Hi, and welcome to the latest Squire newsletter!
First of all, thank you to everyone who came to see us at the My Generation Weekender in Minehead in January. It was a weekend full of drama, not least because travel coincided with the worst storm in ages, and nobody was quite sure whether anyone was going to get there. But we all did, and by all accounts around 4,000 people made it to enjoy everything. Pretty much every mod band in existence was there. It felt like a gathering rather than a gig, and that's exactly the point of this newsletter, and why its called - Cities of Mod!
Our next date is in Guadalajara, just outside Madrid, on March 7th — three weeks away. And then the classic Mod's Mayday London concert on May 3rd. Looking at those three dates together, something struck me - they're all festival-based, rather than club venues or tour dates in the conventional sense.
And that shift is something I’ve been reflecting on.
Only two or three years ago we were touring alongside Secret Affair, playing small venues, enjoying the intimacy that that kind of setting brings, and which genuinely suits our repertoire. There's something irreplaceable about the club sized venue. It's also where we first got our chance in front of an audience, in rooms put on by local promoters, scooter clubs, people who cared enough to make it happen informally.
The Squire Fan Club Album was recorded at an event held by a local scooter club in Swindon. And the live side stands as a reminder and testament of the promoters enthusiasm and locals determination to make something happen. We had a long relationship with promoters in Belfast doing the same kind of thing. That unofficial network was the life support system of the scene.
Of course, time passes, promoters retire, venues close and costs rise. And increasingly, we find ourselves drawn towards, and grateful for these larger curated events.
This is why it struck me that these events create temporary "Cities of Mod." Because that's what these weekends really are, not so much gigs but as temporary cities, celebrating the mod subculture in full. The bands are part of it, but so are the film screenings, exhibitions, talks, merch stalls, vintage shopping, scooter runs, the whole ecosystem. It's closer in spirit to Goodwood Revival or a really well-curated boutique festival than to a conventional headline show. If you love dogs, you go to Crufts. If you love mod, you may now go to Minehead. It’s on again next year!
Look overseas and the model is well established. Purple Weekend in León has been running for decades, thousands of people descend on a city that doesn't necessarily "understand" the music, but understands the event. There are `Mods Mayday' festivals all over the world! Playing in Guadalajara at an event called Guardasoul, promoted by 'Quadrophenia.org' reminds you that this 'mod culture' travels, and that it means something well beyond the UK.
And then there's Mod's Mayday, in London. Every year. Every May. And not just UK, but everywhere in the world there are 'Mods Maydays' being held, bringing together a version of a regional mod subculture and a fistful of bands to dance to. You don't go for a particular slot or running order, you go because it's Mayday, because it's part of the calendar, because it's where people reconnect and take stock of where the scene is right now. And thats increasingly a story I’m hearing, we need new younger bands to ‘keep the scene alive and fresh!’ Its not just seeing familiar faces, its getting to see the latest iteration of mod, which is in every sense, a celebration of youth culture, even if we’re not all so young, but remain young at heart! Indeed, The Molotovs — who supported us in Brighton a couple of years ago, have just scored a Number 3 album on the back of over 500 or so grassroots gigs. Brilliant. Exactly what we once did, and proof the old pathway still works, even if it's getting harder.
It's not that one model is better than the other. But it is striking how the mod subculture has quietly found a way to hold itself together through these larger gathering points, annual events that people plan their year around, where the lifestyle is celebrated as much as the lineup. Not many bands get the opportunity to share in that style of continuity. We're grateful for it, and see it not as a celebration of nostalgia - cities don't ask you to be nostalgic for them. You just live in them. And that's what these weekends feel like, a city that reassembles itself once a year, and you pick up where you left off, whenever you arrived.
Minehead. Guadalajara. Mayday.
Three cities. Three gatherings. We hope to see you at one of them!
All the best from Squire!