Women and Sound Systems

Unlike some other towns and cities, Bradford didn’t create its own women-led sound systems, but there are memories that bring a different gendered perspective to the 1970s and 1980s.

Women of all ages became involved and were influential during the sound system years. As mothers and aunties, they offered care, support and even some chastisement if they thought it necessary.

Younger women became enthusiastic supporters and followers of different sound systems. The going out ritual, ie buying or choosing an outfit and linking up with friends/posse, was an essential component for the night ahead. Using a range of transport, they would travel to the many different venues in Bradford and surrounding areas, and confident that they would return home safe. When travelling further afield, they’d travel in comfort on coaches, specially hired; or in the vans – often in the back perched on top of piled up sound boxes and equipment.

Sound system dances allowed them a kind of freedom to let theirhair down – it was a about love and unity bonding everyone together. Friendships and romance were formed and consolidated; musical rivalries were the norm but above all, the commonality shared was community, respect, and unity.

Here are some photos and memories shared during the project.

Reflections

These photographs have a spontaneity and informality that take us back to those years. Their inclusion is a real gift to the Rites of Passage project and a reminder of how socialising, friendship and music has helped people of all ages, and young people in particular, to live through challenging decades in Britain – now and in the past.

Resilience and youthful confidence radiate from these pictures. These snapshots and mainly indoor poses by notice boards, doorways and even against the tiles of a washroom or shower, reflect camera use of the time: a few pictures taken by someone eager to capture getting ready to go out and a sense of occasion.

Pictures were taken by friends, of friends and for friends. No wider circulation was imagined, yet they display poise, style and self-awareness; they reveal a strong sense of dress, and how class, gender, ethnicity, age, occupation and income all affect identity.

The ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, launched by the empowering photography of Kwame Brathwaite and his contemporaries, during the 1960s and 1970s inspired a new generation to move away from Eurocentric notions of style and beauty. Add to that, the style of the Gabbici brand, popularised by reggae artist, Gregory Isaacs, and later adopted as fashionable streetwear by musical artists and music-loving people across different genres.

In Bradford, as elsewhere, there were Gabicci jackets and tops, in blues and earthy colours, with distinctive trims, collars, stripes and patterns.  A sense of style, affordable fashion, thanks to a range of retailers, helped to build a sense of youth identity and self-respect that flourished, despite the underemployment and inequalities of the 1970s and 1980s. 

Going out, with or without parents’ permission, enjoying the sound systems and the vibrant nightlife they created, became a memorable part of growing up as young, proud Caribbean women in Bradford. These photos being shared as part of the Rites of Passage project are a tribute to a generation coming of age.

Style wasn’t just for the young women, but the beaver hats, brogues and Clarkes’ shoes, Farahs and yet more Gabiccis make that another story!