Rocker (subculture) - Rocker Reunions

Rocker Reunions

In the early 1970s, the British rocker and hardcore motorcycle scene fractured and evolved under new influences coming from California: the hippies and the Hells Angels. The remaining rockers became known as greasers, and the scene had all but died out in form, but not in spirit.

In the early 1980s, The Rocker Reunion Club was started by Lennie Paterson (an original 59 Club member) and a handful of original rockers who were "Chelsea Bridge Boys" that had continued to meet over the previous 20 or more years at the tea stall on the bridge. They organized nostalgic rocker reunion dances called piss-ups, which attracted individuals from as far as Europe, America and Japan and runs to nostalgic locations. The first rocker reunion motorcycle run of 70 classic British motorcycles rode to Pitsea. Following runs went to other destinations with historic relevance to Rockers such as Brighton, Southend and Southsea which, in 1988, attracted over 7,000 bikes. They established a model which has become a worldwide movement. Within a few years, these events attracted 10,000 to 12,000 revivalists, gaining widespread media attention and new converts.

In 1993/1994 discussions between Lennie, Mark Wilsmore and others led to idea of doing a Chelsea Bridge Reunion and then a 25th Anniversary Ace Cafe Reunion, the re-opening of the cafe and Wilsmore's taking over the stewardship of the reunion events. The events now attract up to 40,000 riders.