Happy days? London rockabilly and post-punk nostalgia, 1978–84

Current subcultural research into 1978–84 focuses on a London dominated by punk, post-punk, new romantics and synth-pop. In the same period, however, an explosion of revivalist subcultures took place which drew stylistic, musical and cultural inspiration from nostalgic images of the past – including rockabilly, a working-class subculture centred in North London. This article examines rockabilly as an example of this nostalgic turn in youth subcultures, exploring how and why a group of British teenagers in the late 1970s and early 1980s became nostalgically enamoured of a mythical ‘fifties’ of jukeboxes, roadside diners and rock ’n’ roll. Utilizing cultural theorist Svetlana Boym’s definition, the article examines how nostalgia is grounded in the development of a linear view of progressive time, gaining prominence in periods, such as the late 1970s and early 1980s, when that progress seems to halt or slow. By utilizing interviews conducted by the author, as well as close readings of fanzines, ephemera and the music press, the influences on this subculture are uncovered, as well as an understanding of how these influences were mirrored across other youth subcultures and culture more widely at the time. By examining rockabilly, a greater understanding of the growth of nostalgia, a force which continues to shape British society, is reached.