https://www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk/live-shows/nh/0/1/41/1176?gclsrc=ds&gclsrc=ds

"It doesn’t matter where in the UK you hail from. If you remember hand-clapping in unison, spins, splits and backdrops, dressing in brogues, baggy trousers, vests and Fred Perry’s, wide skirts and flat shoes? If you love the dance beats and soulful sounds of hits such as ""Where Did Our Love Go”,” There’s A Ghost In My House, or ""Landslide"" then come and join us ""Out On The Floor"" on one of these lively and late festival break"

Perhaps its just me, but I keep hearing 'Cashing In' ?

The Proms , the homogenous representations of the scene, the idea that all coverage is good etc etc.

Has the  scene sold out and become a parody of its former self? Is there just an ageing populus who were never really 'on the scene'...they just went to Wigan, stopped, had kids and came back decades later and now clap at all coverage as good coverage?

Are there multiple scenes that are homogenised by lazy BBC producers looking for an easy target market? Baggy trouser syndrome? Is there a Ghost in this house? Is it a commodification driven Landslide?

Is the present scene everything it once railed against in order to become?

I'm Interested in other perspectives.......

It's all fine with me ... 

I wouldn't be interested in such a break but followed the link to see what was on offer, still not interested. I guess for some people if you're going to have a weekend break at a hotel that provides entertainment you might as well go to one that offers something approaching the music you like.

   I don't think they are cashing in they are just providing a service which going by the amount of breaks and the various musical genres there is an obvious demand, you pays your money and takes your choice. I don't think it fair to compere these with the Prom concert. Only my opinion but two entirely different things which no doubt will be covered on the relevant thread.

   Would you consider events like the Jersey Weekender etc where you book the full package to be cashing in or are they ok because they are run by people involved in Northern soul, just asking and only mentioned Jersey as it's one I've been to in the past.

Don't know about the "cashing in" factor on such events. Seems more like some 'win-win' kind of thing. With one promoting the venue and the other doing it's thing. Money to be made yes but nothing to reach for the sky I believe.

As Paul stated to me this is the antinomy of what I love from the scene back then or the ones (more than one) before my time but read and heard about. Whatever is -that- "scene" today I truly don't care. Unlike music and records.

Certainly never those records, nor such venues, never on 'pre-fab' package-deals and even less at that cost. While Paul set the 'parabole' into esoteric gore with the 'ghost' paralleling to me this is merely a Bourgeois 'vamp' of NS.

Edited July 16, 20231 yr by Tlscapital

Just attend the venues that satisfies your soul requirements.

Personally I would not be seen dead at a Warner type event but loads do attend 

Live and live and never cross paths with the different factions of the scene , they are  enough events out there to satisfy everyone.

And also no one owns the music it was made for everyone.

 

 

A lot of people have only got into NS in their Middle Ages or even older and probably wouldn't have touched it when they were teenagers because it was probably too edgy or they preferred other music.It suits them now because they have started going out again and it looks like the best option open to them and probably some friends have told them they will love it.

It's readily available with events everywhere a lot attached to Motown nights and maybe they've heard stuff on the radio or wherever that has lured them in. Warner and other events will appeal to these types I suppose so yes they are going to try and cash in.

It's the same with rave and indie music although less so at the moment underground stuff eventually gets more sanitised and filters through to a wider audience .

 

Edited July 16, 20231 yr by bri phill

Lots of weekenders fit that bill 

14 hours ago, Paul-s said:

https://www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk/live-shows/nh/0/1/41/1176?gclsrc=ds&gclsrc=ds

"It doesn’t matter where in the UK you hail from. If you remember hand-clapping in unison, spins, splits and backdrops, dressing in brogues, baggy trousers, vests and Fred Perry’s, wide skirts and flat shoes? If you love the dance beats and soulful sounds of hits such as ""Where Did Our Love Go”,” There’s A Ghost In My House, or ""Landslide"" then come and join us ""Out On The Floor"" on one of these lively and late festival break"

Perhaps its just me, but I keep hearing 'Cashing In' ?

The Proms , the homogenous representations of the scene, the idea that all coverage is good etc etc.

Has the  scene sold out and become a parody of its former self? Is there just an ageing populus who were never really 'on the scene'...they just went to Wigan, stopped, had kids and came back decades later and now clap at all coverage as good coverage?

Are there multiple scenes that are homogenised by lazy BBC producers looking for an easy target market? Baggy trouser syndrome? Is there a Ghost in this house? Is it a commodification driven Landslide?

Is the present scene everything it once railed against in order to become?

I'm Interested in other perspectives.......

The vast majority were never on the scene nor still not on the scene....it's definitely sold out and has been a parody for a good few years.  It's fast becoming the new Derby & Joan.  Most of those going to venues now are the folk we went to nighters to get away from and I still want to get away from the vast majority of them.  

Whilst I enjoyed listening to the ‘Northern Soul’ Proms as a celebration of the music and records we love, the Warner Leisure thing looks like it’s aimed at over 60’s non-soulies that may want to pack the Viagra for a fun weekend away and to be a part of something they might perceive as ‘cool’.

However, if you need to attend a ‘Soul dance workshop’, you clearly ain’t ‘feeling it’ in the first place.

As for the ‘record and merchandise market’, there really are no words.

Authentic northern soul weekenders (both holiday camp or hotel based) are for dedicated fans. But there's no reason why others shouldn't do northern hotel breaks for the less committed -- after all they do northern soul ferry trips, northern soul cruises, northern soul river trips, etc.  

2 hours ago, Chalky said:

The vast majority were never on the scene nor still not on the scene....it's definitely sold out and has been a parody for a good few years.  It's fast becoming the new Derby & Joan.  Most of those going to venues now are the folk we went to nighters to get away from and I still want to get away from the vast majority of them.  

Yes. A good point! The people I went to nighters to escape from.......spot on I think.

1 hour ago, Roburt said:

Authentic northern soul weekenders (both holiday camp or hotel based) are for dedicated fans. But there's no reason why others shouldn't do northern hotel breaks for the less committed -- after all they do northern soul ferry trips, northern soul cruises, northern soul river trips, etc.  

The Skys the limit I guess.......Could even extend it to Winter Holiday packages "Ski-ing In the Snow' Northern Soul weekender etc..

The born again northern devotees and Johnny come latelys further encouraged to enter our places of worship once unknown to the masses now seeking refuge from the local pubs and clubs, seeking out our once secret sounds cutting rug and now becoming one of the in crowd. No drinks on the dance floor not forgetting your handbags please, oh to late there pissed!

Welcome to the strange world of northern soul 2023

On 16/07/2023 at 16:13, Roburt said:

Authentic northern soul weekenders (both holiday camp or hotel based) are for dedicated fans. But there's no reason why others shouldn't do northern hotel breaks for the less committed -- after all they do northern soul ferry trips, northern soul cruises, northern soul river trips, etc.  

Yes, very true. Indicating 3 NS circuits and even more scenes, crowd and generations maybe. Or at times certainly.

- The Nighters. Pick the ones suiting you or venture to find out. The 'format' that started it all for an alternative to the "regular" 'in-crowd discotheque or the "scruffys" rock'N'roll promised ear-bleeds. The format that kept on for the die-harders after the "fashion" passed-on after the Wigan shut-down. And the format that also gave more room to new sounds.

- The Week-Enders. This thing came up to establish anew format that could allow (financially too) to put together gigs and different dee-jays from different horizons and their followers when the scene was scattered and running low on die-harders scattered all over the UK (and further) unable to attend different nighters. Inspired some by the scooterist scene ?

- The 'non-homesick' Tourism NS package-deals. Mixing the family thing to the tribe, the clan or the cult or anything you wanna call it. These sort of events came last in line in the 9T's. indicating likely that for some the NS experience had to embrace even more than music only... And taking it all even further away from those whose wages could not afford that.

On a side note when you say dedicated fans I believe you're really talking about NS fans right ? Well I see different sorts there rather than just the one kind. Just because IMB a 'fan' is a bit pathetic. It's the 'living for it' kind. There are those out there I know but hopefully we get to meet very different people out there who have other approach to it all.

Regardless of any sorts of NS events today, there's not one NS scene anymore. But only different tribes, clans or cult variations maybe. With each their NS 'fans' (= punters ?), 'dancers' (not athletic necessary but that took NS dancing classes), collectors (or music freaks) and dee-jays. Young (few) or old (a lot). Not rich (few) and deep-pockets (a lot).

One can say there were always different scenes under one NS flag. All with their own dee-jays, sounds, clubs and circuits with more than rivalry at times with bad 'disputes' too. True but the thing is that today the scene that survived 'underground' during the 8T's & the 9T's when the scene was running 'low' was not made much of all that anymore...

Then you had that flood of "new comers" (or come back-ers) that didn't get all that happened in between that shook some those who remained passionate and attended differently the scene. Two 'currents' running opposite with one submerging the other. Odd to hear 'older' folks talking about 'saving' the 'heritage'... That's not how heritage works.

Attending events on the 'rare soul scene' was always a 'phase' in each punters life. My heyday was 1966 to 1970, most folk on here came after me. But by the time the Casino came around, I had a family to think about & so skipping off to nighters 100's of miles away was never on the cards.

I always loved my soul, I just followed a more mainstream path. Chasing copies of 45's on Curtom, Philly Int, Hi, Dakar, Invictus, TK and the turned-on majors but not ignoring the likes of KoKo, LoLo, Gemingo, Bashie, Maurci, etc.

I'd listen with interest to the NS radio shows but could never really 'buy in' to the 100mph stompers & pop crap that would be aired amongst the pure soul sides spun. But progressive venues started to play more modern / diverse stuff and so my interest was recaptured. Casino goers would come round & plunder my collection and the odd one would even invite me along to enjoy a night at a localish current event (no nighters though).

Then a decent nighter started up that was quite local (Rotherham) & it got some plugs from the soul DJ on the local radio stn (Hallam). The kids were now growing up, so I started attending & really enjoyed myself.

So I had been brought back into the fold but (of Course) was now much older. So when weekenders started to be organised, that was ideal for me. Dancing at 3.10am, in a warm comfy bed at 3.20am (after my enegry levels hit the buffers). What an ideal situation & with live acts thrown in as well (just like in my old days @ the Mojo, Nite Owl, Wheel).

I was even told I should go on NS cruises, but even though we 'cruise' every year, that always seemed a bit too 'over the top' to drag the wife along on.

So, as we age, lots of us have entered, left & returned to the 'scene'. The scene itself has evolved. For some that's a bummer ("I only go to oldies events") but for me it's a plus point. I'm even too old now for weekenders (being mid 70's) BUT will still turn out for the right event if it ain't too far away. Heck, the scene has even evolved to taking 100's of Brits to visit the cities the 60's / 70's soul stars live in rather than bringing a bunch of 4/5 US singers to entertain 100's of punters at a do over here.  

So, the scene / scenes have always evolved -- some hate progress, but it can't be stopped. If 'themed' events in posh London music venues or organised by a main stream hotel chain, bring lovers of our music back. then (I say) more power to those events.   

I guess it is also hard to tell how many of us are devoted Soul music advocates and collectors but dropped out of attending completely for various reasons such as work, home and health.  I was out until my early 40s when it just became impossible to fit everything in, I'm now mid-50s and could be back at some stage, especially for the weekender/all dayer type events which I can plan for.  But for now it's 'armchair participation' - but I'm active continually listening, collecting, promoting the music and for now that's enough until I get some more time back in life.  

I have also introduced people to core Northern Soul events in the past who found it a bit hard to understand or even slightly intimidating for them - so the Warner type events might be for them.  It's only the music that unites us now and even then, what is fresh for some, are old sounds to everyone here. 

Edited July 19, 20231 yr by Thinksmart