Northern Nights In The Home Counties

[Guest vinylvixen]

Does Kim , still wear braces ,and do high kicks

You'd better believe it, baby He's still as fit as a butchers dog... Jo

[Simon M]

You'd better believe it, baby He's still as fit as a butchers dog... Jo

Dont tell me he still does Kung Fu Any pictures

[Guest vinylvixen]

Dont tell me he still does Kung Fu Any pictures

Lots....all I have to do now is learn how to use a scanner and re-size photos but it will be worth it in the end. I've got some little gems Jo

[Simon M]

Lots....all I have to do now is learn how to use a scanner and re-size photos but it will be worth it in the end. I've got some little gems Jo

Fantastic , cant wait ..

[Steve G]

Lots.... but it will be worth it in the end. I've got some little gems Jo

this should be interesting......Jo I think you did come to the Fire Station with us, or was that Egham? Soulsmith on here was involved with that.

Simon - Kev got into Jazz funk and worked on a cassette magazine until about 1985. He then retired from the scene. I will say he was one of the first guys onto Phillip Michell "I'm so happy" as a new release. He also used to play the Constellations back in the 70's, I remember he got it from John Manship for £1.

Kim still lives in Tunbridge Wells, and as Jo says is still as fit as he ever was - he also has a son called Curtis. I also saw his sister Sarah at Cleethorpes a couple of years ago as well - she hasn't changed either. Some of the other West Kent crowd have also made cameo appearances in recent years - I saw Jeff Harlock at the Rocket (he hasn't changed, except his hair has gone awol), and Steve Noble and "Annie" at the 100 Club. These guys had long before retired, but came back to the scene a few years ago. Geoff told me he sold all his records to some reggae dealer in Sevenoaks for next to nothing.

I still have nightmares at being asked to carry that 600 record box! I doubt I could even lift it now, let alone carry it up the hill from St Albans station to The Pheonix (thanks Sigher for clearing that up).

[Simon M]

this should be interesting......Jo I think you did come to the Fire Station with us, or was that Egham? Soulsmith on here was involved with that.

Simon - Kev got into Jazz funk and worked on a cassette magazine until about 1985. He then retired from the scene. I will say he was one of the first guys onto Phillip Michell "I'm so happy" as a new release. He also used to play the Constellations back in the 70's, I remember he got it from John Manship for £1.

Kim still lives in Tunbridge Wells, and as Jo says is still as fit as he ever was - he also has a son called Curtis. I also saw his sister Sarah at Cleethorpes a couple of years ago as well - she hasn't changed either. Some of the other West Kent crowd have also made cameo appearances in recent years - I saw Jeff Harlock at the Rocket (he hasn't changed, except his hair has gone awol), and Steve Noble and "Annie" at the 100 Club. These guys had long before retired, but came back to the scene a few years ago. Geoff told me he sold all his records to some reggae dealer in Sevenoaks for next to nothing.

I still have nightmares at being asked to carry that 600 record box! I doubt I could even lift it now, let alone carry it up the hill from St Albans station to The Pheonix (thanks Sigher for clearing that up).

Thanks Steve , I remember kev getting into the more contempo style scene , he was pushing Larry Wu as his power play , so must of been 1984 . He was slightly shocked when I told him I'd got the 7'' promo from Soul Bowl for £1

https://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Larry%20Wu.html

Edited February 18, 2007 by Simon M

[Guest vinylvixen]

this should be interesting......Jo I think you did come to the Fire Station with us, or was that Egham? Soulsmith on here was involved with that.

I think it was the Fire Station

Kim still lives in Tunbridge Wells, and as Jo says is still as fit as he ever was - he also has a son called Curtis.

Two sons....Leon and Curtis - and lovely lads they are too

Steve Noble and "Annie" at the 100 Club.

Steve Noble was at the Brighton Alldayer at the Vaux Tavern....he hasn't changed a bit...I've got a photo of Kim and Steve at the Barn in T.Wells

Jo

[Steve G]

Two sons....Leon and Curtis - and lovely lads they are too

Presumably Leon is after Leon Ware?

Agree on Steve Noble, hasn't aged a bit!

I thinK Egham was also at a Fire Station as well!!! How bizarre now that I think of it....

[Guest vinylvixen]

Presumably Leon is after Leon Ware?

Naturally

I thinK Egham was also at a Fire Station as well!!! How bizarre now that I think of it....

I'll find the photos and you can ID the location. You were wearing a brown Adiddas top and you had a moustache I know that Jeff (from Tonbridge) was with us - I have a VERY vague recollation of coming back into St Pancras...or a station in the North of London....Jo

[Steve G]

and you had a moustache

Oh my goodness

[Guest Gavin Page]

and you had a moustache

Oh my goodness

Somebody a picture pleeeeease !

[Steve G]

Somebody a picture pleeeeease !

This one must NEVER be seen

Jo it might have been St Ives? We went there as well.....

[Guest vinylvixen]

Somebody a picture pleeeeease !

Gavin, I'm looking as fast as I can Until then, you can only begin to imagine - Mr G with long hair AND a moustache It gets better.... Jo

[Guest Gavin Page]

Gavin, I'm looking as fast as I can Until then, you can only begin to imagine - Mr G with long hair AND a moustache It gets better.... Jo

Jo

I have a great little space in the Soul Essence program, that said picture would fill a treat.

Prey tell was the Moustache in a Mick Smith Style ???

Hope you are well ?

Gav

[Guest vinylvixen]

Jo

I have a great little space in the Soul Essence program, that said picture would fill a treat.

Prey tell was the Moustache in a Mick Smith Style ???

Hope you are well ?

Gav

A cross between Zapatta and Senor Smith.... Ariba ariba..........Jo

[Guest]

Wow ! Just read this thread with nostalgia and some sadness . I knocked around with Gary Jeffries for some time in the 70's we used to use the local youth club (the Capricorn) to play our new sounds and practice our new moves ! Gary and me went to our first Northern do at the Burlesque in Farnborough it was the Ian Levine roadshow (or something ??) and billed that night were all his "stars" of the time Evelyn Thomas , the Exciters etc etc . They never showed but we were treated to someone, don't know who, spinning all the top tunes I was hooked ! We went to Bisley once a month to hear Kojak and the other DJ's from the inter city soul club playing their stuff . I remember one night Kojak playing Candi Staton "young hearts run free" the floor soon cleared and Kojak Cried out "this ain't Wigan you know !" I bought a ticket for Wigan's 3rd anniversary and travelled up there on my own when I returned home I took the bus back to Garys house to recite the nights story. Gary never missed a trip to Wigan again including the "this England " TV show. We also did St Ives and Reading I do remember the day it all kicked off , if I remember it used to be Northern downstairs and Jazz funk up stairs until that day when it switched round for the following all dayer and at that time my tastes swopped round I started doing the funk thing, Lacy Lady , Frencies , global village , Sean Frenches do at Dantes . The last time that I saw Gary was in town I had just bought myself a '57 Chevy (taste changed again but music taste didn't thank God) and gave him a lift home this was the last I was to see of him . I made a serious error of not attending his funeral I remember being too upset at the time, something that I've learnt from as now I always attend the funerals of anyone that I know. I still Love all the music - Jazz Funk and Northern and though my memory might not be spot on I can remember those great times, how great the music was and if Gary was not the best dancer he was one of them and his absolute Love of the scene and the music would mean that he would still be dancing to Northern today I gaurantee it !

[Chris L]

Looking back to clubs and nights in the South east of England (outside of London) in the late 70's. Here are a few I can recall, but would appreciate more details on some of them from people with better memories than I....I thought I better write some of it down though before I forget even more.....

We start off with Reading's Top Rank Suite - opposite the station. Home to several well attended all dayers in 1977-8 (they may have run some earlier ones as well). At least 600 soulheads attended these, and quite possibly a lot more. It was an easy location for the Kent crowd to get to, and these all dayers normally took place on bank holidays. They may from memory have been started earlier by the Inter City Soul Club. DJ's included Iain Stewart, Tony Dellar, Ian Clark, Tony Ellis I think and also Brian Rae etc.

Format main room - Northern - upstairs smaller room Jazz Funk. At one of them (Aug 77 I think) Chris Hill turned up with coach loads of Goldmine punters who rammed the upstairs room (this part has been well chronicalised, but often not too accurately). At the same time attendance was down in the main room - so Chris being Chris decided it was time to reunite the northern and Jazz funk scenes and got the upstairs room to come down and 'join' with their northern brothers and sisters. He took over the decs and played "Magic Fly" by Space :graynone: as his "unifying" record, while the Jazz Funk folks danced in a conga round the northern crowd on the floor. Obviously it didn't work, and very nearly ended in tears. After that the rooms were reversed and "northern" was sent upstairs while the JF crowd got the main room, and that was the last time we went, as the atmosphere wasn't the same upstairs. Billy Arnell was a big sound at the last one we went to. From there (as far as the Jazz funk scene was concerned) were born the Purley alldayers etc etc.

Egham - 1st April 1979 (?) allnighter - we went on the train, Kev Griffin was DJing along with Ian Clark. Good crowd and I vaguely recall discussing the merits or otherwise of a European copy of Lynne Randell "Caio baby" with one Col Smith. Also remember a long wait on the platform for a train in the morning.....Col can you fill in some gaps here. Seem to remember it was in a gym / basketball type set up, and there were several of them?

St Albans Fire Station. Not sure when this all nighter was held but it would have been late 70's, but it was a well attended "one room event". DJ's included Steve Jeffries (the Aldershot one), and it was about the time the dreadful "Love Hustle", and Ral Donner were popular. Don't know why they never did another one, but believe Mick from Past & Present Records in Watford was involved in it somehow. Notable for me because Kim Styles took a 600 single sales box which we had to take turns in lugging along the not insubstantial walk from St Albans station to the fire station, and back.

Further north - The Nite Spot Bedford. Run by Ken Cox of EASC fame - there were several all nighters here. The place was demolished years ago, but again this venue was well attended. Notable for several things: Got my copy of Ronnie McNeir "My class" for £10 here . Sam did a modern spot which got me back up to Wigan pretty pronto with cover ups such as "The Love Committee" etc. Most notable though we went to one of these nights with a 'first timer' from Southborough, but it was cancelled so about a dozen of us spent the night getting back from Bedford on a ghost train - what a let down that was, and don't think the first timer was much interested after that.

Then of course we ran a number of events in West Kent ourselves- starting off with St Easthwythes Hall in Tonbridge which Kim Styles started in 1977. It was just a Friday night 7.30 - 11 pm do (no booze, dusty dance floor church hall) where we could listen to and dance to sounds. At the end of the night our "Spencers bags" looked like they'd been through an asbestos mill - covered in dust - just right for Wigan on Saturday then....Got my first ever DJ spot here helping Kim, and these were once a month. Usually only about 20-30 of us in there, but we always turned up....

From there we ran a number of events - an all dayer at the DeLaRue School in Tonbridge - which Kev Griffin led the charge on. Can't remember much about it, except it wasn't well attended, and we kept waiting for more people to turn up.....a couple of do's in the Lyons Club in Lyons Crescent, and our most successful "northern" event at the Dancing School in Tonbridge High St (near the Crown). Again Kev and I ran this and guests included Cockney Mick Webb (who we could not get off of the decks "Just a few more mate - I've only been on for two hours"), Graham Constantine, Kim and a young Joanna Wallace (Jo also came to st Easthwyves). We did 3 or 4 there, and even made a £1.50 profit on one of the nights which for us was a real "first". We split the profits 50/50, Kev taking £1 and me 50p Big sound here for Kev was The Constellations which at the time was a £1.50 relatively "expensive" tune. After that we just became punters at places like 6T's which had by now become a regular haunt for us which didn't involve excessive travelling up north, lugging decks around etc.

At the end of the 70's we also had the mod revival and Kim and I guested at several do's run by Jo Wallace in Thanet - one on Broadstairs by the pier which was "rammed", and a couple in pubs in Ramsgate (I cannot remember names etc) - these were more mod / 60s soul events, but were both very well attended and I still have nightmares to this day about being driven around to one of these do's in the back of Jon Buck's car at breakneck speed.

So what else was around "northern wise" in the Home Counties in the late 70's?

Similar to an ealier posting last week about pantiles that went onto Surrey-ish soul

venues...............

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=54185

[Chris L]

Doesn't really count as Home Counties, but had some brilliant nites at Centre City in Southampton.

Also had some excellent nites at Shades Of Green in Camberley. A squalid little club that got its name 'cos the walls were .....err painted in shades of green. This was certainly one of the most influential clubs in the south. Regular 'members' now read like a whos who of soul in the south.

Col

Also haven't mentioned any of Iain Stewarts dos in Weybridge.

Went to the Shades when it got started, guess about 73/74-ish, Mike Ritson and someone

called Jamie Somethingorother were the DJ's.

W E Y B R I D G E !!!!! You have got to be kidding !!! I once in lived in Walton-on-Thames

and know Weybridge very well, how the heck did someone get a soul night in darkest

stockbroker belt ? Must have been some severe rattling of cappacino cups and snorting

Range Rovers lad !!

How about Birds Nest West Hampstead every thursday night, sounds to rival any Northern

venue, run by Dave Burton & Dave Rivers, with some assistance from Mick Smith (kind of)

a lot of sounds being broke at the Mecca and Torch came from this place believe it or not.

[Mike]

attention brought to one post and it was removed

this is a public forum and all members are asked to keep this in mind when posting or discussing past deeds etc

thanks

mike

[Chris L]

attention brought to one post and it was removed

this is a public forum and all members are asked to keep this in mind when posting or discussing past deeds etc

thanks

mike

Could you expand on this please, not sure what this means, many thanks, Chris

[Steve G]

Could you expand on this please, not sure what this means, many thanks, Chris

Chris it was about certain people, drugs and jail

Meanwhile the rest of us were just having a good time.

[Guest]

]We went to Bisley once a month to hear Kojak and the other DJ's from the inter city soul club playing their stuff . I remember one night Kojak playing Candi Staton "young hearts run free" the floor soon cleared and Kojak Cried out "this ain't Wigan you know !" ]

I remember the floor being packed to Candi Staton, Tavares, Al Foster Band, jeff Evans, et al. I always thought that Gary was a good dancer, he should have been given all of the practice he got at "the Cap"Just seen some photos of his brother Steve online at:

https://www.flickr.co...799266324/show/

Mainly scooters. Check out that dodgy tash

Edited October 31, 2009 by Weekend Warrior

[dthedrug]

THE FIRST VENUE IN HARTFORDSHIRE TO PLAY "WHEEL" RECORDS WAS STEVENAGE MECCA DJ DANNY LENO PLAY A FEW GREAT SOUNDS, AS HE DJed AT THE tOTENHAM ROYAL ALTERNITIVE WEEKS, I SUPOSE HE WAS THE FIRST TO PLAY RARE SOUL(NORTHERN)TO ANY ONE FROM THE SMOKE? HE WAS RESIDANT DJ AT BOTH FROM 68 TO 71 I THINK, NEXT UP IS BILL MAC, MICK SMITH & YOURS TRULY IN 71/2 IN HITCHIN "DIVE BAR" BEST LITTLE EVENT GOING, & THE BLACK HORSE PUB IN LEIGHTON BUZZARD WAS A GOOD VENUE IN 72, HOW LONG IT RAN FOR??? BEDFORDSHIRE & CAMBRIDGESHIRE ARE NOT HOME COUNTIES SO FORGET IT LADS? DAVE{MORE THAN SKIN DEEP)KIL

[Guest Eastbank Bootboy]

When I first went to Bisley late 75, it was run by Kojak under the auspices of the Inter City Soul Club. But a year later, Kojak pissed off and someone else took over. Just out of interest, who was it that replaced Kojak and his team?