Museum of Youth Culture

09/10/2020

We’re incredibly grateful to have received a grant through the government’s #CultureRecoveryFund, which will enable us to continue collecting stories of growing up in Britain and work towards opening the Museum of Youth Culture, championing youth as an important part of our heritage! #HereForCulture

08/10/2020

Its that time of the month where we round up some of our favourite recent photo booth submissions 🔥🔥

We like to refer to them as the pre-digital selfie and personally its my mission to do an exhibition featuring exclusively photo booth photos!

These were sent in by Phil, Fran, Ian, Leslee and Adina.

Submit yours at: museumofyouthculture.com/submit.

07/10/2020

What do you remember most from being at school? 🤓

From first days to last days, awkward school photos and trips abroad, we've had plenty of school related submissions.

Submissions from Angie, Edward, Sarah, Sharon and Jayne.

01/10/2020

Do you remember the first gig you went to? 💘 So often when people send through their memories of being young, we hear stories of teen bands, backroom gigs and sweaty club nights.

Having been left out of the winter economic plan and unable to open, the live events industry is in a dire state, from grassroots live music to clubs and theatre! We need to shout out about how important these spaces are and urge the government to provide support. #WeMakeEvents

Photographs submitted by Steve, Jane, Martin and Andy.

30/09/2020

Were you a girl guide or boy scout when you were younger?

We love these photographs submitted by Julia from a guide camp she went to at Blackland Farm in 1963.

Collected as part of Grown Up In Clacton, with support from Arts Council England.

29/09/2020

Support your local youth club 👏 Alongside the amazing submissions we get from the public, we also work with youth and community organisations to digitise and preserve their story, and champion their important role!

Last year we scanned the archive of the Caxton Youth Organisation, from running a Mod club in the 60s, to their work today providing a safe space for young people with disabilities.

Photos scanned with the support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

28/09/2020

'We're the wannabe punks! It was summer holiday 1981, we were 15 years old and were filmed on cine camera miming to Pretty Vacant. None of us had any musical ability but named ourselves The Symptoms and finally The Brixton Rejex. Our make-believe band never went any further than the back garden…'

Although we shout out a lot about photographs, we're also slowly building up a collection of amazing home footage - like this brilliant clip from John, shot in High Wycombe in the '81!

Do you have footage, drop us a message at [email protected]

25/09/2020

Friday nights are for dancing 🔥🔥 Sian and Dean contributed an amazing set of photographs and ephemera from the 80s Midlands Northern Soul and Scooter scene!

Collected and digitised with the help of Calum O'Keefe.

24/09/2020

'This was taken one day in the mid 80's - '85 or '86, when we were about 15 and there was a series of teachers' strikes. We often had the day off when school was closed. We would usually spend the day at a friend's place eating toast, or in the park. This day, me and some mates went up to Central London to a teachers' demonstration to support the strike and just generally mess about. I'm not sure who took the photograph or how I got a copy of it later.'

Did you go to any protests or demonstrations when you were younger? Melissa sent in this story of the teacher's strikes in the mid 80s!

Share your photographs and stories at: museumofyouthculture.com/submit

23/09/2020

Today is #bivisibilityday 🏳️‍🌈

These are some brilliant zines by Bi History collected by El as part of Setting the Record Straight, a project working to tell untold histories in the archive, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

22/09/2020

Central to our Grown Up In Britain campaign is working with people across generations to celebrate youth culture. We regularly run sessions in care homes, using the archive, music and video as starting points for discussions around being young.

Just before lockdown kicked in, we met Rose in a care home in Thamesmead. She told us of her experiences growing up in Nigeria and moving to London in her early 20s to work as a nurse. We especially love this first photo of Rose in her bedroom listening to records on her Dansette - she reckons it would’ve probably been a Bob Marley record, her favourite musician growing up.

21/09/2020

Monday feeling 😴😴 Definitely feeling these sleepy submissions, sent in by Heidi, Rosalie and Rich!

Share your photographs and stories at museumofyouthculture.com/submit

18/09/2020

The Numanoids are coming ⚡️⚡️ We're loving these photographs from Anthony and Gary of the Gary Numan fans of the 80s, from going to gigs to Gary Numan Discos!

17/09/2020

‘My sis Viki and myself are massive soul fans, our favourite being Northern Soul which back in the 80s went back underground after the closure of Wigan Casino, a club that I myself had gone too on occasions. My sis started coming out with me to various all-nighters around the country and this is a picture of us at Rugby train station after the all-nighter at Stafford around 84.’

Did you go out with your sister?

We’re loving this story from Idell! We also heard from Catherine of coming to London with her sister to see bands and Nettie’s tales of the Punk scene she frequented with her sister Leda.

16/09/2020

"Taken in the living room of my student house in Sheffield whilst studying Fine Art. Krista on the left and me on the right. We worshipped Babes in Toyland, Hole and Bikini Kill."

We're loving these 90s Riot Grrrl vibes courtesy of Hannah!

We haven't had many 90s photographs and stories through; share yours at museumofyouthculture.com/submit

15/09/2020

Its definitely the end of the festival season now and we’re gutted about all the festivals we didn’t get to go to this year!

We’ve had some lovely festival submissions over the summer though, from big ones like Glastonbury and Monsters of Rock to small ones like Valley Aid!

Submissions by Rhian, Edward, Carolynne, Anna and Steven.

Share your festival stories at museumofyouthculture.com/submit

14/09/2020

Tearing it up in Brizzle 🔥 Photographs of the 80s Bristol Hip-Hop scene by Beezer.

Beezer's work documents the Hip-Hop and Soundsystem culture that emerged from the city in 1980s Britain, becoming so influential within later music scenes from Dub to Grime.

11/09/2020

Grown Up in Britain? Contribute to the Museum of Youth Culture

Have you heard of our Grown Up In Britain campaign? We’re trying to build up a picture of what it was like being young in the UK over the last 100 years, through people’s memories and photographs.

Want to find out more about the project and how to get involved? Check out our website below 👇

We're building the biggest collection of what it was like to Grow Up in Britain from first gigs to after-school hangouts. Share your story today.

10/09/2020

Held on 14 June 1970, the Anti-Jamming Rally protested the jamming of Radio Nordsee, one of the pirate radios moored off the coast of Clacton.

They were submitted by Mark as part of Grown Up In Clacton. Supported by Arts Council England.

09/09/2020

'I saw your post of the kid on his bike and it reminded me of this series of photos I found recently. The first set is from the Wheels Alive '85 event at our local stock car track in Cleethorpes, featuring the Yes BMX team. Inspired by what we saw my brother and I tried to replicate some of the stunts, and the result... the final photo of my brother with a black eye and stitches in his face.'

We love this story sent in by James a little while back *don't try at home* complete with a great series of photos!

08/09/2020

"Angela Forte and myself Tony Blyton on our way to go to the Batcave Club in London. Photobooth days before mobile phone selfies."

Time for our monthly 'we love photo booth photos' round up 💘 Brilliant submissions from Tony, Hannah, Gavin, Lisa, Tim and James.

07/09/2020

Launching Europe's first cannabis magazine HomeGrown in 1977, Lee Harris was at the centre of UK's counterculture scene. Last year we scanned his archive of over 300 posters, flyers, magazines and photographs, from Legalise Cannabis rallies to Hawkwind fanzines.

Browse his full collection here: https://bit.ly/2R4xq1u

04/09/2020

How's your first week back at school going? 🤓

We love this photo Michael sent in of his school leaving day in 1977; 'I'm the one with the short hair'

03/09/2020

When you and your mates all look the part 🔥

Love these photographs sent in by Gary of the Newcastle upon Tyne Mods on a trip down to London for the opening of Quadrophenia in 1979.

What was your favourite holiday with mates as a teenager?

02/09/2020

Growing up Queer 🏳️‍🌈 With support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, our outreach champion Eleanor has been collecting zines documenting experiences of growing up LGBTQ, from loving Bruce Springsteen to your first crush.

By Holly Casio, Seleena Daye, Eddie Pile and Ren Wednesday.

28/08/2020

‘My first carnival going on the road was just an amazing experience. Seeing all the beautiful costumes, the colours, the sparkles, hearing the music and to see things I worked on coming life was just exhilarating. I remember when we got back to Harlesden everyone would look out their windows or come out of their houses and shops to see us come back, cheering and dancing.’

We love these photographs from Laxmi Kanbi, a senior artist with Mahogany, sent in to Brent Museum and Archive as part of our call out.

Do you go to Carnival? Get in touch and share your photographs and memories.

27/08/2020

We're going for a ride tonight ⚡️⚡️ Super excited for our first scanning event since lockdown, at a screening of The Wild One in collab with Bolt x Rebel Reel Cine Club.

Here is a small selection of some of the amazing motorcycle submissions we've had so far!

Thanks to Mark, Florence, Stephen, David and Sarah!

26/08/2020

'My mate Alan and I travelled to the Isle Wight on my BSA B25. We had a tent and no ticket but joined thousands of young people who spent the Bank Holiday weekend on the hill watching the concert for free'

On this day 50 years ago, hundreds of thousands of people descended on the Isle of Wight for the (in)famous 1970 edition of the festival 💘 Brian shared this amazing story and his photographs of that weekend!

Did you go? Share your story with us at: museumofyouthculture.com/submit

25/08/2020

“Shortly after going there for the first time, turning up for a Rock and Roll Dance with Shaking Stevens and the Sunsets and finding the place so rammed out there was nowhere to park a bike and the only dancing space was on a chair! I had the left world of Secondary school a few months before and arrived in this fantastic alternative universe of Rockers and fast bikes.”

The 59 Club Archive was the first community collection we took on as part of our Grown Up In Britain campaign. We scanned over 500 photographs documenting the amazing journey of a club of teenage bikers led by a vicar!

We'll be showing this amazing collection at a screening of The Wild One, in collaboration with Bolt x Reel Rebel Cinema Club at the Broadlakes Roadhouse.

You can also bring along your photographs to be scanned for the Museum of Youth Culture!

Nab a ticket (discount code: MOYC) and see you there: https://bit.ly/2EqLW0D ✌️

24/08/2020

Is Carnival your favourite weekend of the year?

This week would've been Notting Hill Carnival 😢 We would love to hear your stories and see your photographs of going, whether you went last year or back in the 70s.

Submit your stories at: museumofyouthculture.com/submit

Photographs by Peter Anderson.

21/08/2020

From Pete dancing at the Blackpool Mecca to brownies in Fife and Brett's beautiful handpainted scooter - we've had some amazing submissions this week!

Photographs from Pete, Catherine, Brett and Richard.

Submit your stories at: museumofyouthculture.com/submit

19/08/2020

Who wants to be on stage in some sweaty backroom right now?! 💘 We love these submissions from people performing with their teen bands - thank you Donna, Andy, Paul and Russell!

17/08/2020

Over the course of the lockdown we’ve been working on Setting the Record Straight. Working with a network of outreach champions, we’ve been collecting stories that are missing from the archive.

Amal has been interviewing British South Asians about their experiences of growing up, from family life to school days.

She interviewed Saima about growing up in Birmingham, and bringing together her love of Bollywood with Western music.

We will be releasing the full interviews collected as part of the project later this year. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Do you have a story you want to share? Drop us a message!

14/08/2020

It's going to be a wet weekend, so why not dig out your old photographs and share some embarrassing teen stories!

Here are some of the amazing submissions we've had this week! Thank you to Bruce, Siobhan, James and Rhona for your submissions!

13/08/2020

Did you know our collection also contains flyers and ephemera?

Continuing the club vibes, loving these Asian Underground flyers from the 90s, submitted by DJ Ritu as part of Setting the Record Straight!