Mike

The Prestatyn Soul Weekender Returns ! Following huge public demand, Pontins have announced the welcome return of the Prestatyn Soul weekender at their largest holiday camp at Prestatyn in North Wales over the weekend of March 8-10th 2013. Between 2001 and 2011 the weekender was widely acclaimed as the leading event of it's kind and quickly became a national institution for soul devotees from Great Britain and beyond. Every March, over 2000 like-minded souls made the annual pilgrimage to the North Wales coast the celebrate the best in Northern Soul, Motown, Modern and "crossover" soul as played by many of the UK's top DJs. Following the last event (the 10th anniversary) in March 2011, the Prestatyn site was taken over by the Britannia group who have now invested heavily in upgrading the accommodation and the entertainment venues. With thousands of new beds now in situe, as well as new flooring in many apartments plus an additional 80 top of the range "club" apartments available, comfort as well as an untouchable array of great soul music is now guaranteed at Prestatyn. With "recession -busting" great value pricing set for the re-launch weekender ( prices start from as little as £29 per person for 3 nights self-catering!) demand is set to exceed capacity for this event. Looking back, in addition to a well-respected list of DJs representing soul clubs from all parts of the UK, what really set Prestatyn apart from the rest was the exclusive live artists they were able to attract - and in March 2013 it will be another jaw-dropping act to savour - The Vibrations! The 4 man group flying in exclusively to appear at the event and are itching to get on stage and to see Prestatyn rock to 2000+ people singing along to their many dancefloor anthems including" Gonna get along without you" , " ' Cause you're mine" and " Surprise Party for Baby"! Carl Fisher, lead singer of The Vibrations says about their forthcoming visit : " I want to take the time to thank in advance all the fans of Northern Soul music and the people of England for making it possible for us to come over and perform for all of you. I remember my first time coming over there in the sixties and how we were made to feel welcome in your country. At that time we were backed by a great band who went on to become "The Moody Blues". We played at The Twisted Wheel and The Cavern Club and many other venues and had a good time. We are looking forward to singing "'Cause you 're mine" , "Shake it up", "Surprise party for baby" and "Ain't nothing but a houseparty" ( which I wrote for my good friend Earl Smith of the Showstoppers), who will also be there with us. It is because of people like you who have kept the music alive and make it possible for us to still be doing what we enjoy. We will see you all in March. Sincerely, Carl Fisher ( the original lead singer of the Vibrations, The Jay Hawks and The Marathons)" In addition to an exciting live act that will be sure to pull in a huge audience, there are five separate venues covering classic Northern , Motown and Modern soul as well as specialist sessions for lovers of 70s "crossover" soul, 60s RnB and " Rarest of the rare" All Nighter sounds. Appointed to select the DJs and schedule the entertainment on site is a man who was very involved with Prestatyn the first time around - John Poole. John says : " To have Prestatyn back is a dream come true. With a site that has undergone a huge refurbishment , a mind-blowing headline act direct from America, and a great DJ line-up to cater for all tastes. Add to that the incredible value accommodation deals that are on offer , and I m certain the hundreds who regularly tell me how much they miss Prestatyn are going to be highly delighted at this great news. Britannia have taken their time, made the right improvements to the accommodation and are determined to retain the best elements of the "old Prestatyn" , but to also make the necessary improvements to ensure that the 2013 weekender experience will be the best one yet". Britannia's event sales manager Lucas Czarnecki commented: " Due to repeated enquiries and questions from the public it has been decided to resurrect the Prestatyn Northern and Modern soul weekender as it's one of the most iconic and successful events in Pontins 65-year history. After long discussions and many meetings we have compiled a team of experienced, passionate and dedicated consultants as well as a top line up of DJs - people who truly dedicated their lives and careers to establishing and preserving the Northern Soul scene in the UK. We are happy to organise this event again and welcome the UK soul scene back in North Wales. We hope our efforts in restoring Prestatyn's accommodation combined with the great value relaunch pricing and a most exceptional and exclusive American live act will put Prestatyn Soul Weekender on the UK map for years to come" For further details, The Prestatyn Soul weekender has a new, regularly updated website : www.prestatynsoulweekender.co.uk, plus a dedicated e mail address info@prestatynsoulweekender.co.uk, or follow via Twitter : UKsoulweekenders Bookings for Prestatyn 2013 are being taken now via www.pontins.com or by phone on 0844 576 5949 / 01745 881800 . When booking please quote reference no: NSP1 Info via John Poole

Seems just a bit more "Northern Soul" film news has been pushed out in the mainstream via a MEN article entitled Keeping The Faith... Clip below, can read the full article via the link below the below.... Steve Coogan plays a teacher, it's a small part but I'm really pleased he agreed to do it and Ricky Tomlinson plays the granddad Elaine says it was a 'no brainer' to shoot here in the north west, but she's keen to point out that the town in the film is fictitious. "I know the main towns on the Northern Soul scene were Wigan, Stoke and Manchester," she says, "but I didn't want to pinpoint a certain place, so I've taken relevant bits and put them all together. "But I knew it had to be filmed here, it's my old stomping ground - where I first fell in love with Northern Soul - it's synonymous with the scene." Elaine has also enlisted the expertise of legendary Northern Soul DJ, Richard Searling to act as a music consultant and she reveals the film company is in early discussions about releasing a soundtrack to the film, which is planned for release around next spring. "That's the time scale we're working toward," she says. "We envisage shooting will be pretty much completed by the end of the summer and so spring 2013 is our projected release date." Read more at: http://menmedia.co.u...eping-the-faith