An archive of attitude: Janette Beckman’s rebel youth

The photographer recalls working with some of the biggest names in the business – from Salt-N-Pepa to the Sex Pistol – at a time when music magazines played a powerful role in shaping the scene.

In 1976, Janette Beckman got her first professional gig teaching photography to teens at the Kingsway Princeton School for Further Education in East London. John Lydon had just left the school and joined the Sex Pistols. The spirit of rebellion was in the air. Local teens donned Mohawks and torn clothes, pierced their faces, and thumbed their noses at the status quo. 

Beckman, who was living in a semi-squat in Streatham, was enthralled by the subversive stylings of rebel culture. “England was very vanilla and here came these crazy punks, Mods on scooters, and Rockabilly kids. There were all these tribes wandering around and it was exciting,” Beckman says, still feeling the thrill after all these years.

The photographer made her very first street portrait of the Islington Twins, then students, with a cheap Russian version of a Rolleiflex that she toted around the streets of London while keeping a photo studio in pre-gentrified Covent Garden just opposite legendary punk nightclub the Roxy. 

Punk, Sid Vicious Memorial March, London, 1979

Inspired to become a music photographer, Beckman dropped by the office of Sounds with a portfolio in tow and met features editor Vivien Goldman, who assigned her to photograph a gig headlined by Siouxsie and the Banshees that very evening.

Beckman was up and running – and never looked back, amassing a staggering archive now on view in the exhibition Rebels at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition brings together Beckman’s photos of the punk, Mod, Ted, ska, rocker, and hip hop scenes across London, New York, and Los Angeles during the 1970s and ‘80s.

In the years before digital media, music magazines and album covers were critical to shaping the image of underground artists. While working at Melody Maker, Beckman was crafting iconic images of everyone from the Police to N.W.A., hightailing it across England, photographing two or three bands a week. 

Ska Girls, Coventry, 1980

SALT ‘N PEPA, NYC 1987

“I was the one they would throw the scraps to. These artists weren’t famous at the time but I was helping to shape who they were,” says Beckman. “I photographed Boy George a week before his first single went to number one. They didn’t want to put a gay person on the cover, but the rock band fell through, and George made the cover. He was wearing Vivienne Westwood and it became a style moment.”

Beckman’s archive is replete with style moments, all of which came from the artists themselves, rather than a marketing team and corporate partnerships. Salt ‘N’ Pepa famously donned their custom Dapper Dan jackets, rope chains, leggings, and high boots for a photo that solidified their image as the First Ladies of Rap.

“Nobody really knew in New York City in 1984 that hip hop was going to be such a big thing,” says Beckman. “I’m extremely lucky to have been obsessed with music and style, and to have been in the spot for it at that time.” 

Big Daddy Kane, NYC, 1988

Boy, Kings Road, London, 1979

Joe Strummer backstage, The Clash, Milan, 1981

Rivera Bad Girls, 1983

Paul Weller & Pete Townshend, Soho, London, 1980

Janette Beckman: Rebels is on view at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles through June 18, 2022.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.  


Latest on Huck

Smiling person in black wetsuit riding surfboard on calm ocean with rocky hills in background.
Sport

Maryam El Gardoum is breaking new shores for Morocco’s indigenous surfers

The Amazigh Atlantic — Through her groundbreaking career and popular surf school, the five-time Moroccan champion is helping women find their places in the waves.

Written by: Sam Haddad

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Colourful embroidered jackets worn by two people, with skateboarder visible in background. Bright colours and graphic designs on the clothing.
Sport

Volcom teams up with Bob Mollema for the latest in its Featured Artist Series

True to This — The boardsports lifestyle brand will host an art show in Biarritz to celebrate the Dutch illustrators’ second capsule collection.

Written by: Huck

Black and white image showing a group of shirtless men socialising, some laughing.
Culture

A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces

Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Four persons - three women and one man - posing outdoors. The women are wearing elaborate clothing and jewellery.
Culture

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco

A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A person wearing a black cap and holding a sign that says "What made me"
Music

Tony Njoku: ‘I wanted to see Black artists living my dream’

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s avant-garde electronic and classical music hybridist Tony Njoku.

Written by: Tony Njoku

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.