As a Northern exile resident in the badlands of Essex - Rayleigh, I find it pretty tortuous getting to many of the venues around London and M25. Well it's not the getting there, more the getting back at unearthly hours in bladder challenging conditions with no public transport!

Ever tried getting a Latvian mini cab driver to find Essex at 4:30am from Oxford St - wake up at East Grimstead with a gun at your head !

Recently attended Southside Soul, 100 Club, Bisley etc and often see Essex stragglers at most of these places. Is there any interest in cranking up a travel club to arrange more social means of transport to these cracking venues. We may not have enough interest to support regular local events (ok Almost Grown @ Southend once a month) - but half the fun's travelling ! Ask the Latvian cabbie with the luger sticking out of his arse !

Quite prepared to sort the booking etc - quoted £150 for a mini bus pick up from the 100 club provided Kenny's not on board, cheap as chips ! Basildon, Rayleigh, Southend & Chelmsford could easily be combined in a run. How about a bus to the next 100 Club & back ?

Get off your arses Essex !

Let me know on here or on saxafone@aol.com

Haydn

As a Northern exile resident in the badlands of Essex - Rayleigh, I find it pretty tortuous getting to many of the venues around London and M25. Well it's not the getting there, more the getting back at unearthly hours in bladder challenging conditions with no public transport!

Ever tried getting a Latvian mini cab driver to find Essex at 4:30am from Oxford St - wake up at East Grimstead with a gun at your head !

Recently attended Southside Soul, 100 Club, Bisley etc and often see Essex stragglers at most of these places. Is there any interest in cranking up a travel club to arrange more social means of transport to these cracking venues. We may not have enough interest to support regular local events (ok Almost Grown @ Southend once a month) - but half the fun's travelling ! Ask the Latvian cabbie with the luger sticking out of his arse !

Quite prepared to sort the booking etc - quoted £150 for a mini bus pick up from the 100 club provided Kenny's not on board, cheap as chips ! Basildon, Rayleigh, Southend & Chelmsford could easily be combined in a run. How about a bus to the next 100 Club & back ?

Get off your arses Essex !

Let me know on here or on saxafone@aol.com

Haydn

such a shame we don't live in Essex anymore, as me and my sister used to drive somewhere for a nighter nearly every weekend - never really did soul nights though

you sound a bit of a lightweight though - leaving the 100 club at 4.30 you could have a nap under the piano (is it still there?) and get the train home as they start running around 7 on a Sunday

you're probably quite thankful that we're not local anymore as we used to go leave Benfleet on a Saturday morning (or Friday afternoon) and generally get home in time for a bit of a snooze before going to work on Monday morning

am in Benfleet this weekend, but have no plans to go out dancing - so no lift I'm afraid

Lightweight!!!!!!!!!, good job you don't live in Essex any more Kirsty or I'm afraid it would be the old welsh roaring fire make over for your house. More Taffy & The Firelighters than Trinny and Susanna ! 4:30's not early for bunking out of the 100 club if you've got there via every other event tween Essex and the City. Anyway the neighbours now look forward to being woken at about 6 on a Sunday to the gentle strains of the Tops "There's Something about you" just does it for me after a nighter.

If a few more were up for it - no probs with agreeing a resonable departure time, if no takers looks like I'll have to look up the Latvian words for "sorry and here's some ointment for the farmers and make haste for East Grimstead or Rochester whichever's easiest for you Slobodan !"

Anyway, whilst the 100 club should be a regular trip, can't belive we can't make this work - there are plenty of other events within an hour's reach. There is life outside Essex, let's explore.

Just noticed there's a Soul Night at Rochester on 12th August !!! OK haven't found it on the map yet but it's in Kent apparently (that's the strange place you can see over the big bridge next to Lakeside, for those that have never been ) No it's not France - that's an even stranger place !

Any takers for a mini bus laden with soul music and jellied eels, Southend, Rayleigh, Wickford, Basildon etc - alternatively suggest any other event and let's do it!

Not in Essex but in Suffolk where you can count the people still active on the scene on one hand As for the 100 I usually take the train and meet up with some lads from Norfolk but we tend to stick to the nighters with a warm up beforehand - first train out of Liverpool Street is ten past seven Sunday Morning... Not sure how many soulies Essex can muster - Is there a mini bus full????

Suffolk is so soulless we run our nights in Cambridge

Mike B

Taff

How you doing? Hope you can make Kent Soul Club on 12th Aug as I'm djing there.

Regards to Wendy