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The Freak scene was a term used by a slightly post- hippie and pre- punk style of bohemian subculture. It referred to an overlap between politicised pacifist post-hippies and generally non-pacifist progressive rock fans moving between rock festivals, free festival s, happenings and alternative society gatherings of various kinds. The name comes, at least partly, from a tongue-in-cheek reference to the beat scene.
The freak scene was a stepping-stone between the hippie era and punk. The dissatisfaction with society's labelling of its subcultures had become self-parodying. The scene evolved from the growing awareness that sexism and homophobia, which still existed to a significant extent in hippie behaviour patterns, were unaccceptable. The taking on of the derogatory word freak represented an embracing of identity politics.
The hairstyles were mostly long and unkempt but people were experimenting with other possibilities. Rock stars of the era such as David Bowie and Roxy MusicRoxy Music was a British rock group founded in the early 1970s as a collaborative project between art school graduate Bryan Ferry ( vocals, keyboards) and electronic music wizard Brian Eno. The group's name was partly a homage to the titles of old cinemas were trying shorter styles and hair dye. Roy WoodUlysses Adrian Wood known as Roy (born 8 November 1946), was a guitarist born in Birmingham, England. He was a member of a variety of Birmingham-based groups such as Mike Sheridan And The Nightriders (the band later to become Idle Race). Wood was a foundi of the pop group WizzardWizzard was a Birmingham band formed by Roy Wood, former member and founders of bands The Move and Electric Light Orchestra. Not long after the release of Electric Light Orchestra's first album, Wood decided he wanted to head off in a different musical di had hair down to his knees with odd colours dyed in. These musical iconAn icon (from Greek εικων, eikon "image") is an artistic visual representation or symbol of anything considered holy and divine, such as God, saints or deities. An icon could be a painting (including relief painting), sculptures were influential. Shaven heads were seen occasionally but were not yet as common as they would become when punk began. There was a reluctance to make hair too short for fear of looking like skinheadSkinheads named after their shaven heads, are members of a subculture that originated in Britain in the 1960s. Skinheads were closely tied to the Rude boy of the West Indies and the Mods of the UK. Skinheads may be categorized into three main factions: Ras (who at that time were still thought of by the freaks as associated with neo-nazism).
The clothing of the freaks used elements of roleplay such as headband s, cloaks, frock coat s, kaftans etc. which suggest either a romantic historical era or a distant place travelled to. These were combined with cheap hardwearing clothes such as jeans and army surplus coats. The effect was to make a group of freaks look like a gathering of characters from a fantasy or science fiction novel, like time warped refugees out of middle earth. All of these appearances were intentional and enjoyed by the participants of the freak scene.