
Weirdly, considering it is the headquarters of dad-wear labels like Paul Smith, One True Saxon and Speedo, the city of Nottingham is actually a bit of a fashion town. But Robin Hood’s hood is also home to Rock City, a massive multi-venue rock club. The sort of hair metal fantasies Vice was enjoying back in April become reality at Rock City.

There are no camera-shy people here, just wild, pleasingly slutty women, and men who all look like Bret Michaels from Poison.

Visiting Rock City is like traveling to a time before irony had escaped its London fashion bubble. A time when men looked like women, and all the women were almost naked, rode airbrushed cobras, and fought squawking American eagles against a landscape of denim. Everything needed studs and anything worth saying was worth inking across your chest and knuckles for the rest of your life – with optional wings, flames, and fair maidens with big jugs .

FAYANN SMITH











Reader Comments
August 21st, 2009
2:12 pm
heyyyyy,, im from nottingham and personally im not a fan on rock city(cock shitty to certain people;) on the otherhand i think its great notts is getting recognition for its fashion scene.
let me put this to you vice, how about you come n do an article on the wider variety of fashion scene. such as the alt scene, indie? scene and as i know you all like a good laugh how about incluing some of the bums of nottingham.
hope this interests you,
peace &love dan king x
August 21st, 2009
3:37 pm
Hi Dan King,
Probably not because that would be fucking terrible, much like this.
Peace & love!
August 21st, 2009
3:38 pm
You gave us the bums now where is all the fuckin tits and not the Paki one in the photo.
August 21st, 2009
4:15 pm
aHahahahahahahahhahaa
August 21st, 2009
5:50 pm
lol look at that pussy
August 22nd, 2009
11:07 am
I’m from Nottingham and In my experience Nottingham is full of 36 year old men in Reebok classics and filthy ‘joggers’ tucked into their socks, who only drink pints of Stella and end each night at the pub with ‘Come on Eileen’ on the jukebox and embarrassing swaying/dancing/lairing/pissing on pigeons.
Or people that have come here to go to university and assume that the only way to succeed socially is to immediately get a swallow tattoo, a fake flesh tunnel and to start liking really obscure European Tech-house and N-Dubs (ironically of course they’re not stupid and poor DUH)
So I dunno where you found these people (oh yeah Rock City right -I love Rock City).
August 22nd, 2009
11:43 am
shite article
August 22nd, 2009
12:58 pm
your mum’s a shite article.
August 23rd, 2009
10:47 pm
Rock City is awesome. When i was 16 i used to go to the rig, which is next to it. That was shit. But now I am 18, and I can drink Jagerbombs, which at £1.50 a hit make me feel cool.
August 24th, 2009
7:37 am
Using words like cool shows you are still 16 in the head and a tit. Where’s all the real tit we can wank to and no fuckin implants please. Implants are for sad old ladies who’s tits have hit their knees?
August 24th, 2009
1:09 pm
scumnation are you really still using the ‘paki’ word - what are you some sort of mental retard? What made you so much better than a whole billion people?
August 24th, 2009
5:08 pm
Scumnation - you are moaning there aren’t enough tits in this piece - why don’t you do what I do and get some actual fucking porn. Vice is a lifestyle magazine. The “paki’ (lol at your 70’s darkly comic, moronic racism) is a boy you daft c**t use your eyes! So to recap -PRO-TIP:
JUST GOOGLE TITS WITHOUT SAFE SEARCH or GET RAZZLE don’t read a fashion blog.
August 24th, 2009
7:11 pm
Gawd, tattoos are so lame…especially in exposed places with shit statements…Why don’t that dude just get one saying: “I thought it looked cool when I got it, now I want a job, or some friends who don’t look like arses, I want rid of it. p.s. Will be bummed for money”
As for the excessive belts, I can think of a moment in Once Upon a Time in the West when Henry Fonda shoots a guys belt off, and asks him why he should trust someone who wears braces and a belt. I think anyone who wears an excess of braces or belts, in American parlance - is a douchebag.
August 25th, 2009
8:11 am
If the joke has to be explained you wont get it cos you’re just too thick. God I love winding up the anti racists, they take it all too seriously hahahahahahah.
August 27th, 2009
10:44 am
That’s a realy lady? Looks so plastic I thought it was a doggie style fuck doll.
August 27th, 2009
10:44 am
since when is looking like bret michaels a good thing?
August 27th, 2009
10:44 am
did someone forget the t in forget? looks like “forge” to me.
August 27th, 2009
10:45 am
Rock City’s in Chattanooga, fools.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_City
August 27th, 2009
10:45 am
must be really jingly when the dudes have to take a shit. all those chains clinging and clanging.
August 27th, 2009
10:45 am
fat b00ty
August 27th, 2009
10:46 am
i want them pants badly.
August 27th, 2009
10:46 am
if the big hair eighties becomes the new look for hipsters at least the posers will look retarded and people with real style wont have to be associated with the “whatever is cool at the time” people… urban outfitters will sell men makeup. I just pray the music doesnt come with it
August 27th, 2009
10:46 am
this post had so much potential, I want more, more
August 27th, 2009
10:47 am
This must be the most androgynous place on earth. Beer googles might end you up with a big mistake.
August 27th, 2009
10:47 am
wisdom: never, under any circumstances, forget that you are alive. thank you, nottingham
August 27th, 2009
10:48 am
I love the look on the dudes face.
August 27th, 2009
10:48 am
Praise for the picture of the couple. Could have made a cover 25 years ago.
August 27th, 2009
10:48 am
THE PEOPLE DEMAND MORE PICS!!!!
August 27th, 2009
10:49 am
Are those A-ha - Take On Me underpants in the last photo?
August 27th, 2009
10:49 am
thanks for reminding me.
August 27th, 2009
10:50 am
Damm i hope thats not a man
August 31st, 2009
11:53 pm
never seen a bigger load of donts in my life
September 1st, 2009
12:17 pm
what a fag
September 8th, 2009
1:55 pm
Firstly what a racist prick you are Scumnation.
I’m not originally from Nottingham. But, I study at Trent doing Fashion design. It is said that if you don’t study fashion in London, Trent is the next best thing. So, I would expect it to have some form of a fashion scene.
Rock city is SHIT. Its full of people who used to be hardcore scene. Trying to become an American apparell hipster, to be frank full all good comes out of that shop. Their hair (mainly girls) is dyed and straighted to an inch within its life. which really can’t be good. Everyone in there thinking they are ‘Alternative’ when their best friend is wearing exactly the same thing as they are. Or in their late 30’s to early 40’s. Still dressing in things like long sleeve fish net tops and leather trousers.
As Vivienne Westwood once said on the Johnathan Ross show once if you’re still dressing like a punk when you’re in your late 30’s there has got to be something wrong with you…
You need to go places like Stealth, Rescue rooms, The maze, Blue print and of course The bodega. The real fashion forward or just genrally well dressed people, will be found there.
September 8th, 2009
7:11 pm
Craig-Allan. I am from Nottingham and I can tell you are a right poser nob.
Everyone knows they are the good places to go in Nottingham. Yeah ok you’re cool. whatever. You’re not though are you…honestly? You were bullied at school right? Yeah you will probably get a good job and show them all…
In the mean time just show them all by drinking in places everyone knows are ‘cool’ and telling people about it. Yeh. That will work.
September 8th, 2009
7:11 pm
P.s I was bullied too and now I right a blog to show people I am cool. Lets be friends.
September 9th, 2009
1:34 pm
Hardly…I’m probably one of the most down to earth people you’re ever likely to meet.
I just really do not like rock city. The venue is amazing. But, i’ve met only a handful of people who are remotely interesting.
The whole point to my post was to state the fact that there are other BETTER places to go in Nottingham, to seek the fashion concious.
Also, No I wansn’t bullied at school. Though I wasn’t one of the popular people. I think were past that point where that would bother me…
I think the whole Motely Crue look was never and never will be a good one.
September 10th, 2009
4:43 pm
It’s all about under age honeys and rape jokes for the cool kids in Nottingham. Bodega staff are well hot. YUMSO