Many people will already know Norwich's Backstreet Soul club are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year and are halfway through a 12 month celebration campaign of next level events.

 

News of their milestone success has seeped through to the mainstream media and has also been picked up by other music fixated organisations.

 

Here's a nice little feature from https://www.forumusic.co.uk/ with lots of nice pics: https://www.forumusic.co.uk/backstreet.html

 

 

 

 

 

Great article and thanks for posting it. I've been to several nights at the Backstreet Soul Club in the last 3 years whilst visiting family in Norwich. I'm one of those dreaded  " returnees " you hear about on this site. I must have gone to one of the first nights at the Flixton Rooms as me and my mates used to go there for the happy hour and were delighted to find Northern being played. That was 5 years after I'd last been to an all nighter held downstairs at the Samson & Hercules which was very briefly the home of the EASC after St Ives shut at the end of 77. Peoples nightclub is mentioned in the article which was the midweek soul night for the Norwich crowd from 1976/7 and which was held in a basement club in the city centre. Several local DJ's cut their teeth down there Kev Fetherstone, Kev Laws, Mobbsy, Mick Maguire ( Billy's brother ). Kev Laws still regularly DJ's at Backstreet and I've heard him play fantastic modern soul sets when Backstreet has had a second room, usually at Bank Holidays. Norwich boasts 3 current 100 Club DJ's Frank Webster, Adrian Corbin and now Billy, of course, who all DJ at the club. I've also heard some cracking sets there from Mick Smith, Col, the original poster and Carl Fortnum and many other guests who Mark is able to attract. I am always impressed at the turnout for Backstreet and Mark deserves recognition for the longevity and quality of the club. Great beer prices there too - forgot to mention that! I'm hoping to be moving back to Norwich next month after living in London for the last 16 years so expect I'll be attending many more nights there in the future and maybe joining Mark, Billy and co on their trips to the 100 Club, Rugby etc.

my old stopming ground too....keep trying to make my family visits from bristol coincide with a back street do but im always djing down here on the same nights..will get up there again soon i hope as i keep telling mark every time i see him!..but i do mean it mate

 

been to the keir hardie hall a few times in the 80s but not since,cant even remember what it was for but was in my early scootering days...first backsteet for me i think would have been the british legion,definatly did carrow road a lot and still got a couple of flyers somewhere i'll have to dig out

 

congratulations to all involved!!

 

dean

Does Kev Featherstone attend,brilliant guy,weve had some good laughs and hi old times in the past,hope hes ok and doing alright.mobbsy as well and the rest of the people I knew.

Congratulations Backstreet Soul Club!!!x Mark...'Changy'...deserves the cred and success along with Kev Laws...Mobbsy....Kev Fev and others!x Changy was a great supporter of us back in Cambridge as we got started under the Cambridge Stompers banner in the 90's. I went several times to the 100 Club with Mark and Fev on occasion and was always in great company which i appreciated...X Lawsy....Mobbsy and Fev all DJ'd at gigs at my end and were always apreciated by Cambridge crew...X

I learnt loaaaads from these guys.....in history terms as far as the scene in East Anglia was concerned and indeed about music!!! Be they established tunes...and....'newbies'....in which folk like Fev....were 'revolutionary' back in the 90's...in my opinion!x I had the privilege of DJing at several Backstreet gigs in Norwich during the 90's and am proud to have contributed towards its continued success over them 30 years....X Thanx Changy and all....for 'keeping the faith'...X

 

Xmas '95........

 

 

LUV
SOOTY
X

 

Manusf3a......I haven't seen or spoke to Fev for a couple of years. I lost his number along with thousands of others 18 months ago.....but have popped in to see him and his bro Andrew whenever in Naaarwwhich since leaving the scene promoter/DJ wise in 2000.....and they were fine!x Fev has his 'magic box' always ready.....and amazingly.....like the Tardis.....it always has summink 'new' in there from some corner in that box.......!!!! It's the same one i've looked at for 20 years......but.....I ain't heard them all yet???!!! As you say.....a super guy and certainly 1 of the long term friends I gained through my intense association with the scene through the 90's...X

I did their heads last time i popped in....took em to the chippy in a limo......and had the Hyperions...Kell Osbournes Quicksand....and David Bowies 'Golden Years'...his bro's 'idol'....boooming out in the back of the limo as they sipped champers en route to the chippy!x Fev introduced me to the tunes mentioned....in '93/4.....he felt as though we'd 'arrived'....and was smiling like a good un as I looked in the rear view mirror before he even got his chips...!!x Happy days!x

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Superb night last night at The Talk for backstreet soul club 30th anniversary. Good to see Roman and Wendy from Burnley Lancs, also Steve and Anita from Kings Lynn (hope your pal isn't nursing too sore a head this morning?), also couple from blackburn (sorry, didn't catch your names!). Roman would like to pass on the message to the Norwich crowd that he had a brilliant night and thoroughly enjoyed himself.,&  good start to his holiday for rest of this week!  

 

 

And the anniversary celebrations just get better!  The event at The Talk weekend gone was superb.  Loved the foyer area where loads of old posters/tickets were on show, bringing back loads of great memories.

 

More photos here:  https://www.forumusic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?641-Backstreet!-Soul-Club-30th-Anniversary