things were not always friendly, and there were inevitable fights and violent incidents that occur when lots of young men get together and drink a lot. Non-rockabillies were certainly not welcome in The Phoenix, and any that turned up were guaranteed a fight.

This was the downside of the strong sense of community I mentioned earlier. Outsiders were inevitably seen as intruders who had no right to be in our clubs.

I was pretty street-wise, having attended rock and roll clubs since I was 14. I had seen violence on a weekly basis between Teddyboys and realized that violence was best avoided, as some of these guys were ‘heavyweights.’

This was highlighted one night at The Phoenix when I witnessed two club regulars—a well-known model and his girlfriend—running away from another club regular (a DJ). The two of them managed to get into their car. What happened next will remain one of the most shocking things I have ever witnessed. A group of club-goers shook that car from side to side until they managed to turn it upside down. They then kicked the windows in and dragged the man out. The police and an ambulance showed up, and I last saw the victim inside the ambulance with a lot of bandaging on his head. He was awake. I was relieved to see him alive, even though I didn’t really know him.

No two things seem more inextricably linked than rockabilly and violence. But how much truth is in this?

Roy Williams, Wild Wax Show, Nervous Records Owner:
“There’s always violence. Our scene was no better or worse than any other. That’s what I think, anyway.”

I have to agree with Roy. All scenes have some violence.

However, there’s no doubt that the frequent violence eventually started to ruin the scene for many people.

Guy Bolton, club regular/guitarist, told me:
“When I think of the '80s rockin’ scene, I remember constant aggro: rock ‘n’ roll was dangerous! I remember a car getting turned over outside the Phoenix. I remember blokes punching girls, I remember getting in the middle of punch-ups twice a week. Some weeks it was often gang war.”

Club regular Lilly:
“One thing I don’t miss about those times was the fights every week, with bottles and chairs being thrown all over the place.”

As I walked away, I was stopped by two police officers who asked if I saw a ‘fight.’ I replied, ‘No,’ and they said, ‘You must all be blind.’

Anyway, this was still 1985, and we were young. The violence just washed over us.