The Bolton Spitfire Soul Club Farnworth

There was no Spitfire Club in November due to a clash with Remembrance Sunday so I was even more eager than usual to attend December's one. Sandy didn't accompany me, she's making good progress after her hip operation but best not to take chances on icy pavements.

After paying the entrance fee and getting my wristband I joined friends who were even more eager than me to get there. Then a guy said hello to me and it was someone I had not seen for ages, think it was back in 2004, good to see him and his wife, they hadn't changed a bit. And there were another couple of friends who'd travelled there from Wales.

The starter DJ was Vance Butterworth playing tracks including No Puppy Love; If This Isn't Love; Prove It To Me; I Wanna Be Free, mixing up styles and tempos and serenading people entering the club.

Next up was Mark Sharrock who opened with the Broadways' You Just Don't Know, following with Just A Boy's Dream, that got me on my feet to the dance floor, then just when I sat down it was Girls Are Against Me, couldn't sit down for that either. Mark continued with a classy set of mainly oldies including Baby Don't You Weep; You Been Away (used to be able to dance to that); Look At Me Now; and Sweetest Girl In The World. He kept the dance floor busy.

Following Mark was Angie Brotherton who played a very varied set, quite a few of which I didn't know. Ones I did know included Your Love Has Gone Away; Breakaway (Linda Lloyd); My Kind Of Woman (Edwin Starr); The Well's Run Dry; I Watched You Slowly Slip Away; What Side Your Bread Is Buttered On; etc. Again the floor was busy.

At 5.30 it was time for Carl and Maria Willingham to take over from Angie. They are legends on the soul scene, especially in the north west, years of great soul for our delectation. They started off with Why Can't It Be Tonight by Gerri Grainger following it with Eddie Holman's Where I'm Not Wanted. That set the pattern, mainly rare and underplayed including some unissued acetates. Better known plays included Now You're On Your Own; Hangin' In; In Other Words; Love Finds A Way;

Ain't Gonna Do You No Harm; That's A Funny Way. Acetates included Jingle by Inez Foxx; Hangin' On by Marvin Gaye and the Enchanters' I Can Love. There was another one whose title I didn't catch that was played after Now You're On Your Own which I've heard Carl and Maria play before, right up my street stylewise. They ended their set with a request for David Thomas' I'll Always Need You, a sublime record. Carl and Maria aren't frightened of playing slower records in the middle of their sets as opposed to the end, I applaud them.

For the last hour and a half Pete Eccles took over the decks and started off with Please Stay by the Ivories. He continued with classics including It Gets To Me; Ever Again; I Feel Alright; I'll Hold You; Wrong Man; and a request for Hush Don't Cry. Again a good mixed set and still had people dancing up to the end.

For myself, the Spitfire is consistently good playing the type of music I want to hear, a mix of tunes I know and tunes that are new to me, an ideal combination.

It was a superb afternoon / early evening, even more enjoyable for the company of my friends, I look forward to the next one in January.

Thanks to Pete and the DJs and helpers, and the staff of the club.