100 Club Allnighter

So it was the first 100 Club allnighter of 2016, and was it worth the wait? Yes it was, for me the night surpassed expectations, one of the best I’ve attended. Music absolutely top notch and a crowd of enthusiastic people who were there for a good time, and they certainly had one.

I travelled up with a friend and we arrived outside the club at 11.45. As Dave Thorley has mentioned Oxford Street was really busy with traffic, it appears there was some light installation taking place. It was cold and wet but we stood in the doorway out of the elements and were let in just gone midnight. Rolly took our money and Gary stamped our wrists, then we went in to the main area of the club.

As usual Ady was doing the first set; among his tunes were Take Good Care and The Same Old Feeling, nice to hear both of these, after these two he upped the tempo and included Marva Lee’s version of Gene Chandler’s If You Can’t Be True and Bobby Bland’s Yum Yum Tree, both 100 Club favourites.

Butch took over from Ady and started off with some lesser known tunes, but then played Waymond Hall’s What Will Tomorrow Bring which got me out on the dance floor. Among other ones in this set were Willie Tee’s I Peeped Your Hole Card, the Precisions’ Sense Of Direction, Arthur Willis, Ivy Joe Hunter, Boulevard, thanks for playing my request for that. He finished this set with Patti Austin’s version of Didn’t Say A Word.

Ady followed Butch, starting off with Holly Maxwell’s unissued Three Strikes, then on to a set that included some classic Pied Piper records like Voodoo Mademoiselle, He’ll Be Leaving You, I’m Not Afraid, and acetates like the Gerri Grainger cover up Why Can’t It Be Tonight, the Demures’ I Wanna Be Good To You, Etta James album track Can’t Shake It and anniversary singles like Good News and Sorry Ain’t The Word, plus Getting To Me.

The guest of the night Mick H was on next. He kept the pace up and included Stormy’s The Devastator, The Profs, Sir Henry Ivy, and also Pee Wee Shucks and Huey’s Beside Myself, one of my favourites.

Then it was 100 Club regular DJ Joel Maslin who opened with Lord What’s Happening To My People by Kenny Smith. He played a mix of well known tunes and some lesser known. At the end he played Say You by the Monitors which I requested.

Butch for his second set opened with Living Color’s Gotta Strange Feeling, then the Jax Transit Authority, one of his current “big plays”, the United Sounds, and ended his set with Satan Let Me Sleep Tonight. During both sets he included some tracks that he hadn’t played before at the club including the Imperial Wonders’ I Love Her So, Love Has Passed Me By by Willie Newman and the Delreys, and Calvin & Alison Turner’s Everytime I’m Near You. Thanks to Butch for the info on these tracks.

Mick followed on with a set that featured a lot of medium tempo tunes, like the Honey Bees’ Never In A Million Years, Four Dynamics’ Things A Lady Ain’t Supposed To Do, the Dynamics’s I’m A Lonely Man, the Saints, and upped the tempo for Shake Cheri.

Joel did the half hour before Ady’s last set and again played a mixture of lesser and better known tunes including Can It Be Me, You Didn’t Have To Leave Me and the sublime Fool Don’t Laugh by Rose St John.

As usual Ady did the last 30 minutes and included Willie Kendrick’s male version of She’ll Be Leaving You, Don’t Tear Me Down, I’ll Never Stop Loving You and for the last three he played Annabelle Fox’s Lonely Girl, Marva Josie’s Don’t and finally Baby I Need Your Loving.

Despite there not being quite as many in as December there was still a good crowd, and a good number stayed till the end. It was good to see friends there, and nice to chat to a new lady attending for the first time, Josephine, she seemed to be having a good time, dancing a lot. Happy to report that the dance floor seemed okay to me at least, I did wear leather soled shoes, that no doubt helped but it seemed quite slidey anyway.

Dave has mentioned the strange case of the defecation dump. I heard about it while I was in the club. I was told that it was just inside the ladies’ loo; that raised some rather unappetising possibilities, but if it was outside that widens the number of suspects. I’ve heard of being “caught short” but this incident is really strange.

The music was of a very high standard and I’d like to give my appreciation to the DJs, you kept us entertained and played a selection of soul music that would stand comparison with anywhere in my opinion. Just when you think the 100 Club can’t get better, it does.

Well done to Ady and Matt. I’m looking forward to the next one.

-------------New Stuff, Old Stuff & Dirty Protests---------------
Went down to The 100 Club last night thinking 'it's gonna be a bit quite tonight'. Me and M set out and eventually arrived just after 11am, parked up and walked round to the Green Man. Now the usual 2 hour tops drive had taken nearly three, flew through right up to Park Lane, but then the whole of Oxford street and Regents street had been closed for some art installation and diversions = chaos. Then to add insult to injury arrive at the door of the pub and the door man says 'not letting anymore in, the manageress say's we are down on staff, you can't come in'. Like some dickensian scene in a film we look in on our friends Jack Phillips, Kipper,Leon Brown and others laughing, drinking away as we looked on from the outside, noses pressed to the window. After a couple of altercations with the bar staff and the arrival of Yann Vatise if was decided to give up on this pub and head off to Bradley's Spanish Bar round the corner in Hanway St almost next to where Blues & Soul used to have offices and the shop. Along with The 100 Club one of the few remnants of the old swinging 60's, rammed to the gunnels but welcoming, we alighted here until midnight.

How times have changed in the capitol, where as a few years ago entry into clubs would be a nod and wink to security and easy passage, tonight's a full body pat down and pocket and bag searches before entry. But down the hallowed stairs and the twighlight zone that is The 100 Club. No Tony Smith on century at the bottom of the stairs and as I walk in, nor are many of the usual faces to be seen, it is going to be quite night, but no within an hour and the place is busy, lots of new faces, young twenty somethings and the floor is busy. Ady Croasdell starts out with many of his newer unissued bits including the fantastic Dave Hamilton produced O.C. Tolbert 60's pounding winner. Then to Butch who also ploughed a path through 60's newish material and a few classics. Those that say that there is to much modern and no 60's getting played need to go more than just once. The reason these DJ's are some of the best is that they adapt each time to the room, the people there and work hard on keeping a busy floor, as with tonight and a busy floor. Then some confusion as no Mick H. the guest for the night, as he to was struggling with the traffic chaos outside, so the return of Ady. But soon after Mick arrives and eventually takes to the decks, as a prop he also senses the the room and plays a more classic set to keep the room engaged, studded with some tunes that have graced Lifeline for the last tens years. He hands on the baton to Joel Maslin an old hand now at this place and followed where others had already found success.
While all of this is happening old faces have arrived to put a smile on my face, James Trouble is there in his old position dancing next to the column at the bar end of the dancefloor, where he stays virtually to every record. Peanut Vendor has made a rare trip over from Germany to visit the club, he looks well and is clearly enjoying himself. Sue Brick & Lesley Brightmore-Walker are running round with their usual air of masters of mischief and bringing a smile to all they encounter. The London crew of Tomas McGrath, Adriana Ventura, Benjamin Smith, Haley Miller and crew have taken up their usual residence to the left of the stage and are seriously troubling that dance floor. Inbetween all of this is Matthew Bolton flitting from person to person in his role as venue curator, speaking to nearly everyone, checking their happy, listening to opinions and passionately talking about the future. Then a couple of hours in and the faces I'd hoped to see for a few months now Adi & Leona Murphy, back and on it after a small hiatus due to work load in their business. So in the end many of the old gang have turned up. Pleasantly pleased to hear from many that they intend to head up to the next 'Spirit' allnighter in March and even better that lots of them have also already booked their flights for this years SoulShakers, Bamberg.

Then word spreads, shock, horror someone one has taken a dump on the floor in the corner of the room near the ladies toilet !!!, is this a dirty protest ?, to much 60's or modern even ?. No one seems to know but soon the story has taken on a life of it's own with many versions of the truth circulating. 'Must been a northerner, soft southerners are to gentle to do that', 'It's the old hermit of the corner, he's been there since Ian Clark's days' 
As all this unfolds Butch returns to the stage to really mix it up, modern, 60's and a pinch of funk and the floor is pulsating to the beats and so the night continues, classic 100 club really, from the usual to the truly bizarre, long may it continue.............................