Dress Code
Gritty Manchester, King Street, 1977.
Stripy tie, black and white,
Silver and black, lots of stripe.
Cans of drink, cigarettes and shades,
Short cropped hair, standing up on top.
Leather jacket
Black leather gloves.
Shirtless, sleeveless
Wearing a beret.
Wearing shades on stage,
Braces on teeth.
Wedding ring, so young,
Safety pin in his
Short skirts, ear.
‘No jewellery – no values.’
Denim dungarees – the roadie wears,
Big speakers on stage, tape decks and amplifiers.
Lace-up boots and Converse trainers,
Code, dress code
Form a code, form a band,
Break a code.
Pop socks and stilettos, mini-skirt and safety pin,
Johnny Rotten and a lead guitar,
Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Oxford Circus, 1977.
Celia Goth