The closest North and South came together.... Musically

[Tomangoes]

Obviously Northern Soul by definition segregated musical soul tastes North and South.

 

I witnessed the evolution that brought a change from 100 mph stompers to the more mid tempo and certainly modern tunes, but was there ever a time where you could go into a down south soul night and feel it could have been in an up north soul night?

 

 New releases were shared equally?

 

I'm guessing around 1980 was closest, but others who actually went north and south would know better.

 

Ed

[Karl s]

100 club obviously for a proper nighter especially early 80s for northern &newies 

For a early 80s friday  night soul night not nighter we had the notre dam hall where keb would sometimes spin his latest tunes getting us ready for sat night nighter up north 

lots of other quality nights though 

( allready mentioned a while back in 80s london soul nights )

For us down south Was really good 

but the nighters up north were amazing

all we thought about allweek was odd fellows hall , totw , p borough , warrington , Hinkley , etc 

[Professorturnups]

How about the Bedford Nite Spot Allnighters in 1980 with Steve Whittle and Soul Sam bringing down the Flavour of the North to the East Anglian Soul Club. Can clearly remember Sam spinning the Traditions "My Life With You" under the guise of Little Joe Romans. A brilliant niter in what was an old cinema - great nights!

 

Mark C

Edited September 4, 2018 by professorturnups

[Winsford Soul]

When they play northern down south. That's the only time the south gets it.  hat, coat, door leaving.  

Ste. Steve.  I'm Spartacus 

[Woodbutcher]

Much prefer it when the "northern soul" stays oop north , with the incessant oldies , beer towels , baggies and vests included ... hat , coat , door , gone ... 

[Tomangoes]

Were records that were slipping into the Northern .....soul scene like drizzabone, being played at the same time in the Southern.... Soul scene?

 

(Not specifically in a Northern Soul night down south).

 

Ed

[Woodbutcher]

"Drizabone - Pressure" was championed as a new release by Russ Vickers , couldn't get much further south than Pompey ... 

[Baz1]

39 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

When they play northern down south. That's the only time the south gets it.  hat, coat, door leaving.  

Ste. Steve.  I'm Spartacus 

Steven ??

[Colnago]

4 minutes ago, WoodButcher said:

"Drizabone - Pressure" was championed as a new release by Russ Vickers , couldn't get much further south than Pompey ... 

Drizabone pressure was played as a new release up north too , Manchester , Leeds , kev Johnson/Blake 

Edited September 4, 2018 by Colnago

[Woodbutcher]

1 minute ago, Colnago said:

Drizabone pressure was played as a new release up north too , Manchester , Leeds , et al

 

I was just answering Ed's question regarding southern outings ... 

[Winsford Soul]

18 minutes ago, baz1 said:

Steven ??

Moi ?   As if   I wasn't taking bets on who would bite though , where would I start 

Edited September 4, 2018 by Winsford Soul

[Colnago]

30 minutes ago, WoodButcher said:

 

I was just answering Ed's question regarding southern outings ... 

 

30 minutes ago, WoodButcher said:

 

I was just answering Ed's question regarding southern outings ... 

Righto 

[Tomangoes]

33 minutes ago, WoodButcher said:

"Drizabone - Pressure" was championed as a new release by Russ Vickers , couldn't get much further south than Pompey ... 

Great!

 

New releases would be at the forefront I guess.

 

Ed

 

 

[Mark S]

Whats South ?

 

Furthest south I have ever travelled for soul was the Top Rank Hanley . 

Without the jabs I wouldnt recomend going any further down .

[Woodbutcher]

23 minutes ago, Mark S said:

 

Without the jabs I wouldnt recomend going any further down .

 

A little trouble at home with a 'burning bush' ... ? 

[Mark B]

in the 70's probaly 1974/5 on a trip to london buying records we went to a northern night in the upstairs of a pub think it was the duke of wellington not too far from elephant and castle maybe mistaken on the name of pub

[Guest Gogs]

Never crossed the Scotland/ Otherplace border, that would be too far south

[Leicester Boy]

I think youll find the midlands is best we don't keep coal in our baths like the northerners and we don't think we know everything like the southerners.

[Monny1916]

The Californian ballroom in Dunstable in the very early seventies had northern nights in the Devils Den 

[Davenpete]

Daft question - throughout my time on the scene (from 82-on, being a pup) north/south has been irrelevant - there have been leading nighters all over the place playing pretty much the same stuff (dependent on who was DJing of course - the prime driver to what you'd be hearing, remembering that many of the top DJs of the time were from the midlands and south).

 

When I first went to the 100 Club it was quite different musically from 'northern soul' overall, however by the mid 80s and after Stafford it was the leading place for new discoveries by a country mile (along of course with Shotts). The best allnighter though was Bradford, but it generally lagged 6 months to a year behind the 100 Club in terms of what was new and big.

The idea of 'up north' is a bit questionable anyway when you bear in mind that Sheffield is closer to London than it is to the Scottish Border.

 

A brief glance at northern soul history makes it obvious that from the earliest years there were clubs throughout the UK playing these sounds and enough fans for the music to make them viable (if it weren't the case why was FL Moore in Leighton Buzzard, Soul City in London and why were most of the early fanzines out of the south etc etc etc) - indeed right back to the 60s many of the key clubs and crews were down south or in the midlands, be it Gloucester, Worcester, Birmingham, Bedfordshire, Market Harborough, Northampton, Banbury, East Anglia etc etc - simply because when it went really big it was centred on the North West doesn't mean it hadn't got adherents and venues in the south listening to and collecting much the same sounds.

Dx

Edited September 5, 2018 by DaveNPete

[Monny1916]

On 04/09/2018 at 18:42, Winsford Soul said:

When they play northern down south. That's the only time the south gets it.  hat, coat, door leaving.  

Ste. Steve.  I'm Spartacus 

 

[Monny1916]

What is considered south .? because Northamptonshire is south of Manchester and was at the forefront of northern soul as early as the late sixties 

[Mark S]

Everywhere that isnt Manchester is south of Manchester ( we have a ring road you know ) 

[Woodbutcher]

11 minutes ago, Mark S said:

Everywhere that isnt Manchester is south of Manchester ( we have a ring road you know ) 

 

And that's why Mancs never venture far from home , they'd get lost within 5 miles ...  

[Roblufc]

On 04/09/2018 at 17:25, professorturnups said:

How about the Bedford Nite Spot Allnighters in 1980 with Steve Whittle and Soul Sam bringing down the Flavour of the North to the East Anglian Soul Club. Can clearly remember Sam spinning the Traditions "My Life With You" under the guise of Little Joe Romans. A brilliant niter in what was an old cinema - great nights!

 

Mark C

Yes, you are right Mark. I was there that night and remember Sam playing the Traditions and using the group's real name instead of its cover up alias and then having to back track and say it was by Little Joe Romans. Sam also stated that he thought Bedford was the best slaughter in the country at that time. Indeed great days.

All the best Rob from Bedford

[Daved]

In the late 90s / early 00s, we had Capitol Soul Club, These Old Shoes, 100 club and Scenesville in London which were as good and as up front as any do up north.