When The Snow Lay All Around......it Was Soul Time !

Posted by Dave Rimmer, Jan 1 09, 12:16 PM

Well, December has probably been the busiest month I've had in a good few years Soul wise, six allnighters, and a Soul night, and it means I've not really had time to do any entries to the Blog for a while. So, here's a quick and condensed version of the last month of 2008.

Starting the month off was the best allnighter in the world, The 100 Club ! John Weston and I travelled down by train as usual, and met quite a few others at The Blue Posts for a warm up beer, or two. I have to recommend this boozer yet again, just round the back of The 100 Club, a Sam Smiths of Tadcaster brewery pub, it has to be the cheapest (and good) beer anywhere in central London.

Musically this was a good night with Ady and Butch doing the business as residents, and Ady and Colin from Hinckley being the pick of the guests for me, with Andy Dyson putting in a long overdue appearance as well.

The following Thursday saw Chris Anderton collecting me and meeting John Weston at home for the drive down to Stansted. It's the Nuremburg Weekender of course. This is the eleventh year I've done this weekender, and it's still getting better each year. We arrived on a snowy night at around 11.30 pm, to be met by the promoters, Osi and Dominic. Straight to the hotel where the hotel receptionist told us there were two rooms; a double and a single. Quick thinking by me led me to say straight away "I'm the single", and I grabbed the key, smirking. This left Chris and John with the double room. It got even funnier when they went to the room, because it was a double bed, rather than twin beds….Ohhh, did I laugh ? Yes I did. I've shared a caravan at Cleethorpes with John, and I'll tell you now, he snores ! Very loudly ! He also has problems with wind when he's been drinking !

Anyway, enough of that, we decided to attend to the more important things in life, and just dumped the bags in the room and set off to the pub. Finnegan's Irish pub was, again, to be our base for the weekend, and we managed a couple of beers before they closed at 1am. I have to admit, when we got back to the hotel, I slept like a log. Chris though, gave up trying to sleep around 3 am and packed his bag, went up to reception and booked a room for himself.

Now, I can't say I blame Chris for moving out, but the saga continued. The hotel was booked completely for the Friday and Saturday nights, so without Chris knowing, during the following morning they moved all of John's stuff into his new room, which at least had twin beds rather than a double. More of the hotel rooms later though.

By Midday, I'd had breakfast, wandered around the city for a while, bought a load of cheap tobacco, and was feeling thirsty. Finnegan's it was then. John and Chris came in within minutes of my arrival, and we settled down to have a few beers and await the arrival of some of our German friends. By 4.30pm, none of them had arrived, so I decided to go back to the hotel for a quick kip.

Chris and I met up back at Finnegan's around 9pm, no John though, he was still asleep. The venue was the same as it's always been, called K4, it's just across the road from the pub, so we wandered over just after 10pm to find it already quite busy. It's been a while now, so I can't remember what I played in any of my four spots, except the very first one was all R & B, which went down a storm. Suffice to say that the DJs had free beer all night, and you have no need to wonder why I can't remember what I played. John can't remember what he played either, mostly because he was still asleep and didn't turn up for his first spot ! He did arrive a little later though, and played a storming set in the Northern room.



By the time my second spot came around, at 3.30am, the place was heaving. Certainly as many as last year, and well in excess of 600 people, all willing to dance to almost everything that was played.

I stayed until just before the end, and then sneaked off to bed. Chris Anderton had already left, to try and get some sleep before John arrived back. So, somewhat to the annoyance of Chris (and the rest of the hotel) when John arrived back and couldn't get into the room he decided to bang and kick the door rather loudly.

I can now reveal that Chris feigned sleep in the hope that John would go away. It didn't happen though, John did go away, only to return with the Night Porter and a master key, so that was a plan that went wrong !

Saturday afternoon was fairly predictable I'm afraid. Finnegan's again ! But at least it was livened up by Chris recounting the tale of the night before. Then back to the hotel for a quick wash and change and then off to meet Osi and Dominic to go for a meal. All told about twenty of us went for the meal and we had to travel a couple of stops on the Metro to get to the restaurant owned by Stefan (Who also provided the excellent dark beer for all the DJs from his own brewery). Remember I said it had been snowing when we arrived in Nuremburg, well John decided that snowballs would be a good idea. We didn't quite think so.

The meal is always a bit of an adventure, because I don't speak German, and even though some of the Germans speak excellent English, the translation of a menu presents it's own unique problems. However, the recommendation was for the Pork and Dumplings, so that's what I had, and it was very nice too. On the way back to the Metro John again threw a few snowballs, so Chris just grabbed him and dumped him face down in the snow. Shame that the snow was melting and it was a piece of muddy ground underneath. He looked like a down and out ! When we arrived back, John went to get changed, fell asleep and promptly missed his first spot again. Chris and I were pleased to see that the venue was if anything busier than the night before, and yet again, the dancefloor was heaving.

John arrived late, mumbling something about not realising he was on early, and promptly disappeared again, just in time to miss his second spot of the night. You've got to give him credit for being consistent !

So, just before 4am I played my last record and thanked the crowd for dancing, and said what a great time I'd had, again, in Nuremburg. I must admit I was slightly taken aback by the cheer that went up (Or perhaps they were cheering because I'd finished my set !!!). Great people, great venue. Love it.

Chris had again left before John to try and get some sleep. John arrived back and went through the banging and kicking of the door routine, only for Chris to open the door and say "It wasn't locked".

A quiet Sunday, spent in Finnegan's and then a lift to the airport from Dominic. The flight was on time, and the drive home went smoothly, so I was in bed by just gone 1am on the Monday. Another weekender survived.

On the Thursday I paid for a twenty year 'want', and it wasn't even a record, it was a book. 'Duke / PeacockRecords; An Illustrated History With Discography' by Galen Gart and Roy C Ames had eluded me for nearly twenty years, and thanks to Richard Pack in Canada, I finally have a copy. What was even better was it arrived on the following Tuesday, which was five working days later, from Canada. Brilliant work by the PO I thought.

The following day I was off to the airport again, on the second leg of my European Tour 2008. This time, Margie and I met Woody and Lou at Birmingham airport for a flight to Dublin. It set the tone for the weekend when we discovered Scooby Doo was on the same flight……….




If you remember last year when we went to Dublin Lou was scared of flying and virtually assumed the crash position as soon as she got on the plane. She's got over it now, but still sat directly in front of me, so I went through the usual routine of shaking her seat quite violently as we took off. A few choice words later and we were off.

We were booked into The Belvedere Hotel, which is right above the venue used for Sleepless Nights, so pretty much just unpacked, had a quick wash and change, and then went down stairs to the bar. Now I remembered last time I was in Dublin I thought it was expensive, but this year, because of the exchange rate I discovered that it was horrendously expensive….4.60 Euros a pint ! That works out at almost £4.60 a pint. Ah what the hell, it's Christmas, hang the expense. Margie and I decided to have a meal called a 'Turkey Packet', and it was delicious, roast vegetables, covered in mashed potatoes, with a huge slice of ham, and one of turkey on the top, covered in gravy. Woody and Lou joined us, and a few of the Irish crowd had started arriving, so naturally a few more beers were consumed. Well, it would be rude not to, wouldn't it.



Downstairs for the advertised opening time (Because Lou was DJing first) and Danny Duggan was still setting the decks up. This is where the fun started because the decks are on quite a high stand, and Lou is, well, not to put too fine a point on it, short. We could just about see her head behind the decks. It didn't alter the fact that she did a great spot though, as did Woody a few hours later.



Pretty much the same as Nuremburg, I can't remember what I played, I've slept since then, and if I don't write the playlist down the next day I have no hope of remembering it. I do know that the floor seemed full enough of Irish Soulies to keep me happy, and that it was overall, another great night. We sneaked off to our room just before the end, and discovered that there was some after event entertainment arranged. Our room was on the front of the hotel, and we discovered we could lean out of the window and watch the drunks fighting in the street below. Great stuff !

As usual I was awake early, and bored, so I woke Margie up and told her it was time to get up. To her credit, she didn't tell me to bugger off, and actually got up, mind you, she knows I have the attention span of a small child if I'm bored, and would only have kept her awake fidgeting and moving around in the bedroom. So, we packed the case, left it at reception, and went round the corner to the nearest pub, where we knew from previous occasions we would get a really good breakfast.

I'd booked the flights for the four of us, and Lou had booked the hotel, so I was quite surprised to receive a call from Woody about an hour later asking if I could remember how much Lou had paid for the rooms. As it happens I could, so I said that she'd only paid an 8 Euro deposit. Which explained to Woody why the Hotel were insisting that both rooms still had to be paid for ! Profuse apologies from Lou, and we agreed to meet them in the pub for Lunch later.

A pleasant, liquid, lunch, then a flight back and then home to sleep. Another great weekend spent in Dublin, I can only say exactly the same as I did about Nuremburg; Great people, great venue. Love it.

Christmas had the temerity to intervene in the month's Souling then, but on Boxing Day it was off to Worcester for the Marrs Bar Allnighter.

Another great venue, that to be fair has never received the support it deserves. I don't know whether it's because it's in Worcester, which is off the North / South M6 route, or what, but tonight was no different. The numbers were low, very low. What disappointed me most is the line up was exceptionally strong, Lou Woods, Chrissie, Denise, Pete Robinson. John Weston, Nige Brown, Des Parker, Kenny Burrell, Roger Banks, Molly, and yours truly.

Unfortunately, by the time I DJ'ed, 4am to 5am, there were only about 25 people left in the venue, and some of them were locals who had turned up for a late drink. Never mind, perhaps the numbers will be up for the Easter one.

Saturday night was probably the main reason the numbers were down at The Marrs Bar, because it was the last Middleton allnighter of the year, and not only that, but the last Middleton allnighter at the old Civic Hall. The next one will be held in the brand new building just across the road, called The Middleton Arena by all accounts.




Anyway, I was up there early in time for a couple of pints in the pub across the road, and then it was back to set the record stall up on the balcony. I have to say it was a huge attendance, with people from all over the country turning up for this one, so it was nice to see so many friends out having a good time. As usual, Andy McCabe had booked all his resident DJs, and tried to get everyone who had guested over the year back as well, so there were over 40 DJs across the three rooms.

I was paired up with Roger Banks for an hour of double decking at 12.45am, and here's what I played as my contribution:

Joanne Courcy – I Got The Power – Twirl
Theresa Lyndsey – Prepared To Love You – Magic City
Larry Banks & Jaibi – My Life Is No Better – Unreleased GWP
Bobby Freeman – Swing Me – Unreleased Autumn
Johnny Robinson – Gone But Not Forgotten - Okeh
Frank Dell – He Broke Your Game Wide Open – Valise
Jack Montgomery – Baby Baby Take A Chance On Me - Revue

It was at this point that we had Robbo acting as cheerleader on the stage in front of the decks, I'm not saying he likes the tune, but he wasn't half giving it some !

Bettye Lavette – (Happiness Will Cost You) One Thin Dime – Unreleased Scepter
Magnetics – I Have A Girl – Ra-Sel
Hyperions – Why You Wanna Treat Me Like You Do - Chattahoochie
Troy Dodds – Try My Love – El Camino
Jimmy Wallace – I'll Be Back - Alpha

The final record we played was Jimmy Wallace, and although technically it was Roger's copy that was going round on the decks, we officially shared the last play because I had also got it pulled up in my DJ box to play as the last one, it was just so funny to see us both standing there with a copy in our hands.



A very busy night, with some great music played, that in fairness crossed the whole spectrum of what is now called Northern Soul, so a thoroughly good night was had by all.

I stayed right to the end again, and then Johnny Weston gave me a lift home.

That brings me to the last night of the year, New Years Eve, and as Woody was DJing at The Oakley Country Club Allnighter, that's where we went. Woody and Lou picked us up and off we went into the countryside near Wolverhampton. They had a discussion about who was going to drive back on the way, with both of them saying they weren't going to drive because they both wanted a drink. Margie and I just sat in the back keeping out of it !

I'd never been to this venue before so was pleasantly surprised to find it's really nice. Quite a lot of seating, a reasonable size dancefloor, and a reasonably priced bar. Which Woody put to good use, drinking three pints in the first hour, so that settled who was driving home ! Lou wasn't quite the happy little bunny she normally is !

It was fairly quiet when we arrived, and I would guess a good 50% of the crowd in were from down South, and by that I mean as far away as Essex, Letchworth, and even Bournemouth ! However, by the time Woody hit the decks it was filling up nicely and he managed to get the dancefloor moving. With it being New Year, I'd dressed a little bit smarter than usual, so Margie, Lou, Toby, and several others amused themselves by taking the mickey over the fact that I was wearing trousers not jeans. Ah well, if it kept them happy !



Several times I was asked what time I was DJing, and when I explained I wasn't DJing, or even selling records, a couple of people expressed surprise that I was there, I explained that I actually like the music, and don't only attend venues I'm DJing at, which in some quarters caused even more surprise (Not that I like the music, the fact that I attend venues I'm not DJing at)

Midnight arrived in a shower of party poppers kindly provided by the club, and all of a sudden it was 2009.

People kept on arriving right through the next couple of hours, especially as the Soul nights at Broadlanes and Alsager had finished around 1.30am, and by the time we left at around 3.30am the place was heaving with probably getting on for 200 people having a good time. There was also a Modern room, but I only ventured in there once, and I have to admit it was very quiet with only a couple of people dancing. I left quite quickly.

I certainly enjoyed myself at The Oakley nighter, and apparently Swoz is going to run the allnighters on a more regular basis, so I know we'll be back.

That just leaves me to say, Soul wise, 2008 was a great year. Some venues fell by the wayside, which wasn't a bad thing, certainly by the middle of the year it seemed that there were more venues than punters ! Other venues just carried on regardless, busy, booking good DJs, with good numbers through the doors, and some new venues came into their own. Sadly I said goodbye to the magazine version of Soulful Kinda Music after 19 years, but the website is still going strong, and I've got a couple of other projects planned for this year.

As I said, I've had a great year, so I'd just like to say thanks to Johnny Weston for the adventures, Woody and Lou for the company and lifts, all the promoters who booked me to DJ, and of course all the people who danced when I did DJ.

Finally, I want to say thanks to my wife Margie, she's put up with me for another year, and even attended a lot of venues herself this year, and that's a big part of what made it a good year. So from spending years out on my own whilst she stayed in looking after the two lads, I've now reached the stage where if Margie doesn't come out I miss her company, so I guess you'll see a lot more of us in 2009, especially as she's now passed her driving test !

Happy New Year everyone !

"it's Nothing Personal..........but......."

Posted by Dave Rimmer, Oct 27 08, 06:40 PM

It's ages since I did anything for my blog, so I thought I'd better pull my finger out and get typing. So, why's this one called "It's nothing personal". You'll have to wait and see on that !

Friday night I was booked to DJ at the Central Soul Club in Nottingham, and as Jellybean was also booked, and she lives about three miles from me, I scrounged a lift with her and Martin.

We arrived in Nottingham, and Martin found the venue first time, even though it did appear to be on an industrial site. That was possibly because it was on an industrial site. The Central Soul club is based in 'Bugman's Bar', which is the bar and function room at the Warhammer complex. Now in case you've never heard of Warhammer I can tell you that they are a company that make models for wargames, mostly set in a sort of Gothic future world, with lots of different tribes of fantasy figures (My two sons both dabbled at one time). So the venue itself was done out in a sort of medieval fashion with lots of dark wood, and a huge wooden chandelier handing from the ceiling.

A large bar, seating around the edge on a raised dias, and an area with better lighting for the record dealers, with a wooden dancefloor in the middle gives you the picture. For the smokers amongst us there was also a heated balcony.

I'd been looking forward to this night for a while because I've got lots of friends in Nottingham, some of whom I don't see very often, and they had said they were all going to turn out for the night. They did as well, first and foremost, Wilko turned up with Janet, and it was probably the first time I'd seen either of them for three years.

Andy Murfin was also there with Frank Giacobbe (Hope that's spelt right) both of whom I hadn't seen for a couple of years, and loads of other people that I see infrequently.

(Thanks to Martin for the photo)

There was even a contingent of about ten from the West Midlands as well.

So, how did the night go ? Well it was mostly Oldies, but not particularly played out Oldies, so all in all it was a rather enjoyable night. Rather than list my DJ spot, I thought I'd list Jellybean's, so here it is:

Tommy Neal - Going In To An Happening
Kim Weston - I'm Still Loving You
Ivorys - Please Stay
Garland Green - Ain't That Good Enough
O'jays - I'll Never Forget You
Mikki Farrow - Could It Be
Volumes - You Got It Baby
Olympics - I'll Do A Little Bit More
Patti & The Emblems - I'm Gonna Love You A Long Long Time
Karen Sue - Something's On My Mind
Constellations - I Didn't Know How To
Commands - Hey Its Love
Andrea Henry - I Need You Like A Baby
Fontella Bass - My Good Loving
Capitols - Don't Say Maybe Baby
Theresa Lindsey - I'll Bet You
Al Gardner - Sweet Baby

I played a mixture of things that I knew would fill the floor, with a few things I thought would be new to people, and it all worked because the dancefloor didn't empty at all.

So my thanks to the Central Soul Club for the booking and Martin and Helen for the lift.

Saturday morning was the first match in the Rugby League World Cup, so I was up early to watch England play Papua New Guinea. After a few scares, England emerged victorious, so that set the day off to a good start.

Saturday night was of course The 100 Club. So I met up with Woody and John Weston at Snow Hill station just before 5pm to get the train down to London.

We managed to get a group of seats together and as the train pulled out opened the first can of the day. The train stopped at Moor Street station, and you would think Christmas shopping had started early because it filled up completely with hoards of women laden down with multitudes of shopping bags. Fortunately the fourth seat of our table was taken by a rather attractive young girl. Eye candy for the journey I thought (Sexist I know, but she was pretty !) Across the aisle from me a lady of more advanced years started telling me how she had just had a fall and hurt her arm. I can see you are thinking what on earth is he waffling about ? Well it's only relevant when you hear what happened later.

Woody had only brought a couple of cans of lager with him, so was slightly miffed to say the least when John's carrier bag slid across the table and knocked his first can over. Not only did he manage to soak himself catching it, but he also soaked the table and splashed some on the eye candy.

Spilling beer ? It's just not the done thing is it ! It got worse though when John opened his next can. To say it was lively would be the understatement of the year ! I got some, Woody got some, the eye candy got some, and even the old dear across the aisle from me got some. Which was a real shame, because as I've already mentioned, she'd hurt her arm and couldn't even wipe it off.

We were almost at Warwick by this time, and the train emptied out a far bit, so that's when the eye candy moved seats, saying "I think I'll move over here, it's nothing personal, but…….." I can't say I blame her really, especially as Woody promptly dropped his second can of lager all over the table !!

I was helpless with laughter by this point, and to be fair, so was the eye candy who had literally just moved seats.

We arrived in London without any further mishaps, and taxied it to The Blue Posts just round the corner from The 100 Club. I can't recommend this pub enough as a meeting point for a drink pre 100 Club. It's conveniently just round the corner, sells good quality Samuel Smiths beer, and a £1.86 a pint for bitter, is probably the cheapest pint anywhere in central London.

The Money's, The Toby's and quite a few others rolled up over the next couple of hours, (and it was nice to meet Andy and Lauren from Hitchen FC where I'm DJing on the 29^th November, (Plug plug) and then it was time to drink up and move on to The 100 Club

Although the 100 Club started an hour later than usual (at 11pm) the clocks went back at 2am, so there was an extra hour tacked onto the end. It was a good job as well because I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of the spots played by the DJ's. I think musically it was probably the best night of the year for me, and a few others judging by the Event Lookbacks on Soul-Source.

Residents Butch, Keith, and Ady all played excellent spots, mixing rarities with unknowns, with unreleased things, and the odd Oldie, but it was the two guests who complimented them so well that made the night for me. Pete Hullat (Standing in for Mick Smith who was off robbing trains again in Mexico) is a classic Oldies DJ, but when I say he has a collection of the big rare Oldies that would make anyone jealous, I'm not joking. Big record after big record, they just kept on coming. Top spot that man !

Kitch was the other guest DJ, and he played a blinder, especially his second spot. I don't know whether it's through his own choice, but Kitch, whilst having a sterling reputation as a collector, doesn't seem to DJ anywhere near often enough. So bear that in mind if you're a promoter looking for a quality DJ.

It certainly must have been a good night for Johnny Weston, he'd worn his little legs down to stumps, and just had to have a quiet snooze on the large flightcase by the Gents toilet. (Sorry about the quality of the picture, but it was taken using my phone). It wasn't a bad idea, until Melv realised that the flightcase was on wheels, and just launched John out into the 100 Club lying flat on his back on the flightcase.



It was almost the end of the night when this happened, and fortunately John managed to stay out of trouble until we ventured up onto Oxford Street at 7am, just in time to put our watches back to 6am. A lift was procured by John, and we arrived back at Marylebone in good time for the train home.

All told, it was another fabulous weekend, with lots of laughs with good friends, and most of all, some great Northern Soul !

What Does Seagull Taste Like ?

Posted by Dave Rimmer, Aug 25 08, 12:21 PM

It's really strange. I was in Worcester last night for the Marrs Bar 6^th Anniversary allnighter, and there are seagulls all over the place in the town centre, and you're miles from the sea. Great big things ! At least as big as a chicken, so I was just wondering what they tasted like if you cooked one ?

Ah well, back to the night in question. Pete Robinson has been running the Marrs Bar allnighters for, fairly obviously as it was the sixth anniversary, six years now, and despite some ups and downs with the numbers, and changing from Saturdays to Bank Holiday Sundays, I've always enjoyed myself. This time was no different.

Arriving by train I wandered round the corner into The Postal Order pub, to find Swoz already ensconced at the bar, he'd been on the same train as me, but I hadn't noticed. We were soon joined by Jok and Pete for a couple, and then it was off to the club to set up.

Pete has a policy of allowing anyone who wants to DJ to have a go, and usually books three people for the first two hours, this time was no different and here's the line up for the night:

8 till 8.40 Jok
8.40 till 9.20 The Soul grocer Adam
9.20 till 10 Toby
10 till 11 Dave Rimmer
11 till 12 Kev Murphy
12 till 1 Des Parker
1 till 2 Eddie Hubbard
2 till 3 Neil Rushton
3 till 4 Sean Chapman
4 till 5 The Fez
5 till 6 Molly

I actually paid a fair bit of attention to what was being played last night, and was able to work out who was playing what, so here's a very quick rundown on the different spots.

Jok - A real nice mixture of uptempo R & B and hard driving Soul, nothing particularly rare, but the guy has got taste so played some great obscure things

Adam - Disco bunny ! Well, no, he only played one track which was out and out Disco, the rest were much like Jok's set. Classy Soul and R & B.

Toby - One or two tasty Detroit items got to grace the decks during Toby's spot, and I enjoyed it so much I let him carry on for an extra ten minutes.

Me - Pete's policy is that the resident DJs fit either end of the line up to allow the guests the main spots, great policy, and as I did the last spot at the last one, I was on early duties this time. Quite a few people had started to arrive by now, so it was a case of play some Oldies, and get them dancing. So that's what I did. Here's the playlist in roughly the right sort of order:

Edward Hamilton - I'm Gonna Love You - Carrie
The Fuller Brothers - Times A Wasting - Soul Clock
Cooperettes - Shing-A-Ling - Brunswick
Johnny Sayles - I Can't Get Enough - St Lawrence
Clarence Jackson - If It Don't Fit Don't Force It - Valtone
The Metros - Since I Found My Baby - RCA Victor
Joanne Courcy - I've Got The Power - Twirl
Valentinos - Sweeter Than The Day Before - Chess
Edwin Starr - Back Street - Ric-Tic
The Enchantments - I'm In Love With Your Daughter - Faro
Soul Brothers Six - Some Kind Of Wonderful - Atlantic
Jack Montgomery - My Dear Beloved - Scepter
Doni Burdick - Bari Track - Sound Impression
Darrow Fletcher - The Pain Gets A Little Deeper - Groovy
James Robbins - I Can't Please You - Mica
Ted Taylor - Somebody's Always Trying - Okeh
Betty O'Brien - She'll Be Gone - Liberty
Don Gardner - My Baby Loves To Boogaloo - Try-Glo-Town
The Five Royales - Catch That Teardrop - Home Of The Blues

Kev Murphy - Kev was actually on holiday, and quite handily was staying in Malvern, close enough to come and do a cracking set of big rare Oldies. Just love that Del-Tours.

Des Parker - Des can quite happily change his spot to suit the room, and although he did play one or two interesting unknowns (To me anyway), it was certainly a case of keeping the dancefloor happy this time

Eddie Hubbard - I've not heard Eddie DJ that often before, but am well aware of his reputation as a collector, and wasn't surprised to hear some top quality Sixties Northern Soul hitting the decks.

Neil Rushton - Despite his well earned reputation as a top Soulful House DJ, Neil proved that his Sixties collection is still pretty good, and although I didn't check, I'd guess that a fair few were on mint UK labels as well.

Sean Chapman - What can I say. I know he's spent a lot of money recently, and it showed. Rarity after rarity hit the decks in one of the best spots I've heard Sean play.

Pete Robinson - Tommy Cooper couldn't have played a spot like this, it was magic though !

Molly - Finishing the night off. I must admit I left halfway through Molly's spot to catch the first train home, but he was doing a very creditable job of keeping the dancefloor full when I left.

Overall, this time was more Oldies than the previous few, but as the crowd wanted to dance to Oldies, that's what they got. And it isn't a criticism of the DJs either (Let's face it, I played all Oldies), They were being asked to entertain the crowd, and that's what they did. Although numbers were down from the last one, this was the third allnighter in the country in three nights, plus several alldayers as well over the Bank Holiday weekend, so it was mainly a Midlands crowd. That said, there is always a sprinkling of travelers, and it was nice to see so many people enjoying themselves and creating a cracking atmosphere.

Lionel won the Fancy Dress prize (He wins it every time because there's only him that turns up in Fancy Dress !). This time he had managed to get hold of a Pimp suit. Black satin with pink leopard skin trimming, the big hat as well, and a cane ! What a star.

Tabs wins the 'Headbutt The Road' prize ! As I was leaving he was outside chatting and went to lean on a car behind him that wasn't actually there. Over he went, headbutted the road, and picked himself up muttering. Sorry mate I shouldn't laugh, but I'm going to, again, it was funny though !

Happily trains run to a normal schedule on Bank Holiday Mondays, so I was able to get the six o'clock train, and be home before eight, another good night over and the next one to look forward to on Boxing day.

That's A Nice Hat

Posted by Dave Rimmer, Jul 13 08, 09:59 AM

It was with a certain amount of trepidation that I went to Bishops Wood Soul night last night. You see it was also the Catacombs Revival at Soulvation the same night, and you know what the Midlands is like for Oldies. So I was a little concerned about how busy it would be.

I was wrong though, it turned out to be one of the best night's I've had this year.

Col and Gaye Kidson, and Larry Mc have been running this venue since the middle of last year, and have pretty much alternated between Soul nights and allnighters. I managed to get to the first Soul night, but have always been DJing somewhere else since. Tonight was different because I was DJing at Bishops Wood.

Col and Gaye picked me up, on time, and we even arrived at the venue before Larry who had the keys. (Which, if you know Col, is an amazing start to the evening anyway!) The equipment was already in the venue so it was just a case of wait for the bar to open (And when it did they were selling an excellent pint of Pedigree), and wait for the punters to arrive.

Two minutes after the door opened, in walked the Shutes (Happy Birthday Angela) and Mandy, and people just kept on coming in a steady flow. By the end of the night I guess there were around 60 to 70 people in. Thing is though, it wasn't the numbers that made it a good night, it was who those people were.

Since the Lea Manor in Albrighton went all Modern, and closed down, and Bretby Country Club was demolished, the people who made them such great fun places have been to a certain degree wandering around venues looking for a new home. We never all seemed to be at the same venue at the same time. It looks as though Bishops Wood could be the place though.

A clean, smart, village hall, with a good dancefloor, seat to one side and a bar area for record dealers, and a music policy that isn't just stomping Oldies. Sounds good doesn't it. Throw in people like Johnny Weston, Woody and Lou, John Pugh, Kenny Onions, Mel and Pat, Johnny Fingers and Kenny, Ganche, and all the other friends I spoke to last night and you'll see why we had such a good laugh.

Gaye started the night off DJing, and I must admit although you can hear the music in the record bar, I didn't pay much attention and was to busy chatting, to be able to tell you what she played. Col followed her, and played some really tasty Sixties things, even arranging for the fuses to blow during his last record so that he could stay on the decks a bit longer !

I DJ'ed between 10pm and 11pm, and here's what I played:

Betty Everett - I've Got A Claim On You - One-Derful
Gladys Tyler - Mr Green Mrs Green - Decca
Dorothy & The Hesitations - Trying To Work A Plan - Jamie
Marion James - That's My Man - Excello
The Idols - Just A Little Bit More - Reveille
Bobby Bland - Sweet Lips Of Joy - Duke LP
Frank Dell - He Broke Your Game Wide Open - Valise
Jack Montgomery - Baby Baby Take A Chance Of Me - Revue
Marge Dodson - Be Your Baby - Decca
Caressors - I Can't Stay Away - Ru-Jac
Larry Banks & Jaibi - My Life Is No Better - Unreleased GWP
Douglas Gibson - Run For Your Life - Tangerine
Brooks Brothers - Looking For A Woman - Tay
Bobby Freeman - Swing Me - Unreleased Autumn
Satisfactions - Take It Or Leave It - Smash
Earl Lewis - She Blew My Mind - Rare Bird
Elbie Parker - Please Keep Away From Me - Veep
Magnetics - I Have A Girl - Ra-Sel
Rose St John - I Know The Meaning - Veep
Mill Evans - Why Why Why - King
Andrea Henry - I Need You Like A Baby - MGM
Trends - Not Too Old To Cry - ABC Paramount
Gwenn Douglass - The Picture - Michelle

Gary Holiman followed me, and mixed it up nicely by starting with a few Seventies and then a few even more recent things. Larry Mc finished the night off, and again, I wasn't paying much attention by this time.

Meanwhile, back at the go go, Lou and Gaye had gravitated onto bottles of wine rather than glasses, more of that later.

The intention was to go onto Middleton after my spot, but a combination of my tiredness (It's only the second Saturday this year that I've not done a niter), and Margie not fancying a niter either meant we stayed at Bishops Wood until the end. And I mean the end ! The music finished at 1 am, and to me this is always a sign that people have enjoyed the night, we just stood around chatting for another 45 minutes. It isn't a problem at Bishops Wood either, there are no bouncers trying to get the building emptied, simply because Larry Mc has the keys to the building and locks up when everyone has gone.

So, we go out to the car, and the fresh air hits Lou (Mind you Gaye wasn't much better !) and we realise just how much wine she has drunk. Claiming she felt sick, the only thing we could find in case she was sick was Woody's hard hat. So Lou wore it all the way home. Margie and I sat in the back of the car with tears streaming down our faces. At least Woody knows Lou loves him she must have told him at least ten times……"Woody, I love you !" Sorry the photo isn't the best quality, but it was taken using my phone.

It had been a great night, good music, good beer, happy smiling faces, a night spent enjoying ourselves with friends. So, the next allnighter is on August 2^nd, and as far as I know, it's the only allnighter in the country that night. I can't recommend this place enough, so if you want a good night out, get yourself down to Bishops Wood.

Cleethorpes 2008 (and The Quiz Answers)

Posted by Dave Rimmer, Jun 10 08, 05:27 AM

It's 6:30 on the Tuesday morning, I've been up for an hour, and I'm suffering from the usual alcohol withdrawal symptons, and interrupted sleep patterns that usually follow a weekender, so what better time to do the blog !

Friday morning that nice Mr Weston arrived on time to pick me up, we loaded the car and set off for sunny Cleethorpes. It was raining hard when we got there mind you. So we had to shelter out of the rain somewhere didn't we. A couple of pints in the Modern room and we crossed the road to the Trawlerman pub to meet up with Toby and Mandy. Being sensible people (We'd only had two pints at this stage) we sat where we could see the reception door on the site, so we could see when the queue started to form to book in. Being even more sensible people we stayed in the pub when it did because it was still raining !

About an hour later John and I decided to go and book in. I left the pub and thought John was right behind me, it turned out that he'd seen someone he knew and stopped to talk to them, so I went and booked in on my own.

Sharon was behind the desk with Ady (Congratulations to Ady and Donna on the birth of their son last week as well), and this year she actually recognised me. (Last year she thought I was Dean Anderson, who doesn't have a beard, doesn't wear glasses, and happens to be black). That sorted, it was back into the bar to have a couple more beers.

Word reached me that John Weston had been thrown out of the pub (How does he do it, we'd only been there three hours ?) It turns out there had been a little bit of an altercation involving his testicles, and a fall, into the queue of people waiting for food, so he was asked to leave.

Still being sensible, I went for something to eat, and then collected my DJ box because I was doing the opening spot of the weekend. I can normally remember what I played the day after, but this was a weekender, and copious amounts of alcohol and lack of sleep mean I have no idea whatsoever, so no playlists this time. However, i was obviously doing something right because I managed to leave a healthly full floor for Sue and Manda who followed me.

I opened up the stall and spent the next hour or so just chatting to people who I hadn't seen for a while (Including an exceeding drunk Jessica, who had no recollection of the conversation at all the following day). Margie had arrived by now with Woody and Lou, so she spent the next hour wandering off saying hello to friends. I found it quite funny this year, in the past she has always complained that I used to wander off to chat to people and leave her on her own. This year it was the other way round and I wouldn't see her for ages and then she would appear demanding "DRINK". I blame those Rugby girls !



Mick Smith did the first of his seven spots of the weekend at 11:15pm, and managed to do all seven of them pissed as a monkey ! Not bad going for an old man ! Roger Banks hosted the dancing competition, but I didn't see any of it, so have no idea who won that either. And as sales in the Record Bar were slow, as it turned out they were slow all weekend, I eventually packed everything up and went off to bed at about 4:30am.



If you have read previous accounts of weekenders you'll know that we don't give John Weston a key to the caravan because he either loses them, or forgets he's got them and knocks on the door anyway. He eventually arrived back an hour after the niter finished, and I was awake, so all was well.

I was back at Midday to open the stall up, and the usual process of chatting and drinking went on. Jessica arrived, and asked if we'd spoken last night ? I did mention that she was drunk didn't I ? This year our conversation again covered a variety of subjects, but featured sheep shearing (Last year it was castrating lambs).

Margie, Lou, and Viv Mills had gone into Cleethorpes shopping, and returned with food, so I packed up early and went to eat.

Saturday night, and the live acts were faultless. Right from the very first song to the very last song. Karime Kendra opened up with her own band, the Killer Meters. For those who don't know, she is the daughter of Ty Karim, and although she was clearly nervous at the start of the first song, the huge grin which lit her face up at the end of it showed that all her nerves were gone. Not only does she sing with passion and Soul on more contemporary songs, but she also sounds just like her mother when performing her songs. She did a wonderful set, and almost stole the show. If people like Duffy and Amy Winehouse can get into the charts doing 'Retro-Soul' songs, Karime could kill them both stone dead with the right promotion, and I'm sure we'll hear more of her.



Frank Dell clearly isn't a showman, but with that rich as treacle voice, who the hell cares ! 'He Broke Your Game Wide Open' has always been one of my favourite songs, and I never, ever thought I would get the opportunity to hear it sung live, so big thanks to Ady for sorting that one. Gigi & The Charmaines really did the business, and it showed on their faces how much they enjoyed the show themselves. Consumate professionals, who knew what they were doing they really did give the performance of their lives. I would honestly say that all three of the acts this year combined to produce the best show there has been at a Cleethorpes weekender, it was that good.




Lou had a good night as well because when she fell of her chair it took two people to get her back up again, but I lasted until about 5:30am this year, and staggered off to my bed, happy.



Sunday, the best day of the weekender for me personally, and it started with Triple A Kenny doing a really good spot for the first hour. I had to laugh though, Sian from Rugby had managed to leave her shoes behind on the Saturday night. (This is not the first time it's happened believe me !) so went and asked at the bar if they had found any shoes. They produced two pairs, so Sian said she would take them both because the other pair belonged to Denise from Rugby as well. So out of the thousand people there, only two managed to leave their shoes behind, and they were both mates and from Rugby !



Onto this years Soul Mastermind Quiz. Roger Banks and I compose the questions between us, and this year we thought they were fairly easy. It turns out we were wrong judging by the answers that were handed in. As a special treat for the entrants this year the quiz sheets that were handed out by Tracy were all printed on A3 paper, and everyone got a really big pencil to write the answers with. (And when I say a really big pencil, I mean a really big pencil, they were a foot long !) You have to feel sorry for Tabs though, he brought his back because it wouldn't work. Once I'd explained that you had to take the plastic cover off the end he got the general idea ! As with prevous years the usual mayhem ran throughout the quiz. Roger and I might be sober when we wrote the questions (Well I was anyway), but by 2:45 we'd both had seven or eight pints, and a couple more each during the quiz itself. Let me tell you, it gets messy up on that stage sometimes during the quiz. I'm not sure who won the quiz either because Roger and I had left Ady to it by then. I do know that the Hinckly lads who were actually DJing at the time won the booby prize which Roger had found behind the stage. I'm not sure why they didn't want the Christmas tree, but it was still there that night, so we tried giving it away as a prize in the Fancy Dress competition.

In response to all the people who asked me what the answers were on the Sunday night night, I've included all the questions and the answers at the end of the blog here. My apologies to anyone who asked me about specific questions on the Sunday night, I'd stopped being a sensible person well before then and was lucky if I could remember the question, never mind the answer !

Sunday night, party night, and Roger and I had the first two hour spot. I really enjoy driinking, sorry DJing, with Roger because we have very similar tastes in music so we work well together. On a least four occasions one of us would play a record, and the other one would put their copy back in their box unplayed. The two hours went past really quickly and soon it was time for us to leave the stage. We gave a final plug for the Christmas tree as a prize, and left before the fancy dress competition started.

There weren't many entrants this year, and I must admit, yet again, I have no idea who won (I must pay more attention, there were four competitions all weekend and I have no idea who won any of them) My own personal choice as winner would have to have been Denise from Rugby in her latex batgirl costume, with those thight length boots. More than one bloke I spoke to that night said "She'd have to keep the costume on" (Think about it !). In fact I tried to persuade Simsy, who was giving Denise and Kylee a lift home the following day that he should refuse to let them into the car unless they had the costumes on (Kylee was also dressed in a latex Batgirl costume).



Onto the DJ competition. This year it was musical statues again. Not too hard you'd have thought, but the better you do, the longer you have to dance, and by the time I'd danced to three records I was completely shagged ! I can't remember the last time I danced to three consecutive records, so I voluntarily surrendered rather than be knocked out. One day I'll get that Dougie back !

The rest of the night has disappeared into a hazy blur, and I didn't even make it to the end of the night, leaving about fifteen minutes before the end, but I gather the usual attempts to drown Soulies went on at the end of the night.

I have to say this was the best Cleethorpes for several years as far as I was concerned. Numbers were down overall on previous years, but the atmosphere was there in bucketfulls, and the fun side was as good as ever. So I'll finish by saying thanks to those whose company I enjoyed over the course of the weekend, and a big, big thanks to Ady and all the others who helped him for giving us such a great time.

Here are the Quiz questions and answers:

2008 Cleethorpes Weekender Soul Mastermind Quiz

1. Kim Tolliver recorded two albums during her career. One was released under her own name, what name was the other one released under

Kimberley Briggs - 1 Point

2. Three different groups called The Magnetics have all recorded records that have become major hits on the Northern Scene. Name the three labels ?
Play Magnetics

Ra-Sel
Sable
Bonnie - 3 Points

3. Lou Bert Music was a collaboration of which two singer/songwriters ?
Clue: One of them has appeared here

Lou Courtney
Dennis Lambert - 2 Points

4. Name 3 artists they wrote for (Soul or Pop) ?

Mary Wells
Lorraine Ellison
Carl Hall
Lesley Gore
Freddie & The Dreamers - 3 Points

5. Who owned and operated Roulette Records ?

Morris Levy - 1 Point

6. As an estimate, how many drunks will there be in the swimming pool later tonight
Name them !

Give them a point whatever they put - 1 Point
2 Points if they put Ady Croasdell first.

7. You might recognise this track by the Tempests.
Here’s the answer - 10 - What was the question
Play Tempests

How many members in the group - 1 Point

8. Who fronted/took lead vocals on the Webs recordings

Willie Cooper - 1 Point

9. Chattahoochee Records have a slogan on the label. What is it ?

‘Solid As Rock’ - 1 Point

10. Marvin Jones recorded four singles for four different labels. What name were the singles all released under

Jack Montgomery - 1 Point

11. Bob-A-Lou Music was a collaboration of which two famous writers ?
Clue: One was the answer to question 3

Robert Bateman
Lou Courtney - 2 Points

12. How many pens do we get back after the quiz ?
A: 20
B: 1-10
C: A Few
D: None

A, B, C, or D - 1 Point

13. The O’Jays were from Philadelphia, but in which city was ‘I’ll Never Forget You’ recorded ?
Play O’Jays

Detroit - 1 Point

14. Who were the arrangers on Spyder Turner’s ‘I Can’t Make It Anymore’ ?
Clue - One of them has been here.

Mike Theodore
Dennis Coffey - 2 Points

15. Blue Eyed R & B Soulsters
The answer is Pennsylvania - What was the question, and who were the group ?
Play Magnificent Men

Where do they come from
Magnificent Men - 2 Points

16. What colour label did the early Chicago label Abner appear on ?

Black/Silver issues
Red/White Demos
Maroon/Silver issues - 1 Point for each answer

17. How many singles did The Fiestas release on Old Town Records between 1959 and 1965 ?
Was it Ten, Twelve, Fifteen, or Twenty ?
Play Fiestas

Fifteen - 1 Point

18. Major Harris’s father, and grandfather were also christened Major. What did he christen his son ?

Major - 1 Point

19. Frank Dell ‘aka’ ‘Big Frank’ (Murphy) covered a Tami Lynn rarity. What was it called and what ws the flip ?

You My Love / It’s All Over But The Pain - 2 Points

20. This is a funked up Philly recording of a Motown song. Who is it by, and who recorded it originally
Play The Ambassadors

The Ambassadors
Tammi Terrell - 2 Points

Two Days, Two Spots, Ten Miles, And A World Apart

Posted by Dave Rimmer, May 4 08, 04:26 PM

It’s been a really busy weekend for me this time, DJ spots on the Friday and Saturday nights. Both of which were geographically only ten miles away from each other. So how did I clock up nearly three hundred and fifty miles over the weekend ?
Well, Friday I went up to Culcheth to DJ at The Soulful Shack, ‘Birthday Boys Special’. My parents still live in Culcheth, so it was a nice way to get to see them, celebrate my Birthday, and spin a few tunes.

The Soulful Shack is actually held in the British Legion (Which has been renamed The Phoenix Bar “Rave On”), and is run by Mike Hawkins and Steve Longworth (It was Mike’s Birthday this weekend as well.) Their music policy is quite clear: Quality 60’s Soul, R &B, and some Popcorn thrown into the mix as well. And the night certainly didn’t disappoint on that score.

The other two guests, Steve Crooks (Who was the third DJ celebrating a Birthday this weekend !!) and Bram Breeze, certainly started the night off with the musical agenda fixed firmly in their minds. Steve and Mike also hammered out some great stuff as well.

Now, I’ll be honest. Not all of the tracks were to my taste, in fact I think some of them strayed a little bit to far into the Rock and Roll genre, and there was quite a few tracks of what has become known as ‘Tumbleweed’. But that’s a minor criticism. The vast majority of the tracks played before my spot were hard R & B, and I must have heard more records I didn’t know in one night than I have for a long time, which is a huge plus !

Numbers were quite low, but that didn’t stop the dancers being enthusiastic, and there were a lot of travellers from outside the North West as well as some from fairly local places. Derek and Janet Whatmough being one such couple, and Derek insisted on taking me outside to show me the spare wheel cover on his small truck ! It did impress me though, so much that I took a picture with my phone, hence the poorer than usual quality of the picture.

Here’s what I played between 11 and 12 pm in roughly the right order.

Bobby Freeman - Swing Me - Unreleased Autumn
James Crawford - If You Don't Work You Can't Eat - Mercury
Renee Perri - I Aim To Please - Soulville
Brooks Brothers - Looking For A Woman - Tay
Caressors - I Can't Stay Away - Ru-Jac
Troy Dodds - The Real Thing - El Camino
Kent Meade - Funky To Me - MC
Bettye Lavette - Happiness Will Cost You One Thin Dime - Unreleased Scepter
Jimmy Lewis - Let Me Know - Minit
Daniel E Skidmore III - Little Old Groovemaker - Parkway
Reatha Reese - Only Lies - Dot
Roy Wright - Hook Line & Sinker - Mica
Bobby Baskerville - Gotcha Where I Wancha - Dot
Idols Just A Little But More - Reveille
Bobby Bland - Sweet Lips Of Joy - Duke LP
Ted Taylor - Miss You So - Ronn
Al Apollo - I'm Walking - Cub
Douglas Banks - Ain't That Just Like A Woman - Guyden
Carlena Weaver - Jealousy - Audel
Tommy Dodson III - Co-Operate - Main Sound
Johnny K Killens - Frenchy The Tickler - Deep City
Larry Banks & Jaibi - My Life Is No Better - Unreleased GWP
Magnetics - I Have A Girl - Ra-Sel
Gwenn Douglass - The Picture - Michelle

Jock gave me and Margie a lift back to my parents for free B & B (It was less than half a mile away), and then we caught the train back home on Saturday morning.

Steve and Mike are trying to get a night that is a little bit different going here, they are both enthusiastic collectors and DJs, and have decided that they are going to stick to their guns with the music policy rather than going down the Oldies route. They deserve support, so if you fancy a night a little bit different, The Soulful Shack is the place to be.

Saturday night, and I should have been DJing at Stafford Rangers. However, Shute, the promoter was hospitalized last month with a brain aneurism. Obviously the night at Stafford was cancelled, but the good news is that Shute is now home and recuperating.

The intention was to DJ at Stafford and then go back up to the North West to DJ at the inaugural New Century Soul allnighter at Maximes in Wigan to DJ there. As it was Woody and Lou picked us up to head up the motorway straight to Wigan.

We arrived around 11pm, just as Chris Waterman was getting out of his car. There were a few others arriving so we all went round the corner to a little boozer called Hartley’s Emporium. Great little boozer as well, free juke box, full of Northern Soul, cheap beer (In fact it was Banks’s bitter, which is brewed in Wolverhampton, so what I want to know is how come it was cheaper to buy a pint of Banks’s in Wigan than it is in Wolverhampton ?)

The only down side was there was only one barmaid serving, and an influx of about twenty thirsty Soulies meant service wasn’t the quickest, but she worked hard for her money that night.

At midnight there was a quite healthy queue forming outside Maximes, something you only really see at The 100 Club these days. I dragged the sales stuff up two flights of stairs to find Chris had set all the dealers up along one side of the room. I never went to Maximes back in the Eighties, in fact I’d never been before, but I’m reliably told the layout has hardly changed, but there has been some modernization work done, and the toilets were spotless, again, the beer was reasonably priced for a town centre club, the only downside being they didn’t do tea and coffee (For Margie and Lou of course).

The first two spots, from Steve Pownell and The Soul Twins set the place off to a cracking start. Uptempo Oldies, the faster the better. By 1am there was a very healthy crowd in, and the dancefloor was getting busier all the time.

I went on at 2am, something to do with Mick Lyons wanting the 3am spot. No problem, I’ll do any spot, and enjoy doing it as well.

Here’s what I played, 2am to 3am, again in roughly the right sort of order:

Johnny Sayles - I Can’t Get Enough (Of Your Love) - St Lawrence
Ike & Tina Turner - Dust My Broom - Tangerine
Ted Taylor - Somebody’s Always Trying - Okeh
Mickie Champion - What Good Am I - Musette
Betty O’Brien - She’ll Be Gone - Liberty
The Idols - Just A Little Bit More - Reveille
Betty Everett - I’ve Got A Claim On You - One-Derful
Joanne Courcy - I Got The Power - Twirl
Frank Dell - He Broke Your Game Wide Open - Valise
Caressors - I Can’t Stay Away - Ru-Jac
Vondells - Hey Girl (You’ve Changed) - Airtown
Hyperions - Why You Wanna Treat Me Like You Do - Chattahoochie
Brooks Brothers - Looking For A Woman - Tay
Johnny K Killens - Frenchy The Tickler - Deep City
Magnetics - I Have A Girl - Ra-Sel
Satisfactions - Take It Or Leave It - Smash
Cavaliers - Hold Onto My Baby - RCA Victor
Valentinos - Sweeter Than The Day Before - Chess
International G.T.O.S - I Love My Baby - Rojac
Cooperettes - Shing-A-Ling - Brunswick
David And Ruben - (I Love Her So Much) It Hurts Me - Warner Brothers


You’ll notice although there are half a dozen records that are in both playlists, this spot was one for a hot sweaty dancefloor rather than one for the collectors. Having said that, the floor stayed as full for the rarer things as it did for the well known Oldies.

Mick Lyons followed me and stuck with the Oldies, then Karl Heard came on and went back onto the more obscure side. Fair do’s, the dancefloor responded, and it must have encouraged Woody because he came on at 5am and played an absolute blinder of a set.

I spoke to him after he finished his set, and he was still up on the adrenalin rush of doing a set and knowing that you got it right ! Certainly one of the best sets I’ve heard him do in a long time, and when he comes out with a set like this you suddenly realize how underated he really is.

Almost certainly because it was a midnight start, you didn’t get the thinning out of the crowd until way after six, and that meant the good atmosphere that had been generated, stayed right through until we left about 7am.

Nice to see so many friendly faces, and especially to see Jack McDougal again for the first time in probably three or four years (Four of them had traveled down from Scotland, and guess who ended up with the Scottish £20 note in his pay packet…..bloody foreign money !)

I think Chris Waterman has got a real prospect of a very successful allnighter at Maximes, I thoroughly enjoyed myself from beginning to end, and didn’t hear one moan from anybody. Looking forward to the next one. The rather poor quality scan below is of the metallic stickers that Chris was giving out to everyone.


A journey home in rain, well it was a bank holiday weekend, with a brief stop to be robbed by the highwayman they call Motorway Services these days meant we got home around 9am.

So that was the weekend, two spots, ten miles apart, but a world apart in music policy. Just goes to show the breath and strength of the scene these days.