All Mod Cons

In the early chapters of Mod (Britain's biggest youth movement), Richard Weight identifies an irony at the heart of the movement. Although imagined and invented by working class youth, the emphasis on sharp fashion made it a movement defined by style, and the fetishisation of clothing made it a fundamentally consumerist movement, and a herald of Thatcherism.

Other youth movements, such as punk, would never acknowledge the intrinsic tension between their rebellious intentions and the financial reliance on capitalism - The Sex Pistols tried to convince that they were exploiting the system. Mod, however, was brand conscious and aped the mannerisms

of the ruling classes. Less than a subversive appropriation of fashion, it was aspirational: interviews in the book include words of support for the Conservative party, and comments on how the Mod look helped in the world of business. And Michael Heseltine, later a self-consciously dashing member of Thatcher's 1980s' cabinet, was involved in one of the earliest Mod magazines.

This might help to clear up one abiding mystery: in the 1970s, the left, at least in the theatre world, were constantly expecting a revolution. When it came, it came from the right. Free market values replaced the post-war consensus politics. If the dominant youth culture of the 1960s was Mod, with its consumerist bent, this is unsurprising. While the hippies may have won the culture war, the values of Mod had taken deeper root.

The rise of Mod suggests that even by the early 1960s, rebellion was compromised by its reliance on capital. The subsequent immersion of youth revolt into a dull mainstream factory-line (from The Damned to Blink 182, from illegal rave to the Ministry of Sound) is not necessarily an expression of how a cunning industry took advantage of trends. It implies the desire to sell out has always been present.

Alchemy @ Southbank Centre

The festival will present collaborations, new works, premieres and legendary artists across dance, music, theatre, design, fashion, comedy and literature, plus talks and debates providing a unique insight into the region.
Southbank Centre is pleased to announce three very special shows for next year’s programme plus more details about touring the festival to UK regional partner venues for Alchemy Oldham, Alchemy Doncaster and Alchemy Black Country.

Rock On Music will be joining hands with Alchemy and bringing the new nightingale of India, Shreya Ghoshal (23 May), to the UK for a one off performance at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall. Shreya will give a magical performance at Alchemy following a series of sell out shows across the globe.

Nirbhaya, written and directed by Yaël Farber, comes to Southbank Centre (22 -24 May) for Alchemy. The internationally acclaimed playwright creates a searing work with an extraordinary cast and creative team from India that cracks open the silence around women whose lives have been shattered by gender-based violence. A BSL performance will take place on 24 May. 

Nirbhaya is presented by Southbank Centre, Oldham Coliseum, Cast and Black Country Touring and touring to all venues in 2015.
The world famous Jaipur Literature Festival returns to Southbank Centre for a second time (16-17 May). This two-day programme gives an insight into 'the world’s largest free literary festival'. The festival showcases South Asia's multilingual literary heritage, oral and performing arts, books and ideas, dialogue and debate, Bollywood and politics. In true Jaipur Literature Festival style, the residency will begin with music and finish with a huge, celebratory party.

Alchemy has grown to become the largest festival of Indian and South Asian culture outside India. 2015 will see Alchemy tour for the first time across England. Support from Arts Council England and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has enabled Southbank Centre to work with Oldham Coliseum (Oldham), Cast (Doncaster) and Black Country Touring (across the Black Country) to build a tour of regionally instigated work inspired by Alchemy themes. These venues will present Nirbhaya to regional audiences on 28 May at The Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, 1 and 2 June at The Grange Arts Centre, Oldham and 4, 5 and 6 June at Cast, Doncaster.



Rachel Harris, Creative Producer, Festival Development, Southbank Centre, said, "We are delighted to be able to announce these projects for our sixth Alchemy at Southbank Centre and we look forward to revealing the full programme in Spring 2015. Once again we are welcoming artists from increasingly diverse backgrounds and places from across the Indian Subcontinent as well as reflecting the talent and breadth of artists from across the UK. I am delighted that among them will be the world renowned songstress Shreya Ghoshal and the mould breaking theatre piece Nirbhaya, both new to Alchemy and who both have electrifying performances to share with our audiences. It is also great to be welcoming back the Jaipur Literature Festival for a second year running for a very special expanded residency, the only one of its kind outside the festival’s Indian home.”




The BBC Asian Network feature highlights, performances and exclusive content from Southbank Centre’s Alchemy. Broadcast details will be announced early Spring.


Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, occupying a 21-acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery as well as The Saison Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection. For further information please visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk