With their tattoos, leather jackets, slicked-back hair and their beloved British motorbikes – BSAs, Triumphs, Nortons, and Royal Enfields – Rockers are the antithesis and the nemesis of the fastidiously groomed Mods. Elvis, James Dean and Marlon Brando made rocker style synonymous with rebellion sparking a global cult.
Friedrichs follows the British rocker tribe as its members congregate in parking lots, pubs, cafes, dance and pool halls, as well as huge gatherings at Jacks Hill and the Ace Café. Alternating between rich, vibrant colour and gritty black and white, these photographs capture a spirit of unapologetic defiance in clothing as well as attitude every bit as strong today as it was sixty years ago.
Trenchant and revealing commentary from Friedrichs’ subjects sheds light on the impulses, yearnings, and motivations of this enduring international rebel chic subculture.
