Sharpies (Australian subculture)

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Sharpies, or Sharps, were members of suburban youth gangs in Australia, most significantly from the 1960s and 1970s. [1] They were particularly prominent in Melbourne, but were also found in Sydney and Perth to lesser extents. Sharpies were known for being violent, although a strict moral code [ citation needed ] was also evident, and many ex-Sharpies argue that claims of wrongdoing were exaggerated [2] The name comes from their focus on looking and dressing "sharp". [1]

Contents

Sharpie culture

Sharpies would often congregate in large numbers, regularly attending live bands at town hall and high school dances. [1]

Common clothing items included Lee or Levi jeans, cardigans, jumpers, and T-shirts—often individually designed by group members. [1]

Mods were an enemy of sharpies, and their gang brawls were reported in the newspapers during 1966. [3] In a 2002 interview, a former sharpie stated that despite the sharpie culture being quite violent – especially as they crossed other gangs' territories on the public transport network – the altercations were restricted to inter-gang rivalries. [1]

Sharpies were particularly fond of Australian pub rock and hard rock groups such as Rose Tattoo, Lobby Lloyde and the Coloured Balls and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Negus, George (18 March 2002). "The Sharpies – Cult Gangs of the Sixties and Seventies". New Dimensions in Time. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Oldham, Paul (19 October 2023). "'Go sharp or go home': the competitive subcultural practices of historical Australian youth culture known as 'Sharpies'". Continuum. 37 (4): 469–475. doi: 10.1080/10304312.2023.2271677 ..
  3. ↑ "The Age - Google News Archive Search". News.google.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Blackman, Guy (7 August 2015). "When Sharpies ruled: CD celebrates a homegrown sound of the '70s", The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Ellis, Rennie (2008). "Sharpies, Melbourne 1973". Official website – Portraits. Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Explore our online galleries". Gallery.slv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "Reckoning review: How Magda Szubanski became the comic genius she is today". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Look Sharp! - With Levi's Black Sharps this summer - Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Tadhg (9 November 2023). Top Fellas. National Library of Australia. ISBN   9780980759488 . Retrieved 9 May 2011.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ↑ Mac, Julie (9 November 2023). Rage: A Sharpie's Journal Melbourne 1974–1980. National Library of Australia. ISBN   9780646534800. OCLC   646288393 . Retrieved 9 May 2011.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  11. ↑ "Skins 'n' Sharps". Skinsnsharps.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
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