‘QUADROPHENIA’ CAST Q & A, ST. PETER’S CHURCH, BRIGHTON 29.8.22
“We are the Mods, We are the Mods, We are, We are, We are the Mods!!” was the unforgettable rallying call from Franc Roddam’s seminal 1979 film, ‘Quadrophenia’ and they were not wrong. I am not a Mod, but had been known to chant those lines at school on occasion and most recently (a few years ago now) along Brighton beach front with friends randomly after a Fatboy Slim beach front gig (call it high jinks, if you will).
Tonight was a big night in the land of Mod, as it was Bank Holiday weekend and also the final weekend of the month-long ‘This Is The Modern World’ exhibition dedicated to all things connected to The Jam (and The Style Council). I checked out the exhibition on Sunday and was impressed with all the artefacts on show. All put together by Nicky Weller (Paul’s sister) too.
There have been a run of gigs in the evenings to celebrate this event, but how do you round things off? You put on the daddy of all Mod films, ‘Quadrophenia’ that’s what. You also invite along four of the original cast in the form of Phil Daniels (Jimmy in the film), Leslie Ash (Steph), Trevor Laird (Ferdy) and Mark Wingett (Dave) to do a questions and answer session with the audience. An opportunity not to be missed!
‘Quadrophenia’ is a coming of age youth culture film directed by Franc Roddam (who incidentally went on to create the excellent ‘Auf Wiedersehen Pet’). It is also based on a concept album by The Who (of the same name) which was released some years previous in 1973. It follows our hero Jimmy as he navigates his life around the tribe of Mod in the Mid 60’s and his love interest, Steph (Leslie Ash). His event of the year is a trip to Brighton on the Bank Holiday with his Mod buddies, which ends up in pill popping, clubbing, and deckchair swinging at the rival Rockers on the beach. His life soon comes crashing down around his ears though and he soon discovers not everything is as it once seemed. Follow that, with an unforgettable climax on Beachy Head involving a flying scooter and you’ve got yourself a cult classic. 1979 was a good year for youth culture films as it was the same year Alan Clarke’s ‘Scum’ came out (also featuring Phil Daniels and Ray Winstone).
Early on this evening, the queue into St Peter’s Church was rather a long one so anticipation for tonight was rather high. It’s definitely the first time I have queued up to get into church, that’s for sure. I was also driving tonight, so (holy) water it is then.
Trevor Laird (Ferdy in the film) turned up in the queue at one point incidentally, and asked jokingly what was going on. He said he’d heard a rumour that Paul Weller was performing. The crowd giggled. I donned my imaginary parka and took a seat for the first time in this establishment. The film airing started at 6pm and it felt a bit too light at first in the room, but I suppose you can’t get curtains to cover all of the stained glass windows. It wasn’t long before the sun dimmed though and I could stop squinting through the rest of this excellent film. I hadn’t seen it in years, but after watching it tonight, I loved it as much as the first time I saw it when I was spotty and in short trousers (not much change there then).
The final scene is a memorable one and it almost made my eyes leak (the air con maybe?), and afterwards it prompted the normal debate on whether the final act was (spoiler alert!)…suicide. When the final credits rolled, the film received massive applause and we were warned of a 20 minute break before the Q&A. We had to queue up quickly at portaloos provided around the side of the building, as churches being churches, I have recently discovered, do not specialise in public toilet facilities.
We took to our seats and not before long, the compere/interviewer greeted the audience. (I didn’t catch his name but he hosts a Podcast…or a Modcast….and has made a documentary on ‘Quadrophenia’, I do believe). He introduced the cast members on to the stage to rapturous applause and it was quite surreal seeing their younger selves on the film screen overhead. Everyone seemed in fine fettle and seemed up for sharing anecdotes on the film we had just watched. It became clear to me straight away that Trevor Laird was the joker of the bunch, followed closely by Phil Daniels. You could tell that they were friends way before the film came out. Phil Daniels said that he was basically playing himself in the film and he and Trevor Laird had previously studied The Who album that the film was based on (sometimes chemically assisted). Leslie Ash was rather unfamiliar with The Who back in the day and she joked that at first she thought their ‘Live In Leeds’ album meant that they lived in Leeds which got a giggle from the crowd. Phil tried to convince us that he was into Cliff Richard and Barry Manilow but we thought better of it (He later admitted to liking Bowie and The Who…Phew!).
There were a lot of interesting anecdotes surrounding the film tonight and it was hard to keep up. Leslie Ash mentioned that the infamous ‘alley scene’ was actually her first scene she had to perform in the film which must have been quite daunting. When the host quickly asked the audience how many people had visited this particular alley in Brighton, I reckon at least 80 per cent of the audience put their hands up. She said they were quite in awe when they were introduced to Sting on the set (he played the ‘Ace Face’) but Phil joked that he wasn’t. It was also mentioned that Sting should have been there tonight but they couldn’t afford his train fare from Newcastle.
Mark Wingett (Dave in the film) we discovered, was a Punk Rocker back in the day. He had his hair cut in a Skinhead style on set, but the director (Roddam) hit the roof and that’s why he wore a hat throughout the movie. Another interesting fact was that Leslie Ash said she was paid £300 in her contract for the film (surely some mistake?). Phil Daniels owned up to earning £5000 from the film, but they all admitted that it was a lot of money in 1979.
Trevor Laird said that the main components that made the film such a huge success were Franc Roddam, Phil Daniels and Pete Townsend. Phil said that the film didn’t really get ingrained into our culture until the home cinema explosion.
The absolute highlight for me, was when the questions were opened up to the audience and someone asked Daniels to re-enact his balcony dance scene from the film. At first he quickly said no, and then suddenly got up and did it. It was priceless but it was one of those blink and you’ve missed it moments. He then decided to mimic the way Sting cut a rug in the film which got the crowd in an uproar. Another favourite moment was Leslie Ash quoting her expletive line from the film in character.
All of the cast members seemed up for sharing their memories and thoughts tonight and the atmosphere was really relaxed. They seemed very happy with the legacy they have left us by appearing in such an iconic film that was a true sign of the times. It was certainly a night I wasn’t going to forget in a hurry. Before you knew it, the night was over and the cast got a standing ovation, not before vanishing in a puff of Vespa smoke. Now it was time for me to ride my scooter home and not get hit by a postal van.
Tonight was the final night of the ‘This Is The Modern World’ exhibition and concerts. The Brighton & Hove News Music Team covered all of the events (bar one due to illness). If you wish to check all of the others out, the links are below, enjoy:
29th July – ‘This Is The Modern World’ exhibition opens
30th July – Wilko Johnson Band + Nine Below Zero
4th August – Gentleman’s Dub Club
5th August – Nick Heyward & His Band + The Lapels
6th August – The Rifles + L D Williams
10th August – Rick Buckler Q & A
17th August – From The Jam + Chris Pope
18th August – From The Jam + Chris Pope
19th August – Roy Ayers Ubiquity + DJ Perry Louis
20th August – The Style Councillors
26th August – Stone Foundation
27th August – Secret Affair + The Vapors + The Chords UK + Squire + Block 33
