Biggleswade Northern Soul Motown Night

“First visit to this event and the two of us had a really good night. Easy to find if you use sat nav (less so , if like me, you just turn up and expect it to magically appear; thanks to Mrs MLC for taking control of navigation 😀).

Plenty of on-site parking, bar separated from the dance hall (with pub prices, not the subsidised prices we are used to at working men’s clubs).

Once in the hall, the venue is excellent. It’s dark, with a huge dance floor surrounded on 3 sides by tables n chairs. The far side also has tables alongside the stage; as long as you are ok sharing, there’s enough room for all to sit. I estimate there was 100+ there, many of whom can be spotted on the dance floors of Olney, Stewartby and various venues in Northamptonshire.

Music policy is very much aimed at classics. We got there at 8.20 and walked into a great set including Tony Galla, Ritchie Adams, Cajun Hart, Jimmy Fraser. If these were all originals, I would question why the double-decking DJs were put on this early. Regardless, it was a great set and had a lot of people up before 9 (never easy when playing south of Northampton).

Hammie then did a 45-minute set which went down well, as always, followed by Martin Stanford. You always know what you will get with Martin i.e. a good set and a mention of the fact that Chapter 5 came from Barrow-in-Furness. The night was finished off by Jon Copland (I think), playing a mixture of Motown and classics.

The only reason I have not given this 5-stars is due to the technical difficulties that took place at one part of the evening, when the sound became distorted. This was not a biggie for us and did not detract too much from what was otherwise a highly enjoyable evening. Not one for the “soul connoisseurs” (as my mate Sunderland Keith would say), a great night out for anyone who loves to dance the night away to classics on a superb floor.