Sharpies, or Sharps, were members of
suburbanyouth gangs in
Australia, most significantly from the 1960s and 1970s.[1] They were particularly prominent in
Melbourne, but were also found in
Sydney and
Perth to lesser extents. Sharpies were known for being
violent, although a strict
moral code[citation needed] was also evident. The name comes from their focus on looking and dressing "sharp".[1]
Sharpie culture
Sharpies would often congregate in large numbers, regularly attending live bands at town hall and high school
dances.[1]
Common clothing items included
Lee or
Levijeans, cardigans,
jumpers, and
T-shirts—often individually designed by group members.[1]
Mods were an enemy of sharpies, and their gang brawls were reported in the newspapers during 1966.[2] In a 2002 interview, a former sharpie stated that despite the sharpie culture being quite violent – especially as they crossed other gangs' territories on the
public transport network – the altercations were restricted to inter-gang rivalries.[1]
Queeny (1994), Deep (1997), and Suburban Warriors (2003) are
short films by Rebecca McLean related to sharpies[citation needed]
Blackburn South Sharpies' member Peter Robertson
curatedSharpies, a photographic exhibition at the
Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney in 2001–02, and also as part of the 2002 Melbourne International Fashion Festival[1]
Blackburn South Sharpies' member Larry Jenkins also photographically documented this gang[5]
Levi released "Levi's Black Sharps", a
denim range inspired by sharpies[7]
Top Fellas: The Story of Melbourne's Sharpie Cult is a 2004 book by Tadhg Taylor on Melbourne's sharpies[8]
Rage: A Sharpie's Journal Melbourne 1974–1980 is a 2010 book by Julie Mac on Melbourne's sharpies[9]
Out with the Boys: The Sharpie Days is a 2011 book by the Seagull about the Sydney Sharpies of the 1960s[citation needed]
Once Were Sharps: The colourful life and times of the Thomastown Sharps is a book by Nick Tolewski, written by Dean Crozier[citation needed]
A resurgence of interest in the Sharpie sub-culture in recent times included Skins'n'Sharps Exhibitions in 2006 (Dante's Gallery, Fitzroy) and 2010 (Kustom Lane Gallery, Hawthorn) and a dedicated website Skins'n'Sharps[10]