Rockabilly Europe (long post!)
This post has shifted to France and has been in my drafts forever without being posted so i may as well let go of it even if incomplete.
Recently I very actively noticed that most nu-rockabilly (and other related genres) bands I listen to are european, primarily from Northern europe - Germany, scandinavia, the swiss region. I remembered a photo collection I saw of rockabilly gangs in France, and it got me thinking...
That's a lie. I noticed that a long time ago and the notes I made as to how rock n' roll made it to that area of the world and became so popular have been languishing in my docs for months now. Though my interest was reignited and writing this post was kicked off by reading the surnames of Batmobile members.
Also note that this is extremely hobbyist and I'm not an academic so I definitely haven't dug extremely deep.
France was the first to really grab my interest - there's extensive photography available just anywhere online of its 1980s rockabilly culture.
probably the most french face i've ever seen
In the 50s, most countries where rock n' roll was gaining popularity were steadily on the path back to economic prosperity - the USA, Italy, West Germany, and France. Out of all the countries I'm covering in this post, France was the closest aligned with the USA politically, sharing a common goal of "democracy, human rights, and capitalism," so American media and culture wasn't quite as frowned upon there as in Germany - though it definitely sparked panic among older generations for the same collection of reasons as it did in its homeland. Despite that, once American influences began to seep across the border, there was no way to stop them and the only choice france seemed to have is embracing them, as much as it tried to push them out to focus on its own culture. Eventually, American products were divorced from their political meaning to avoid tensions rising between France and the US.
However, France was also experiencing some cultural changes in this time, with rising unemployment rates and agression towards immigrants, and a subculture appeared, identifying as the Skinheads, influenced by the British subculture of the same name. Paradoxically, to begin with, the Skinheads weren't overtly racist or right leaning, and were a local off-shoot of punk, basing their identity primarily around music like Ska. This peaceful era didn't last forever, though.
It was in the early 80s when the skinheads began to heavily lean right. Just like in Britain, skinheads were a product of the working class; people who were already beaten down and vulnerable to strong political influences that were steadily spreading around Europe at that time. A strong hatred towards all "others" - whether for being spoiled, not working hard enough, or simply not being them - fear of whomever may bright them even further down spiralled into agressive and violent hatred.
This is where we get back to rockabilly, because this escalation of hatred gave push to what the purpose of rockabilly gangs was in france at that time - anti-nazi activism, borrowing their image and names from british anti-nazi bands, often uniting with punk groups for protection. This gave rise to punk gangs which were prominent at the time - Redskins, Red Warriors(no doubt in reference to socialist ideals even if "redskins" invites a very different association), and more. These punk bands eventually merged with local rocker groups, often for protection and direct violent action, giving rise to the more recognisable rockabilly image with the suspenders and the tall hair and the leather jackets, and, of course, the music.
Ducky Boys was a prominent gang, often infiltrating nazi gatherings to "kick ass, throw flyers and leave victorious", wearing an american flag on their clothing to reclaim 50s rock n' roll culture. They were affiliated with the Black Panthers and other similar groups, but the Black Panthers are notable for being one of the original gangs to incite this anti-nazi movement in the 70s and being an entirely black and arab group, who held a deep fascination and respect for the black parents of american rock n' roll. These groups actively resisted against racist groups at whose hands they have often personally suffered.
not 100% if it's them in this image, the wording of the article is confusing to me
do watch the whole documentary if you wanna learn more about the conflict, this is where most of my information is from. this post is mostly said documentary in fewer minutes plus a little extra info so i really really really implore you do go watch.
hopefully i'll get to Germany someday too but i need to take long breaks between reading about my interests to preserve sanity so don't hold your breath haha