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Psychobilly is a genre of music generally described as a mix between the punk rock of the 1970s and the American rockabilly of the 1950s.

The genre is characterized by lyrical references to horror films, violence, exploitation films, lurid sexuality and other topics generally considered taboo — sometimes presented in a comedic, tongue-in-cheek fashion. Psychobilly music is generally played with an upright bass instead of an electric bass.

The term psychobilly was first used by Wayne Kemp when he penned the Johnny Cash song One Piece At A Time, a Top 10 hit in 1976. Although the song is not musically categorized as psychobilly, the lyrics refer to a "psychobilly Cadillac." The term came into use as a music genre a few years later, when the Cramps described their music as "psychobilly" and "rockabilly voodoo" on flyers advertising their concerts. Although the Cramps rejected the idea of being a part of a psychobilly subculture, they — along with artists such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Stray Cats — are considered important precursors to psychobilly. Musically speaking, there are also antecedents in the garage rock genre of the 1960s and the pub rock scene of the 1970s.

The Meteors, who formed in South London in 1980, are considered the first verifiable psychobilly band. One member was part of the rockabilly subculture; another was part of the punk subculture; and the other was a horror movie fan. Their musical and lyrical ideas overlapped to create psychobilly as it is known today. The Meteors invented the idea that psychobilly should be apolitical, by encouraging their concerts to be "politics-free" zones to avoid disputes among fans, as was common in the punk rock scene of the time.

In 1982, a nightclub called Klubfoot opened in Hammersmith, West London, creating a home for the UK psychobilly scene. The club was eventually demolished and replaced with offices and a bus station. Because the psychobilly scene has never become very popular, fans often organize weekenders in which many bands are featured on one bill. The first weekenders were organized in the UK in the mid 1980s. In the USA, they happen with frequency in Texas [1], New York, North Carolina and California.

Psychobilly has spread throughout most of Europe, (particularly Germany, Italy, and Spain), Canada, and parts of the United States. It's also gradually spreading to Asia, especially Japan. The psychobilly music of the early 1980s (The Meteors, The Sharks, Demented Are Go, Batmobile) was similar to punk rock or 1960s garage rock (with obvious rockabilly influences), but the psychobilly of the late 1980s and the 1990s (Nekromantix,Mad Sin) had a different sound which was a bit harder. The psychobilly of the 2000s is closer to the American psychobilly sound.

Fans of psychobilly are known for sporting a unique style that blends 1950s hotrod culture with modern punk fashion. Many fans sport black leather motorcycle jackets with hand-painted images or band logos across the back and sleeves. Mechanic and lumberjack-style work shirts are also popular, and are often adorned with pin badges or patches, in classic punk style. Another trademark psychobilly trend is a distinctive wedge-shaped haircut combining elements of a Mohawk hairstyle with a classic pompadour or quiff. This combined hairstyle is sometimes known as a psychohawk. Also popular in the 1980s was the horseshoe hairstyle, in which only the outer edge of the wedge is kept, with the middle shaved to the same length as the sides. The hairstyles are sometimes bleached or dyed in bright colours.

For psychobilly girls, the "uniform" consists of updated 1950s fashion fused with a punk-rock sensibility and pinup aesthetic. Many rockabillly girls have tattoos of 1950s pinups, Las Vegas-themed cards and dice, skulls, and especially cherries. They favor full crinoline skirts, powerful colors such as black, red, and bright pink, horizontal stripes, gingham, and animal prints. It is very common to see psychobilly girls wearing pompadour-styled bangs and bandannas as headbands.

Vivienne Westwood is both iconoclast and global icon. In the 1970s, she electrified the world with the launch of Punk fashion and went on to become one of the most inventive and influential designers of our time. Fashion to her became "a baby I picked up and never put down."

This exhibition, which was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and which makes the de Young its only U.S. stop on an international tour, celebrates Westwood’s extraordinary, nearly 40-year-long career. Known best for her fearless nonconformity, she also has a profound respect for the past and looks to it for inspiration. With tradition as her springboard, she takes historic garments such as corsets and crinolines and reinvents them in new ways or uses thoroughly British fabrics like tartans and tweeds to create fashion that gently parodies Establishment styles. However outrageous or provocative the result, her approach has always been practical. She is driven by a curiosity about how things work, and her work reflects her systematic exploration of the structure of historical costume in museum collections.

Westwood's extraordinary range and inventiveness is showcased in the more than 150 objects that make up the exhibition, all drawn from her personal archive and the V&A's collection. The work spans the extremes of fashion, from London street style to the catwalks of Paris and London, and reveals Westwood’s own evolution from subversive shop owner to one of fashion’s most respected figures.



Other Venues
Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion has been seen at the V&A, London, April 1–July 11, 2004; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, November 11, 2004–January 30, 2005; Bund Shanghai, July 8–August 7, 2005; Taipei Fine Arts Museums, September 1–October 19, 2005; Mori Arts Center Gallery, Tokyo, Noember 23, 2005–January 15, 2006; NRW Forum, Dusseldorf, February 4–May 14, 2006; and Thailand Creative and Design Centre, Bangkok, July 22–September 24, 2006.

Credit Line
Vivienne Westwood was organized by the V&A, London. The exhibition was curated by Claire Wilcox, the V&A, London.