At thorne the other night ,packed out ,did one of my favourite hobbies and people watched.

All different types of people there ,the ones on the dance floor never came off ,people round the records and those who just chat,have a drink and a laugh.

all these people from all different walk s of life made me think how did we all start off ,

word of mouth etc ,,Friends,older siblings and those too young to go to Wigan how did you get into Northern Soul?

in my case with Steve ,it was if you don t come with me you have to stop in by yourself, :angry: never heard a northern record before only commerical motown, but went i did 23 years ago now out most weekends

everyone must have a story

At thorne the other night ,packed out ,did one of my favourite hobbies and people watched.

All different types of people there ,the ones on the dance floor never came off ,people round the records and those who just chat,have a drink and a laugh.

all these people from all different walk s of life made me think how did we all start off ,

word of mouth etc ,,Friends,older siblings and those too young to go to Wigan how did you get into Northern Soul?

in my case with Steve ,it was if you don t come with me you have to stop in by yourself, :angry: never heard a northern record before only commerical motown, but went i did 23 years ago now out most weekends

everyone must have a story

A bet ...........I lost

got into it by trying to find records to sample in the mid 80's for hip hop

rap music led me to soul, jazz, psych, brazilian etc......

little did i know that the soul stuff would become my obsession

so i take my hat off to breakdancing, graffiti and hip hop in general

and still love all that still as well

can honestly say that i'd only vaguely heard of the term 'Northern Soul', but didn't really know what it was!

started going out with my present boyfriend (2 years ago on 13th Feb - awwwww! ) and basically i went along with him to a soul 'do', as this seemed to be his favourite thing to do. he kept telling me i wouldn't like it as he knew i was into heavy-metal/rock/indie/alternative/jazz music etc and i kept saying i will as i like all music. i went and he was right - i thought it was just 'banging music' (just like heavy metal! ). the thing what grabbed me tho was the dancing - ppl gliding on the floor - guys that actually looked great when they danced and the spinning etc. i wanted to learn and so i listened to the music and eventually got more and more into it all; the music and the dancing!

now it consumes my life really to the point where i'm starting to get depressed if we aren't going to a 'do' at the weekend! i have to say that i think by me getting into the scene, i have helped my boyfriend regain his interest in it all the more, as he only ever went to Heywood Civic once a month and went to Lowton about 4 years ago before we met each other and never really went to any other events. By me getting into it, i have bugged him for us both to go to more and more different events and now i am sure he is glad of the fact - i think!!

now i don't look back!

wAvy

I broke a gross of mirrors.

I get parole in about 2525 - If man is still alive.

I went to a under 18s "disco" at the Palais de Dance in Nottingham and it was a soul do',that was about 38 years ago,I have been hooked since then

Bazza

Edited February 20, 200718 yr by bazza

went to Tiffany,s in Halifax on a monday night in 1973 at the tender age of 15

was a very well known club at the time run by Graham slater and Paul Rowan

Black music always seemed to be my thing anyway,but my god when i walked up those stairs for the first time,it was love at first bite....and the rest is History.

The usual route i expect, school youth club disco circa 1978. Dave Hall, the DJ at the youth club, was a Wigan regular and brought stuff back to play there (mostly pressings i expect). In those days the choice was either Punk, Heavy Metal or Northern Soul, there were no neutrals (unless you were into Abba).

I went to a under 18s "disco" at the Palais de Dance in Nottingham and it was a soul do',that was about 38 years ago,I have been hooked since then

Bazza

Dec 78. With a bus load from Eastwood to Notts Palais alldayer. Walked in, knocked sidewards by music - bit big time.

3 years later - just me and Lynn Bower (now Hage) from Eastwood on same bus, everyone I know from nearby dropped off :angry:

I blame them there futurists meself

..First record was Clifford Curry Aint no danger aged about 5 from my dads collection,Learning to dance at home in front of the mirror to the four tops aged 15...I was too old for the Brownies and started going to soul nights in Huddersfield ....First dj spot was at the Waggon and Horses on Leeds Road,half hour spot and a pint of bitter from Howard Earnshaw.First All niter was Bradford Queens Hall 1981/82....Lasted to about 2am before all the lads were asleep,we had started drinking at 7pm and did not know about the marching powder then..First live act was Gene Chandler Morecambe Pier 1982,never looked back after that..100MPH all the way for us and then the Stafford sound changed me for ever.. ..All niters on scooters in the 80s but after riding home from Warrington Parr Hall in the snow and ice i soon switched to train and car.....Till death us do part...

One day i will get all the photos from the 80s and put them on here ...I think there could be a few laughs at the fashion

Got into it 31 years ago. Lived in Mablethorpe, Lincs - a right sh*t hole and the soul scene became my - and a few others escape.

Met Scotty - who used to come down to Mablethorpe with a mate from donny - forgot his mates name - I think he may have passed away.

Anyway went to a couple of Dave Raistricks do's at Orchard House then started going to all nighters. Did Derby Aseembly Rooms, Birmigham etc. Lincoln Drill Hall not a favourite place of mine - although the Lincoln crowd were great. Then went onto Wigan, Clifton Hall, Cleethorpes etc.

Stopped going for a bit late 80's - started up again and now am an infrequent visitor to do's - especially all nighters.

Got to be the Central England Soul Club Anniversary niter at Loughborough Town Hall........what a nite ! Rammed, dancing competion, mega loud PA, free patch - hooked ever since.

Heard the council have refurbed the place and is now back as a venue for hire, so could be going back to my roots!

Ian

I was (and still am) a ska and reggae collector and back in the early 90s. I noticed a lot of rock steady tunes were covers of Curtis Mayfield songs and started on a mission to track down the original cuts. Then I got more and more into "regular" soul and eventually it led me down the path into the wonderful world of Northern Soul.

Didn't go to my first soul night until the late 90s though at the Blackfriars at Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Gordy

Got to be the Central England Soul Club Anniversary niter at Loughborough Town Hall........what a nite ! Rammed, dancing competion, mega loud PA, free patch - hooked ever since.

Heard the council have refurbed the place and is now back as a venue for hire, so could be going back to my roots!

Ian

Yes that was a great do.

I work in Loughborough - the town hall has been done up - not sure that the dance floor is still there!

:angry:

I broke a gross of mirrors.

I get parole in about 2525 - If man is still alive.

I remember when this was a big hit along with Thundercap Newton.I introduced a mate of mine who thought that these two tunes were 'fab' to The Fife Piper. He never looked back. (Well, not until they found out who was knocking over all those chemists)

1973, by quirk of fate was down in Torquay on holiday with ex-wife to be and a couple of friends,and was into "funky disco" stuff at the time, went to a club called the Compass club,witnessed my first Northern Soul do, and as it was on every night I was there if my memory serves me well.......got life, don't think I'll ever get out......thank god

Im not in the scene yet but looking to get into the Northern Soul scene of the 60's Mods. I love that decade and although im 2 decades late would love to live a little like a guy my age back then. I have the scooter, fashion sense now all I need is the music,

I broke a gross of mirrors.

I get parole in about 2525 - If man is still alive.

Think I got very drunk on cider one night in 1972 before going to youthclub and the rest is history, serves me right for underage drinking................. think my parole date is about the same as yours............see you on the outside

QoFxx

Im not in the scene yet but looking to get into the Northern Soul scene of the 60's Mods. I love that decade and although im 2 decades late would love to live a little like a guy my age back then. I have the scooter, fashion sense now all I need is the music,

and a good shrink

Get out now before it's too late

QoFxx

The Mod revival in the early to mid eighties-Cloud Nine all dayers in Manchester-hearing stuff like Benny Troy and Lew Kirton and learning about allniters through some of the lads there like Nick Stevenson and Martin the Mod...had a scary first night at the Carousel on Plymouth Grove in about 84, then Warrington,Morecambe and Tony's Empress followed (and a legendary apprearance on Whistle Test hiding behing my niter bag...)...those so called quiet years when you usually had to queue round the block to get in anywhere!!

The Mod revival in the early to mid eighties-Cloud Nine all dayers in Manchester-hearing stuff like Benny Troy and Lew Kirton and learning about allniters through some of the lads there like Nick Stevenson and Martin the Mod...had a scary first night at the Carousel on Plymouth Grove in about 84, then Warrington,Morecambe and Tony's Empress followed (and a legendary apprearance on Whistle Test hiding behing my niter bag...)...those so called quiet years when you usually had to queue round the block to get in anywhere!!

I was taken under the wing ( wings ? ) of two older chaps at school , who decided it was their mission in life to further my musical education by taking me to The Wheel .

I will be ever grateful to them for doing so .

Malc Burton

I was taken under the wing ( wings ? ) of two older chaps at school Malc Burton

That would be Tom Brown and Flashman then Ma lc ?

Well i will say it... watching Footsie on TOTP.. was what brought me into the Northern scene...after a couple of years of pondering whether to go Niters or not..took the bull by the horns and thought Soulie till I die Delxx

That would be Tom Brown and Flashman then Ma lc ?

Quite correct , Steve ....

Bloody awful days they were too ..... hours of latin prep , short trousers mad from harris tweed , matron never warming her hands , dorms with 83 other chaps in , rugger practice at dawn , chestnuts roasting on a open fire ..... usually yours , if Flashman got his way .

As for Flashman , the b*****d never replies to my letters .....

Malc Burton

78-79 Mod revival. Picked up on the R&B side, then the Motown stuff, then picked up a copy of Infernos "Out On THe Floor Tonight", the first few Kent albums, started to buy the odd single from Tudor House in Chester.

Moved to Lancashire in 84 and became good mates with a lad who was into soul in quite a big way. First proper do was Bankhall Miners, then a couple of all dayers in Burnley, Morecambe, Stafford, Tonys, A couple of Yorkshire venues on odd nights when we had nothing else on and the low point..... Soul Promotions do at Llandudno, think there was about 40 of us in there And I got stiffed on some powder.

Its been fun

Steve/Malc

dont suppose youve seen Cuthbertson on your travels then......

Steve/Malc

dont suppose youve seen Cuthbertson on your travels then......

Last I heard , it was that he had set out with Foljambe Minor to explore the interior of the Orinoco .....

Malc Burton

The Rotter.....nay.bounder.....

IN 1971 i was 11 and into bowie, t rex and that .. i shared a bedroom with 2 brothers and they used to play northern soul all the time and were going to allnighters.. 1972 fuk the bowie thing, could not believe how much i began to love northern, my mates at school did not understand but then why shound they... i remember the school disco and i took a handfull of records for the dj to play (my brothers did not have a clue about this it were their records) my god the response........ ..brilliant....right down to staprest and button downs.... now look at me.... ANDY

I've been into all genres of music in the past. I'd always known of Motown chart stuff (doesn't everybody!) but had never heard of Northern Soul. It was the summer of 2000, I was looking thru the cheapies bin in Woolworths and picked up a cassette of 'soul survivors'........ I knew some of the artists but not the titles on it, so thought it was worth a try.

Not looked back since

At thorne the other night ,packed out ,did one of my favourite hobbies and people watched.

All different types of people there ,the ones on the dance floor never came off ,people round the records and those who just chat,have a drink and a laugh.

all these people from all different walk s of life made me think how did we all start off ,

word of mouth etc ,,Friends,older siblings and those too young to go to Wigan how did you get into Northern Soul?

in my case with Steve ,it was if you don t come with me you have to stop in by yourself, :angry: never heard a northern record before only commerical motown, but went i did 23 years ago now out most weekends

everyone must have a story

Went with a few lads now proably in their sixties and crippled with arthritis. Not one of them could dance but they could stand all night talking about records, clothes and the naughty pills.

It took me four years to pluck up the courage to dance. Lost 4lb every nighter. looked like the butchers dog with no muscles.

Only started collecting records when the nighters dwidling. Can't get enough of it all now (Excluding naughty pills). Trouble is I've also collected a mortgage a wife and two kids. The wife and kids start pulling faces when I plan to go to a gig.

Thanks to Mick & Chris Jennings, Handly, Phil Crossland etc. Malc Burton, used to pack the dance floors along with many other dj's such as Bub. A packed dance floor helped as I could hide in the crowd and learn a few good steps.

Regards

Edited February 20, 200718 yr by Heartandsoul

i was around the age of 11 and i said to me mate one day whats those badges on your jacket, he told me there from a place in wigan then he told me about the music. after listening to a few t.d.k tapes i was hooked, my first allnighter was the fleet in peterborough i was 14 and i will soon be 38. i,m still madly in love with the music and i,m still collecting vinyl and djing when ever i get the offer.

alfies, still keeping the faith

At thorne the other night ,packed out ,did one of my favourite hobbies and people watched.

All different types of people there ,the ones on the dance floor never came off ,people round the records and those who just chat,have a drink and a laugh.

all these people from all different walk s of life made me think how did we all start off ,

word of mouth etc ,,Friends,older siblings and those too young to go to Wigan how did you get into Northern Soul?

in my case with Steve ,it was if you don t come with me you have to stop in by yourself, :angry: never heard a northern record before only commerical motown, but went i did 23 years ago now out most weekends

everyone must have a story

1972ish went to inky club(near chesterfield)a group of lads in long leather coats and oxford bags took gary glitter and mud off the decks and put on some northern soul wow from that moment on i loved it first record they put on? cut your motor off- black nasty ,classic.

At thorne the other night ,packed out ,did one of my favourite hobbies and people watched.

All different types of people there ,the ones on the dance floor never came off ,people round the records and those who just chat,have a drink and a laugh.

all these people from all different walk s of life made me think how did we all start off ,

word of mouth etc ,,Friends,older siblings and those too young to go to Wigan how did you get into Northern Soul?

in my case with Steve ,it was if you don t come with me you have to stop in by yourself, :angry: never heard a northern record before only commerical motown, but went i did 23 years ago now out most weekends

everyone must have a story

New Earswick Bop!!!...Clifton Youth Club!!!!...listened to a lot of Motown then..

Someone then told us about a night at the Cats (think it was a Monday)..so of the three of us went and WHAM..that was it the three of practising the dancing trying to work out how the hell you moved your feet 1st visit to Wigan at sweet 16...the rest is history ha ha ha

Newton Aycliffe Youth Centre (The Youthie) 1970/1. Heard loads of great records = soul (Motown, Ric Tic, and Jay Boy stuff) and the rest is history.

The Mod revival in the early to mid eighties-Cloud Nine all dayers in Manchester-hearing stuff like Benny Troy and Lew Kirton and learning about allniters through some of the lads there like Nick Stevenson and Martin the Mod...had a scary first night at the Carousel on Plymouth Grove in about 84, then Warrington,Morecambe and Tony's Empress followed (and a legendary apprearance on Whistle Test hiding behing my niter bag...)...those so called quiet years when you usually had to queue round the block to get in anywhere!!

yep thats more or less it .i think i must of followed you (ive been a stalker all thease years and did'nt know lol

Went on a school trip to France in early 1975.Some of the other kids had tapes with Barara Mills,Dobie Gray,Mike Post,Velvets,Paul Humphries etc on.Two months later I was at my first dayer (Yarmouth Inter City Soul),in Jan 76 I became a St Ives nighter regular.

Why I remember these dates, but not my nearest & dearest's birthdays is a complete mystery

I went to a under 18s "disco" at the Palais de Dance in Nottingham and it was a soul do',that was about 38 years ago,I have been hooked since then

Bazza

Hi all ady from Loughborough,got into the soul scene when at school must ave been around 74/75,went down the local ywca with a few older lads from school,had a break for a few years army/wife etc got out about 1996,happened to find an old box of my records at the old gals place and hav'nt looked back since,and never will..

Still in Loughborough and noticed a few names that work or live close on the site.

Hi all ady from Loughborough,got into the soul scene when at school must ave been around 74/75,went down the local ywca with a few older lads from school,had a break for a few years army/wife etc got out about 1996,happened to find an old box of my records at the old gals place and hav'nt looked back since,and never will..

Still in Loughborough and noticed a few names that work or live close on the site.

Hey Baz your showing your age now,cu at NMD soon i hope and your good lady know she loves the early RnB soun..Ady

Simple...

Ska/punk-Two TOne-Jamaican SKa-Rocksteady-Early Reggae-Obscure Skinhead Reggae, then, heaven

A bit different 00s in Mexico than the 70s in Britain ain't it?

CHeers

Dante

68 - 70 Burnley Mecca and Youth Clubs again in Burnley. First heard SOS, Headline News, all the early Motown, and stuff like A Quitter Never Wins, Breakout, You Gotta Pay the Price, Its So Hard Being a Loser and so on.

71 - 74. Blackpool Mecca, Burnley Rose Room, Ukranian Club in Tod with Ginger and Eddie. Really big time sounds now. New massive discoveries every week.

74 - 77. Casino, Samantha's, Rose Room, etc. Went through the great times at the Casino, and the crap times at the Mecca as Levine went loopy.

77 - 90. The family break, but still collecting vinyl, tapes and visiting the odd venue.

90 - to now. Everywhere we can. Take great pleasure in seeing my lad Paul B starting to collect. Love the music more than ever, but never managed to get into any record recorded after 74ish.

What a scene! Talking to Mr and Mrs Keep the Boy Happy on Saturday, and discussed how lucky we have been to be on this scene all that time.

ATB,

Brian B

Well i will say it... watching Footsie on TOTP.. was what brought me into the Northern scene...after a couple of years of pondering whether to go Niters or not..took the bull by the horns and thought Soulie till I die Delxx

That is really interesting Del. Too often on here we are quick to moan about the TOTP years, and the media coverage that brought whoards of 'tourists' to come and watch the freak show.

But if you came and stuck by it, I'm sure there are quite a few others. Even if they wont admit it.

When the debate rages, again, about attracting young blood, maybe we shouldnt be so dismissive about the (all too often dreadful) coverage on TV and radio.

For me it started in about 1999 when i bought a CD in HMV for a couple of quid "Northern Soul Floorshakers" had heard the term before but did not really know what it was all about (something to do with mods) Got home stuck the CD on.............Sam Dees - Lonely For You Baby. Bloody hell, thats pretty special.....The rest of the Cd did not really make sense (sounded a bit girly to my 19 year old ears) but that sam dees track blew my socks off. After that started going to indie mod clubs and then proper mod clubs , and then one saturday night found myself in the 100 club and it all made perfect sense!

About 30 years, went to an all nighter in the Marryat Hall, Dundee, only went because there would be a late bar and me and mates could have a bevvy till the early hours.

Walked into the hall and stopped stone dead, could hear the music, see the dancers and I stood for a while, jaw dropping stuff, think it was that exact moment, with mouth agape, that the hook went in and Iv'e been hooked ever since. Would'nt have it any other way.

That is really interesting Del. Too often on here we are quick to moan about the TOTP years, and the media coverage that brought whoards of 'tourists' to come and watch the freak show.

But if you came and stuck by it, I'm sure there are quite a few others. Even if they wont admit it.

Oh..yes ...there is..but some others would rather bathed in acid.... just like some well respected record collector/ djs who in their younger days played out Joe 90 Delxx

Through the fire escape whilst my mates kept watch....

Having been brought up in a small town on the dripping wet west coast of Scotland where there wasnt much soul apart from the odd glimpses of the Temps and 4 Tops on TOTP it wasnt until I moved south for work in 1977 that I really got into Soul in a big way. One of the boys who also worked on the railway at Reading with me took the trouble to explain what all the badges on his adidas bag meant, somewhat intrigued and after a further discussion about the music I decided that a trip to Wigan for a Saturday night session was in order (The joys of free travel !!) Well to quote a few on here, I was hooked and it started a 30 year love affair with Soul music. This was before the prospects of a mortgage and working extra Sunday shifts for time & 3/4's, so every Sunday it was the first train to Birmingham for the Locarno All-Dayer meeting up with the Banbury crowd en-route. The relationship eased off a bit in the 80's due to the usual work, career, marriage etc, etc but after getting divorced and taking a job in Doncaster decided to go and relive my lost youth after seeing an advert in the paper. Walking up the stairs in the Catholic Club in 1998, the years fell away and that was it I've been catching up for lost time since then, made some great mates around the country, recently met some old ones from years ago and still enjoy hearing new sounds, old sounds and even some interesting modern sounds.

Soul Music is a broad church and I'm proud to be in the congregation.

Dave

A mate of mine was into Scootering and i was bored shitless with no hobbies as i packed in football through injury about 4/5 years ago. i got invited along to a couple of gigs so me and the missus went along and realised a knew a few lads from back in the early eighties. i decided to get a scooter and then with that i started to attend a few rallies, I went to one rally and they had a northern soul room until 6am and spent the last 4 hours in there watching some of the dancers and listening to the tunes in the background and it was then i realised that the music was the main thing for me and hence chose my rallies to get my Northern soul fix, After a couple of years i started to go to a couple of soul nights in London (40 miles away) as there was nothing local going on and then realising that there was more to the music than i first thought and ever since i have slowly been going to more nights and nighters and experiencing all what this scene is about but still with loads more to discover. I am now out and about nearly every Saturday and sometimes Friday as i cant not be without my night of soul.

I may be a newie but i love this scene and everything that comes with it. long may it continue

Bearsy

At thorne the other night ,packed out ,did one of my favourite hobbies and people watched.

All different types of people there ,the ones on the dance floor never came off ,people round the records and those who just chat,have a drink and a laugh.

all these people from all different walk s of life made me think how did we all start off ,

word of mouth etc ,,Friends,older siblings and those too young to go to Wigan how did you get into Northern Soul?

in my case with Steve ,it was if you don t come with me you have to stop in by yourself, :angry: never heard a northern record before only commerical motown, but went i did 23 years ago now out most weekends

everyone must have a story

A LITTLE YOUTH CLUB IN GLOUCESTER CALLED THE YMCA ABOUT 1971 I WAS ABOUT 15 THE BIGGER LADS WOULD GO TO THE TOUCH AND COME BACK AND PLAY THERE RECORDS THEN WE MOVE THE A NITE CLUB CALLED MAXIES ON THURSDAY NIGHT WHERE STEVE SMITH WOULD PLAY HIS TUNES THOSE WERE THE DAYS THEN WHEN WIGAN OPENED UP WE WENT THERE YATE , CLEETHROPES, STAFFORD ETC PACKED UP LATE 80'S FIRST ALLNIGHTER WHEN I CAME BACK WAS STOKE KINGS HALL 1996

LEON

Edited February 21, 200718 yr by Glawsters Best

Musically it started when I was 14 - at an under 18's disco in Bournemouth. It was called the Town Hall disco and funnily enough it was held at the Bournemouth Town Hall.

It was run by a man called Johnny Ratcliffe and his Daughter, Karen, was one of my best friends at school. Anyway, she'd sneak me in for free and give me free fags.. fucking hell, they even sold cigarettes there behind a tressel table! Those were the days.

Anyway, around 3 times during the evening of 7 till 11 the DJ (think it was Roadrunners) would play a set of 'motown and soul'. Six by Six, Hawaii 5 0, Needle In A Haystack, 123 and my absolute favourite, Out On The Floor. When I first heard that one I went wild on the inside! It did something to me that no other record to date had. Being a gymnast, 4'11" tall and limber I would be doing summersaults, backflips and everything... huge circles gathered around but I didn't see them till I tried to walk out of that circle For me, that was the start....

I used to talk to a guy, whom I still see, called Tim Smithers. He asked if I wanted to go with him to Wigan but my Dad said no. He's DJing for my bourne for soul this year!

I used to work as a receptionist at the Bournemouth YMCA and we had a resident.. very short with a moustache LOL... he gave me a northern soul tape. The very first song on it was Little Anthony and about 2 years later my Brother stole the tape and taped over it! I've never forgiven him.

So, time passed me by... I got heavily into the Rockin scene which I absolutely loved - the clothes, cars, hair and moreso the music - especially the doowop and jivers. I got married (I always has my meagre record collection and tapes but I wasn't really allowed to play them....), had two children and spent 13 shitty years in a dead end relationship until one day, walking to work, I slipped on a flyer. It was advertising a soul night in Bournemouth. I recognised immediately the photo on the front, it was a full room at Wigan - I'd never been but I just knew it! I went to this soul night, all on my own, and that was about 9 years ago. It was there that I met Lindsay! I've never looked back since.

for me it was through my dad. he had lots of the reords but i only knew a few commerical soul and motown stuff. and then got onto this Northern soul in fact i was not well up on it and when someone at my age like 10 say to me what is Northern soul i would you need to listen to the songs to understand and only song i would play or recommend was Move On Up but as the years went by i started listing to more of it and now i know more about it then i did back then