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mentandtheEasterprotestmarchtothegovernmentnuclearfacilityatAlder-
maston.Completedoverthreedaysbysixorsevenhundredpeople,andpower-
fullydocumentedinLindsayAnderson’sdocumentary,themarchtoAldermas-
tonwasforitsparticipantsamatterofmoralcompulsion,butitalsodrew
togetheravisibleallianceofthediscontented:womenlikePeggyDuff,aleading
CNDorganizer,oldleftveteransofthe1920sand1930s,musiciansandchurch
youthgroups.
Moreover,theanti-nucleardebatehadamuchwiderculturalresonance.It
expressedthesearchforasecurefuture,thehopeforpeace,therejectionof
naggingfearsanddestructivehatredsthatseemedsotypicalofpoliticalestab-
lishments.Lookingbackwithtenyears’hindsight,JeffNuttall(1968:45)argues
inBombCulturethattheprotestersandtheirsupportershad“developedintheir
ownmindsanantidotetothesicknessattendantonlivingwiththebomb”.This
antidotefoundvariousexpressiveforms.Forsomeittransmutedintobohemian-
ism:thecreedofleftbankexistentialismandthebeats,ofauthenticjazz,folk
andblues;forothersitwasexpressedasterritorialism:theflamboyantclothes
andtaboo-smashingdelinquencyoftheTeddyBoy.
Largerthanboththesegroupsthough,wasthemiddlebandofrespectable
working-andlowermiddleclassyouth:moderatelyengaged,vaguelydiscon-
tentedobserversandsometimeparticipantsintheemergingconsumeristartsand
entertainmentscene.Theearlier“artsforthepeople”patriciansensibilitythat
hadinformedthe1951FestivalofBritainwastothemarelic.Initsplacecame
athirsty,broad-mindedsensibilityclusteredgenerallyaroundthenewpopular
musical,butparticularlynoticeableinartschoolslikeStMartin’sinLondon,or
theCollegeofArtinLiverpool.Itwashere,asonecommentatorhasobserved,
thatpopularandfineartsbegantomergeintheformoftheartyTeddyBoy
(Evans1987:16):
Fromthesocialmeltingpotofthegrammarschoolscameamixedbagof
culturalreferences:kidsfromterracedbackstreetsmoreinterestedinpulp
comicsthanPicasso;suburbanromanticshungupinthenewAmericanbeat
writers;andeverywheretheall-pervasiveinfluenceofrock‘n’rollandthe
Englishskifflecrazethatwentwithit.
Itwas,ofcourse,inthisenvironmentthatthreeparticularLiverpudlianteenagers
begantoadvancetheirmusicalskillsin1957.Thequalitiesofthecityarewell
caughtinNicCohn’sdescriptionofLiverpoolinthelate1950s(McKinney2003:
12).“OutsideofGlasgow,it’stherawest,mostpassionateplaceinBritain.Ithasa
certainblackstyleofitsown,aprivatestrengthofhumourandawareness,real
violence,anditisalsogrim,verymuchso….”ItwasinthisLiverpoolthatseedy
bohemianismandWestIndiandrinkingclubsmadeforadistinctlynorthern
Englishbeatnikcommunity,thatpopularandhighculturereferencesmixedeasily,
thatvisualartists,writersandmusiciansformednaturalcollaborations.
