Mark Bicknell

Coming up to three years ago in August 'The Soul Club' presented what turned out to be a one off Droylsden reunion Allnighter which was very well attended and despite one or two sound system problems proved to be a great night, sadly for one reason and another follow up sessions never happened, add this to being less involved with the Northern Scene from a personal perspective in recent times due to familyand personal commitments I certainly have taken a back seat, having said that the passion and desire for the music has never left me really and I still dabble in the records and guess that never leaves you does it. I have been given the oppurtunity to host a new allnight session in a perfect cellar club venue and subject to the licence the first Allnighter will happen on Saturday August 18th 2012 (it would appear after checking the events guide here on Soul Source that there is no other Allnighters booked in the area that night) so although there is just a little over a month to promote this I feel it's worth a shot, subject to conformation DJ's approached so far include Cliff Steele, Ted Massey, Ian Cunliffe, Phil T, Nige Brown, Dolly with more to be added to the rosta on rotation and myself to act as warm up DJ for the night as I know my place now not having some of the shall we say trophy records left, it is my intention to host this on a regular monthly basis subject to checking with other promotions to try and avoid clashing when possible, the music policy is simple AUTHENTIC Northern Soul with no agenda other than being played by some of the best people I know, I'm not gonna start spouting this venue will be the biggest and the best or we will be playing underplayed, lesser played, ujnknows or bog standard oldies what I will say is every effort will be made to supply the best possible quality music and the policy will be dictated by the people who attend and support the venue,DJ's will be booked on merrit,collection, entertainment value and most importantly be authentic in everyway. Full details on the venue, location, details will follow early next week subject to conformation of DJ's/venue and everything else being in place, Northern Soul events have been tried and run at this venue and I would like to personally thank the previous promoters for their efforts and commitment, it is with the blessing of the owner of the venue that I have been given the oppurtunity to dip my toe back into running an event, every effort will be made to promote this event in a proper and professional manner, an open invitation will be going out to other Allnighter promoters as a gesture of good faith. 'The Soul Club' Memberships will be valid for the new event but if you require a free membership and full details of the event pleaee send a SAE to The Soul Club, 32 Bakewell Avenue, Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, Ol6 9BP. The Allnighter will run from approx 9pm through to 6am To be confirmed and admission will be £10.00. For further information please feel free to contact me via bicknellmark@aol.com or via PM here, Telephone 0161 330 6267 Text/Mobile 07870610907

Being very much out of the loop scene wise so from an outsider looking in as it were it would seem to be a common theme that some of shall we say the more upfront rare soul venues are finding it difficult to get decent numbers through the doors, lost count how many times I read the music was brilliant but numbers were down, seems a little odd to me that when you look at the playlists many of the DJ's are playing top end records which command the big ticket prices on auctions etc. yet fail to draw the masses in which seems to make a nonsence to the whole rare soul ethic. Has the Northern scene become a retro nostalgia trip with little or no interest in different, lesser played or just quality rare soul? would it not be fair to suggest if the upfront or rare end of the music was that good then it would be better supported? or is it more down to attitude of the people trying to move it forward? or simply not that important to people who choose not to attend or support the upfront or different venues? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Return of the Droylsden Northern Soul Allnighters 8th Aug 2009 It's been over 15 years since the original Droylsden Allnighter back in the early 90's at The Concord Suite so a nice gap between venues lol, The Starlight Club is bang across the road from The Concord Suite so people should have no problems finding the venue, this is a hidden gem of a venue and as soon as I went and had a look at it I simply knew it was perfect to host an Allnighter, the club owner is a top bloke and is on my side which has made things easy to deal with from the off, it is my intention to promote simply a quality soul music event with the traditions, ethics and ethos of the original venue for 2009, looking to run around six Allnighters a year subject to finding free dates which is almost impossible but I will do my best to avoid other promotions at least in the area, the music policy is simple basically trying to provide quality tuneage from quality DJ's and the first night line up ticks all the boxes, Ian, Ted, Liam, Paul.B, Cliff, Nige and myself can certainly provide some top tuneage, everyone connected with the event has worked their socks off spreading the word, memberships are rolling in on a daily basis so it's looking good to be a well attended first night, hope some of you can make it. Event flyer is below and some before/after images of the venue as well Membership is required for this event, easy to join 'The Soul Club, send full details to bicknellmark@aol.com or text 07531132187 and Membership cards and event flyer will be sent free of charge up until Monday August 3rd and after that cut off date for mailing cards a reference number will be issued to every application for collection on the night. The Soul Club Droylsden Northern Soul Allnighter Saturday August 8th Starlight Club Droylsden Manchester 9pm - 7am Top DJ's - Ted Massey, Ian Cunliffe, Nige Brown, Cliff Steele, Liam Quinn & Paul.B (Beat Boutique,Manchester) Mark Bicknell

News of 6 New Rare and Northern Soul 45 Releases from Mark Bicknell I've had a bugger of a day at work getting ready for a busy Easter.....retail sucks, arrived home to a nice couple of packages from Ace/Kent in one i was delighted to find another batch of six Kent 45's, the other package contained the new Villa CD and Northern Monsters CD which are well worth a punt and deserve their very own mention on here which i might just do a little later. The first three 45's are on the new 'Kent Select' logo nice Blue label design in a superb company bag, very classy and extra tasty, all three are stunning double headers and you really must get these now!!!!, this new logo is i think going to be releasing some of the superb unissued material which Ady has discovered in recent years and featured on many of his superb CD's City 001 is the outstanding Tobi Lark - 'True True Love' B/W Little Ann - 'Sweep It Out In The Shed' which of course was originally recorded and issued by Tobi Lark on Topper records, both are stunning unissued tracks taken form the Kent CD "Dave Hamiltons Detroit Dancers Volume Three" Kent CDKEND 257, if you only buy one of these new 45's it has to be this one, Tobi lark is simply 'hit you full in the face' hard edged Detroit...awesome Ady. City 002 - is the wonderful 'A Broken Heart Cries' from The Pretenders originally released on "A Carnival Of Soul Volume Two" Kent CDKEND 118 from Joe Evans wonderful Carnival set up from New York, flip this winner over and you will discover the beautiful John Edwards - 'How Can I Go On Without You' taken from John Edwards - "A Careful Man Kent CDKEND 127......Dynamite Ady. City 003 - The Other Brothers - 'Nobody But Me' taken from "Serious Shades Of Soul For Collectors Only" Kent CDKEND 119 B/W Betty Swann - 'The Dance Is Over' taken from "The Soul Of Money Volume Two" CDKEND 267, i think you are getting the picture here of how good these releases are, two simply stunning sides, the Bettye Swann is just about as good as it gets for me and one i have featured on the show since the original CD came out a couple of years ago, i think it also featured on her solo recordings CD Kent also put out a bit back now, i'm sure this is just the start of some wonderful 45's in this 'Select' series.......ten out of ten Mr Croasdell. I believe the above three 45's will be retailing at around ten pounds....bargain or what? and will be limited to a 500 pressing run so simply get in fast as these are gonna fly out, best check with Ady directly or contact www.acerecords.com The next three are carrying on from the last batch of Kent 45 releases on the Red, White, Black and Grey logo again presented in a nice company bag the quality continues here with three yummy double headers so it's very much 'two for the price of one' with this little lot, i think these 45's retail around £5/6.00 but again you need to check with the gaffer on this. Millie Jackson - 'A House For Sale' B/W Garland Green - 'Come Through Me' - Town 124 - two simply class acts. Town 125 i think will out sell even the Tobi Lark 45 as here we have two awesome sides that have been on many wants lists in recent years and still pack those dance floors nationwide - Unique Blend - 'Yes I'm In Love' B/W ' Houston Outlaws - 'Ain't No Telling' crossover with ease, crossover to die for.........wonderful Mr Croasdell. And Finally Town 126 is a double diamond 64 million dollar sure fired winner - Bobby Wisdom - 'Handwritting On The Wall' from 1966 originally issued on 'Out A Site' records which is as hard as rocking horse droppings to find and will cost you a small fortune or rather a big one...lol if you can find one that is? B/W Morris Chestnut - 'Too Darn Soulful' cut back in 1967 and can only be described as a Northern Anthem and i'm glad to say i still have my Amy promo tucked away in the collection. Morris of course recently played live at the Prestatyn weekender performing this classic to over 3.000 happy people...Darn soulful just too darn i bet as i missed it. These are must have legit, authentic re - issues, Ady and Kent do it by the book, the sound quality is first class, the records are well presented and will i'm sure be well recieved, i will be giving them a full preview and airing on the show in a couple of weeks which will be a pleasure to do....first class effort Mr Croasdell....what's next ????????? www.solarradio.com Miss these 45's at your peril....Tobi Lark is a Godess.....tunnnnnnne! Regards - Mark Bicknell. orignally posted up soul source forum thread to view discussion https://www.soul-source.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=46272

Thought it might be a nice idea to start a Christmas message thread here on Soulsource. Ill start the ball rolling in wishing everyone out there a very happy Christmas and soulful new year, just like to thank a few people on a more personal level for DJ bookings etc. over the past year special thanks to Chris Waterman, Ady Croasdell,Neil Jones and Jayne Malone, all at the Bridgewater Soul Nights,Mace and many more. Big shout to Brett Franklin, Rich Buckley, Jamie, Mike Hughes, Jumping Joan, Shane and Kate, Trevski, Andy McCabe, Chalky, Janine, Dave Abbott,Tony Smith, Mick Smith, Andy Dyson, Mick H,Steve Cato,Derek Pearson, Kolla and all here on soulsourceeven Bexter.....lol Happy Christmas Kev. Thanks also for your dedicated and loyal support on my Solar Radio gig Sunday nights,will be on air Boxing Day night from 8pm - 10pm www.solarradio.com CHANNEL 879 SKY DIGITAL. Saved a fortune on Christmas cards and stamps here...lol all the best. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Regards - Mark Bicknell

Soulmasters - Rare Authentic Footage Found!!! Set To Preview At The New Century Soul Club Third Allnighter On The Big Screen! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually see what some of the artists must have looked like at the original time of recording some of this wonderful music of ours?????? well Ive always been interested in seeing any promotional photographs and the very rare odd bit of footage that has surfaced over the years as its beautiful to put a face to the voice which just adds a different dimension to the whole thing, so imagine firstly my shock and then total joy recently to find out that material is out there of some very obscure and rare artists.......... this coming Saturday February 28th THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB is proud to preview some of the most wonderful exclusive rare soul footage ever to hit the Northern Soul scene in its four decade history. Did you ever dream you would see the likes of Joe Matthews performing Shes My Beauty Queen, CODs in the flesh doing Michael, OJays - Lipstick Traces, Eddie Hill - Baby I Cried the wonderful flip side to You Got The Best Of Me Jackie Wilson in colour performing the classic Higher And Higher Tony Clarke proves on film that he was The Entertainer Major Lance Monkey Time see the Major dance and entertain.... simply awesome stuff and this is just a taster of mind blowing material which made me cry in places, it has to be seen otherwise you wont believe me. This stuff is so important and without question is going to be a major talking point and reverlation on the scene once people see it they will have to have it trust me......its possibly one of the most important finds in years. For further details on this contact bicknellmark@aol.com

NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB / NEW UNTOUCHABLES JOIN FORCES FOR A HUGE EASTER SUNDAY TWO ROOMER..... IN BIRMINGHAM. NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB - Present Easter Alldayer - Music Policy Across The Board On Sunday 11th April - 2PM - 2AM. AT CLUB AIR - Heathmill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham, B9 4AL. Main Room DJs Mark Bicknell ( NCSC ) Carl Willingham ( NCSC ) Karl Rhodes ( NCSC ) Kiddo ( NCSC ) Steve Thomas ( North Wales ) Phil Blacknell ( North Wales ) Gary Belcher ( West Midlands ) Dave Welding ( West Midlands ) Rob Kay ( East Midlands ) John Poole ( East Midlands ) Jo Wallace ( London ) Sean Chapman ( Luton ) PLUS THE NEW UNTOUCHABLES ROOM. With DJs Pid, Gavin N Vic, Roger Banks, Rob Bailey, Mark Raison ( Shake ) Mark Thomas ( Heavenley Blocked ) Neil Henderson ( The Hideaway ) Tickets £10.00 Advance/ £12.00 Pay On The Door/ Available from Beatin Rhythm 0161 834 7783 - info@newcenturysoul.co.uk or by credit card rob@newuntouchables.com For further information contact Chris 07989 425991/ Lee 07973 864256 - www.newcenturysoul.co.uk This is a state of the art venue in the heart of Birmingham with two fantastic rooms, as with our Manchester Allnighter we can promise first class sound systems in the two rooms and top class facilities throughout the venue. Some superb DJs booked from both camps so we look forward to a very busy session on Easter Sunday in Birmingham, the main venue flyers will be out there soon with full details etc, as above. Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell.

NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB ALLNIGHTER SATURDAY JULY 31ST - MAIN ROOM DJ TIMES. Just a quick posting with the main room DJ Times for the NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB ALLNIGHTER this coming Saturday night AT THE NEW CENTURY HOUSE, CORPERATION STREET, MANCHESTER. DJ TIMES. 9PM - 10PM STEVE THOMAS. 10PM - 11PM COLIN KIDSON. 11PM - 12 M/N - STEVE CSORDAZS. 12M/N - 1AM - ROGER BANKS. 1AM - 2AM - CARL WILLINGHAM. 2AM - 3AM - MARK BICKNELL. 3AM - 4AM - MICK H. 4AM - 5AM - KITCH. 5AM - 6AM - SEAN CHAPMAN. 6AM - 7AM - KARL RHODES. All DJs please note as we are a 10 hour/10 DJ event please stick to time and running order, and arrive on stage in good time for your set, thank you. Also Dont forget we welcome the FLIPSIDE R&B CLUB to the venue downstairs in the second room wit DJs TEDDY COULDSTONE, HORSE, JOE DUTTON, MARK STEWART, MACE PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS CARL WILLINGHAM AND ROGER BANKS. If you are hitting Manchester early please check out THE DUCIE BRIDGE WARM UP SESSION opp the venue with STEVE CATO and friends from 7pm through to 10pm - admission free, chill out and warm up over a few beers before the allnighter starts. Looking forward to seeing you all there, for further details check out www.newcenturysoul.co.uk Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Hi All Sorry not been in touch with you all recently but ive been such a busy DJ chapie over the past few weeks nationwide from Edinburgh through to The Plintston 1st Anniversary with stops off in Hinckley, The Ritz Manchester, Kempston Rovers in Bedford and local events at Bury Town Hall and The Limestreet Club with more bookings to follow for the rest of the year plus i have to fit day job in, Solar Radio Show, family life etc. etc. so again sorry for the gaps but i will try to do more regular features here on Soul Source as and when i can find the time........ oh then theres all the work going into Tim Browns Rare Soul Review Magazine issue four which should hit the streets towards the end of the year, so ill keep you posted on that one. Please note that my Solar radio Show has now been moved from the 2am time slot to 8am through 10am every sunday morning which is going really well......Breakfast time on sundays will never be the same again, the show format is still the same with two hours of action packed radio covering some four decades of quality Northern Soul based club culture and music.....Solar can be found on channel 879 on SKY DIGITAL or www.solarradio.com for any requests, mentions or dedictions please email studio@solarradio.com ok now for some really fantastic news which should go down well with everyone currently connected with the rare soul scene today.......... A MAJOR AND I MEAN MAJOR NEW NORTHERN SOUL ALLNIGHTER HAS BEEN SECURED IN MANCHESTER WHICH WILL RUN ON A REGULAR MONTHLY BASIS SOMETHING WHICH IS MUCH NEEDED ON TODAYS SCENE. THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB IS BORN AND THE FIRST NIGHT IS BOOKED AND CONFIRMED FOR SATURDAY DECEMBER 6TH 2003 AT NEW CENTURY HOUSE, CORPERATION STREET MANCHESTER M60 4ES - OPP MANCHESTER VICTORIA TRAIN STATION. MUSIC POLICY WILL BE TOTALLY ACROSS THE BOARD WITH DJS BOOKED FOR THE FIRST ALLNIGHTER BEING CARL WILLINGHAM, STEVE THOMAS, KEVIN MURPHY,DAVE EVISON, BRIAN RAE, KARL RHODES, GARY COPE, PAUL KIDD, KIDDO AND MARK BICKNELL( RESIDENT ) had to get that one in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OTHER TOP NAMES WILL APPEAR AT FUTURE MONTHLY ALLNIGHTERS AT THIS SUPERB STATE OF THE ART VENUE, WHICH WILL HOST A TOP CLASS SOUND SYSTEM, LARGE DANCE FLOOR, BAR INFACT THE ROOM HAS IT ALL.......................... THE NIGHT WILL RUN FROM 9PM THROUGH TO 7AM AND ADMISSION WILL BE £10.00 FOR ADVANCE TICKETS AND £12.00 ON THE DOOR - TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM - BEATIN RHYTHM 0161 834 7783 - KINGBEE RECORDS 0161 860 4762 - EARWAVES RECORDS 0161 236 4022 AND FROM ALL OF THE DJS PLAYING AT THE ALLNIGHTER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT CHRIS 07989 415991 - LEE 07973 864256 OR info@goodtimes.co NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB - FIRST ALLNIGHTER SATURDAY DECEMBER 6TH 2003 - THEN THE LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH FROM JANUARY 2004 - ITS GONNA BE HUGE.............................. See you soon - regards - Mark Bicknell

New Century Soul Club - New Allnighter For Manchester Update. Well we are a little over a month away from a real big event for the Northern Soul scene with the superb New Century Soul Club Allnighter which happens on Saturday December 6th 2003 from 9pm through to 7am at the wonderful NEW CENTURY HOUSE (CIS) BUILDING ON CORPORATION STREET MANCHESTER, OPP VICTORIA TRAIN STATION. So far the pre buzz and support for this event has been simply awesome and the word is very much out there for this outstanding new promotion. Every effort is being made to make this event work with all hands, DJs and promoters spreading the word nationwide. DJs for the first night are all booked and confirmed and include - CARL WILLINGHAM, STEVE THOMAS, KEV MURPHY, BRIAN RAE, DAVE EVISON, KARL RHODES, GARY COPE, PAUL KIDD, KIDDO AND LITTLE OLD ME MARK BICKNELL. THE MUSIC POLICY WILL SIMPLY BE TOTALLY ACROSS THE BOARD PLAYED THROUGH A STATE OF THE ART SOUND SYSTEM IN JUST ABOUT ONE OF THE BEST VENUES IN THE COUNTRY. This event will run on the last Saturday of the month from January 31st DJs booked and confirmed for this one include - TIM BROWN, ROBO, DAVE RIMMER, MICK H, GARY COPE, KIDDO AND MYSELF. February 28th DJs include GUY HENNIGAN T.B.C, KEVIN MURRY, NEIL JONES, SOUL SAM, ALAN POLLARD, GARY COPE, KIDDO AND MYSELF. Also its possible that there will also a feature upfront Modern Soul room at the venue from January yet to be confirmed but should happen, again TOP DJs will be booked for this room which will make the event even bigger and better! It is the intention of the New Century Soul Club to book as many top line DJs as we can throughout the year but also wish to showcase New DJs fresh to the scene so watch this space. Tickets are now on sale from all the DJs or directly from Chris on 07989 415991 or Lee on 07973 864256, you can also email info@goodtymes.co.uk and also check out the new website which should be on line this week which is www.newcenturysoul.co.uk where you will find all the information you need, DJ profiles, news views and lots more. Tickets are £10.00 advance or £12.00 pay on the door and can be obtained from Beatin Rhythm Records on 0161 860 7783 and King Bee Records on 0161 236 4022. or you can contact me directly on 0161 330 6267 email bicknellmark@aol.com and I can put you in touch with the hottest ticket in town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This event is basically going to be a venue of quality from the flyers through to the sound system, presentation, music policy, and national promotion via radio, magazines, word of mouth etc. Chris and Lee the promoters have without question gone about this in a professional expert manner, their passion and leg work on this has so far been awesome plus with a little help from Mr Gary Cope and myself we all hope you support this much needed venue for we hope a new era in the Northern Soul scenes long and rich history, all focus is on presenting an outstanding night out with a touch of class and real passion for the music we all love so every effort has and will be made to bring Northern Soul very much into the 21st Century on December 6th in Manchester and we hope this time next year tickets for the first Anniversary will be like gold dust! Other News In Brief. Seems like the new bootleg issue and my recent comments have been well supported, I feel so strongly about this issue and thank you all for your kind and detailed fedback on this bastard of all subjects. See Bettye Lavette is filling in for a sick Ko Ko Taylor this coming Saturday at The London Jazz Cafe, shame this as Im DJing that night so wont be able to see the show, trust me if you are in town that night check out still possibly one of the finest Soul singers of all time. The Jazz Cafe is situated at 5 Parkway, Camden, London NWI - Telephone 08701 500 044 / 020 7916 6060. Thats all from me this time out - Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell.

New Manchester Allnighter - New Century House Saturday December 6th - Update.............Simply wow!!!! what a venue. So far the promotion of The New Century Soul Club first Northern Soul Allnighter on December 6th at The New Century House - CIS building is really going well, the pre buzz for this event is awesome and of course Im gonna big it up and support the efforts of Co promoters Mr Chris Waterman and Lee Crank because so far the whole operation has been conducted with passion, commitment and style from the flyers, posters and nationwide advertising everything is now in place to build the venue as a major regular monthly event which will run on the last Saturday every month throughout 2004. So what of the venue, well Ive been on the scene for some twenty seven years and I can honestly say that I have never seen a better venue for a Northern gig to be hosted in, this place has it all in a word its an AWESOME room which took my breath away when I finally got to see it a few days ago, first class in every avenue with a superb bar area taylor made for a nice drink, a bite to eat and the selling of records. The main room is just outstanding and when the room is dressed and sound system which will be state of the art is in place on December the 6th this will be without question the place to be. The venue very much confirms the club name New Century as it will present a quality Allnighter which the scene warrents in this day and age. There will also be a pre bar venue hosted by Steve Cato at Atlas Bar on Deansgate, Manchester from about 8pm where several DJs will be in place to offer a relaxed warm up to the big one just down the road and you will be able to secure an advanced ticket to save any messing about later- admission to Atlas will be free of charge and a nice way to start the night off. For further information and tickets for the New Century Allnighter you can contact Chris on 07989 415991 or Lee on 07973 864256 or info@goodtymes.co.uk Admission is £10.00 advance or £12.00 on the door, being that this is going to be a very busy event it may be an idea to secure tickets asap. The wow factor is going to come in with everyone who attends Im sure, we want to build a quality event for Soul fans run by Soul fans its that simple and trust me this is without question one of the best venues Ive ever seen and I hope that people will enjoy and treasure the opening night on December 6th and soon enough the word and reputation will spread nationwide. There are plans to add a second room from January 31st in which direction, music policy has yet to be finalised but we will be inviting many of the scenes top spinners to play the venue and may well invite other clubs to host a session in the second room, one such idea is to get all the London Clubs up, i.e Dome Capitol Soul, These Old Shoes, 100 Club, Scenesville etc. So there are many good things and ideas we can put into practice which can only be good for the scene. So New Century is very much based on a people thing and making it work for the people who pay their money so any ideas for future events will very much be taken on board. Im very proud and honoured to have been asked to become resident DJ being as this is very possibly one of the biggest events to happen in Manchester for many years and will sport the corner for this event as I do for all venues I work at be it through my radio show on Solar, word of mouth via the pages of Soul source or whatever its so important for the future of our scene that all venues are supported be it the small basement club or major venue such as this. What we have to remember is that NO ONE is bigger than this scene of ours and the most important single thing is the music and keeping it fresh and alive. What I do know is this venue will certainly try to move forward and keep it real,alive and fresh so we can all enjoy the future. Finally there a several people to thank so far for all their wonderful support in the promotion of this event so far which include - Debbie Troops at BBC on line, Mike Ritson and Stuart Russell at Manifestio, Tim Brown at Anglo American, Carl Webster Lewis and Tony Monson at Solar Radio, All at Soul Source, Blues and Soul, Echoes for their superb coverage, the likes of Steve Cato, Garry Cope, Carl Rhodes, Steve Thomas, Carl Willingham, Kev Murphy, Kiddo, Dave Evison, Brian Rae, Paul Kidd - The DJs for spreading the word, Ian Obeng at Night Owl radio 96.9 FM, On The Scene gig guide, Russ Winstanley at BBC GMR, Jazz FM 100.4, local and national press, all the venues who allowed flyers to be displayed at their gigs and you the people I hope for your support on the first night and in the future. See you all on December 6th, even if you turn up late perhaps after attending another gig in the area you will all be more than welcome. Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell. Thank You Straight Back At Ya! Mark, I am taking this opportunity to thank you too. THANK YOU. There you go , done it. May I also just say that Chris and Myself cannot tell you how much we appreciate the hard graft that everone involved has put in?, from the bottom of our hearts we truely appreciate how much you guys have worked your knackers off in helping us to make this a night to remember( i know a song about that!). We kick of our regular allnighter in 2004 at the end of January which is also going to be somethiong special, i cant go in to too much detail as to why but you will all have to listen to Mark on sundays Big Daddys Soul Shack as to find out why! ?, we will announce the DJ line ups and something that will simply make Januarys night as succesful as our Decembers night looks it going to be. May I thank all the people that Chris and I have spoke to at the events around the country showing us fantastic support for the night,and all the fellow Nortern promoters that have allowed us in the clubs to help promote our own. You are all welcome to do exactly the same at our events, this goes without saying. We have already sold hundreds of tickets which is fantastic and thankyou to everyone that has bought, Chris and I will endeavour to make this a fantastic night for you all and this goes to every one that will come down. it gunna be fantastic for the love of the scene. sorry for any spelling mistakes and poor grammar,this is what Ashton-Under-Lyne has done for me! only jokin I love Ashton. See you all on 6th December. ps. keep hold of your tickets after the events because you will need them throughout the year of 2004 to get special discounts and offers for later events. THANK YOU. Lee.

Just a quick reply to the person I seem to have offended with my recent top twenty listed on Soul source, I respect your comments and in no way wash I being flash with my brief comment after each record it was basically to inform, spread and share a little background for people interested in collecting and is a similar thing to what I often do in other publications when reviewing records as often the first question any collector asks is how much does a record sell for......... Im proud to to mentioned in the same breath as Mr Ian Levine as despite what some people think of him his contribution and discovery of records over the years has been awesome and has to be respected. I have no axe to grind with anyone on this scene but I will shoot from the hip and pass comment if I feel strongly about a particular subject or topic but will always put my name to it so this mystrey person has or thinks he has the upper hand but the truth is any comment unsigned has no credability at all. Thanks to Mike H. Ian Cunliffe and The Big O for their kind comments and support, and at the end of the day it was only a top twenty from a guy who likes to play a few records....... and a couple of price tags were mentioned like I say as a guide nothing more. Perhaps it would be better for us all to share information rather than have a pop every five minutes and like Ive said before those who often shout the loudest basically have fuck all to say. And NO the new Manchester Allnighter will not be used as a plattform to brag about record prices or big egos it will simply be about a good night and nothing more......see you on December 6th. Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell.

New Manchester Allnighter Final Update...................... DJ Times and more. Well its almost upon us with only a few days to go everything is now in place to what looks like being a fantastic first allnighter this coming Saturday DECEMBER 6TH at THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUBS EVENT AT NEW CENTURY HOUSE, CIS BUILDING CORPORATION STREET, MANCHESTER OPPOSITE VICTORIA TRAIN STATION. DJs on the first night include Kiddo, Paul Kidd, Gary Cope, Karl Rhodes, Brian Rae, Dave Evison, Kev Murphy, Steve Thomas, Carl Willingham, Mark Bicknell. A total across the board music policy is promised in a fantastic venue perfect for a Northern Soul Allnighter, every effort has been made to make this huge event work and we would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard in promoting this event nationwide, there are so many to thank but they know who they are. DJ Times as follows. 9 - 10 Kiddo. 10 - 11 Gary Cope. 11 - 12 Paul Kidd. 12 - 1 Dave Evison. 1 - 2 Karl Rhodes. 2 - 3 Kev Murphy. 3 - 4 Steve Thomas. 4 - 5 Mark Bicknell. 5 - 6 Carl Willingham. 6 - 7 Brian Rae. Also there will be an Allnighter pre - bar warm up session at ATLAS BAR, on Deansgate from 7pm through to 10pm with DJs Paul Sadot, Steve Cato and guests, admission to this is free and will be the perfect place to get in the mood for the big one just down the road and also you will be able to secure last minute advance tickets at £10.00 for the Allnighter. Advance tickets can also be obtained from Beatin Rhythm Records on 0161 834 7783. King Bee Records on 0161 860 4762, Jumbo Records Leeds on 0113 2455570. For further information and ticket reservations please feel free to call Chris on 07989 415991, Lee 07973 864256 or info@goodtymes.co.uk. Remember this is the start of a major new Northern Soul Allnighter run by Soul Fans for Soul Fans and is booked and confirmed to run on the last Saturday of the month with Allnighter two set to happen on Saturday January 31st and will host the after show party for Paul Sadots Once Upon A Time In Wigan play which starts a national run in January, a second room will be open downstairs in The New Century House venue and will be a themed Casino night with original DJs Dave Evison, Steve Whittle, Brian Rae and Russ Winstanley, there will also be the launch of the Kent Records CD Once upon A Time In Wigan which features all the tunes used in the play. So a very special big night is on the cards in January and future nights will include special one offs in room two such as all the London Clubs coming up to Manchester, Stafford Special, Wheel night with all original DJs etc. so its very much intended to include as many people, DJs and themes at future nights, any ideas you may have will be taken on board so please get in touch. Finally from a personal level I would like to thank Chris Waterman and Lee Crank for having the faith in me as their resident DJ and basically trusting my judgement and contacts in suggesting and booking all the future DJs from January onwards, these guys have put a lot on the line here, the event has been promoted with dedication, passion and commitment, the leg work alone has seen both of them at numerous events nationwide over the past several weeks, thousands of flyers, national advertising, every effort has been made to make this superb event work, all the DJs including myself will give it 110% and more on the night to make it an enjoyable, entertaining night of quality Northern Soul. The foundations are there, everything is in place to take the scene to another level and with your help THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB will take us all there!!!!!!! Keep It Real - Chris Waterman, Lee Crank, Mark Bicknell, Gary Cope - All the DJs of The New Century Soul Club...................

2004 Here We Go......Its Gonna Be A Soulful Blast. Here we are only a few days into the new year and it already promises to be another fantastic year for the UK Rare/Northern Soul scene with some mouthwatering events to look forward to. DJ bookings are coming my way thick and fast which is still a major passion of mine to play a few tunes at the gigs. Looking forward to playing THE BURY SOUL NIGHTS for Neil Jones and Jayne Malone on a more regular basis this year infact the first session there happens on Friday January 16th 2004 infact this event always runs on the third Friday of the month in two fantastic rooms. The pre buzz for the second NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB ALLNIGHTER IN MANCHESTER on Saturday 31st January is all so very strong, with well over 700 people attending the first Allnighter back on December 6th last year this venue is without question going to be one of the major venues in the country this year. Great news that Ady Croasdell will be playing a set in the main room as hes in town to promote the new Kent cd Once Upon A Time In Wigan due for release in time for the national tour of Paul Sadots wonderful play of the same name. Other DJs set to appear include, TIM BROWN, ROBBO, DAVE RIMMER, MICK H, GARY COPE, JO WALLACE, KIDDO, MARK BICKNELL in room one, plus an extra special Wigan room featuring DAVE EVISON, STEVE WHITTLE, BRIAN RAE AND RUSS WINSTANLEY. Which is to celebrate the final night of the Manchester run of the play. The venue has had some wonderful feedback from everyone who attended the first night and we all feel things can only get bigger and better this year. Full details can be found on the flyer section of Soulsource with further updates here leading up to January 31st. Im really looking forward to the huge Midnight Hour weekender in March as this promises to be one of the leading venues anywhere in the UK this year, well over 2,000 people booked already and its still a couple of months off so I suggest you book now as Im sure this one is going to sell out prior to the event, again you can find full details here on Soulsource....see you in North Wales! My Solar Radio Show has now been moved to a new time slot which goes out on Friday nights between midnight and 2am instead of the 8am Sunday morning slot, same quality madness from me playing all the very best in Northern Soul and more, its on Channel 879 On SKY DIGITAL and www.solarradio.com For any requests, mentions, dedications you can send an email to studio@solarradio.com A big thank you to everyone who has supported the show over the past three years and for the hundreds of emails recieved, it really makes the whole deal worth it when you know there are a few people out there tuning in. RECORD WANTED - HELP! Mick H recently guested at THE LIME STREET CLUB in Manchester back on December 27th and basically blew everyone away, the mans taste in music is simply first class and Mick is going to be yet again one of the top men on the scene this year. Hes playing a record by STORMY WINTERS - LIFE SAVER ON MERCURY which totally floored me let me tell you, I think Ive heard it way back a couple of times possibly played by Butch but this has to be located and included in my DJ box at whatever cost, already got a couple of contacts onto this one but if anyone can ease the pain please get in touch with me......cash waiting! Please note the the LIME STREET SOUL NIGHTS HAVE NOW MOVED FROM THE LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH TO THE LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH with the next one being there on FRIDAY JANUARY 30TH with all the regular DJs plus special guest Chris Churm. The scene has it all right now, loads of top quality events to attend, a real dedicated bunch of hard working DJs out there playing all the top tunes, sure venues are going to clash from time to time but the scene is in such good shape with possibly more people attending venues than ever before even with the odd clash Im sure all venues will do well throughout 2004. Nationwide it could not be better, long may it continue,grow bigger and last for many years to come. Keep It Real - Happy New Year - Mark Bicknell. My Mistake - I Take It All A Bit Too Serious Sometimes. Totally cool now and glad the bootleg feature is now closed, it got a bit heated with myself and another chap and all a bit personal, i cant believe this topic had over 1000 hits and seems to be a very heart felt subject. I said that i cant be bothered anymore regarding posts on Soulsource but really meant on that particular topic, sorry to that person again if i was rude,costic or even hostile towards his comments but we will have to agree to disagree on this one fellow. Collectors just take it all to heart when their passion is messed about with , best we just enjoy our Soul the best way we can within our budgets and i promise not to go near the bootleg issue again well not on Soulsource anyway. I really had no idea that you valued my contribution to this website so much and for that reason i can not let Mike H or everyone else down and will continue to submit copy if you want me to that is. Regards - MARK BICKNELL mike- Posted: 2004/1/6 2:10 Updated: 2004/1/6 2:10 team member Joined: 2002/8/26 From: Posts: 2244 Online! Re: My Mistake - I Take It All A Bit Too Serious Sometimes. Mark and everyone All contributiors are valued on here, the whole site is based on soul fans sharing, reading,talking and passing on news, info, views on all aspects of this scene of ours As a regular contributor your articles bring yet another aspect to the site, same as all the regular and the not so regular contributions do be it weekly articles, event info, ads, comments or a quick question or joke all adds to site and is appreciated by meself and hopefully all rest who drop in Guest Posted: 2004/1/6 13:36 Updated: 2004/1/6 13:36 Re: heads up and onwards&upwards Too right Mike.... Mark never mind all those idiots who have a pop under the name guest, they havent got the bottle to sign their views. I let people a few months back get to me but no more, I might not be involved with the scene as i useed to be but im still collecting records and love going into soul source everyday and reading new stuff. keep it real and keep up the good work with your articles. By the way that Stormy Wynters track has been round for years on a tape from Bill Nadolney (american record dealer). He sent a sales tape out to loads of uk collectors back in the mid 9ts and this was the first track on the tape. A few people got upset when i&others verbally uncovered it after hearing butch had it c/up LOL but hey then Mick H went out and got one a few weeks later. Its hard but will turn up in time....its not like its on a rare label. Keep your money matey ps any chance of some semi known record reviews? cheapies etc. carefree Greg :-) Guest Posted: 2004/1/6 21:00 Updated: 2004/1/6 21:00 Re: heads up and onwards&upwards Cheers Greg... as always respect to a top man, thanks for the information on Stormy Winters track already onto one mate so your comments are possibly correct being a semi major lable etc. Fantastic record though...right up my street. Regards - Mark Bicknell. Greg will review some stuff off the bottom rack which may be of interest to you and others.......coming soon. chalky Posted: 2004/1/11 23:21 Updated: 2004/1/11 23:21 Hardest Joined: 2002/11/15 From: Chesterfield Posts: 649 Re: heads up and onwards&upwards Regarding the Stormy Wynters, the copy Mick H got is Butchs copy...so in essence one didnt turn up. Only know of that one and the one Tim Brown owns. Guest Posted: 2004/1/11 23:26 Updated: 2004/1/11 23:26 Re: heads up and onwards&upwards Cheers Chalky, Makes the chase even more fun, not saying ill get one but will have fun trying mate. regards - Mark Bicknell. chalky Posted: 2004/1/12 16:52 Updated: 2004/1/12 16:52 Hardest Joined: 2002/11/15 From: Chesterfield Posts: 649 Re: heads up and onwards&upwards Forgot to mentiuon Mark that Tim reviewed the record in Manifesdo (I think) and there is a scan. Butch just started playing another, Gerri Taylor - Its Beautiful covered up but its far better than Life Saver, superb IMO. Chalkster Guest Posted: 2004/1/12 18:00 Updated: 2004/1/12 18:00 Re: heads up and onwards&upwards Chalky all due respect mate but thats not the case. mark B has alrreay been offered one and i know a mate who has one in the south. I got offer one myself by a dealer in the states but too much wanted and i think andy dyson has one as he played it at notts union. unless everyone is selling the same copy then this is not the case. rest easy greg Guest Posted: 2004/1/13 0:19 Updated: 2004/1/13 0:19 Re: heads up and onwards&upwards Hi Greg, forgot about Andys oops!!! I did say I only knew about Mick Hs (Butchs copy) and Tims. Didnt know about your mates or the one youve been offered. Like you said they will turn up but personally dont think many will. The more the better IMO as more folk then get to hear it.... though hope it doesnt get hammered. So that make six copies then known about????

nEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB - MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND MORE. Only a few weeks to go to the second NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB ALLNIGHTER in Manchester on January 31st which is looking like its going to be a full hose as the pre buzz on this event is simply awesome. For the 700 or so people who attended the first session there back on December and filled in their details on the back of the admission ticket will be able to collect their membership card for THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB on the night and new patrons will be able to apply and collect their cards on leaving the venue on the 31st January, those who can not attend who supported the first allnighter will be mailed their membership so everyone will get one with no problem. We also plan to issue a club newsletter on the night to eveyone who attends which will include all the 2004 dates, DJs set to appear, news on the club, special events and features and lots more. RECORD DEALERS - RECORD DEALERS - RECORD DEALERS. The selling, wheeling and dealing of vinyl at all Northern venues is so very important and makes the night for many collectors and people attending, so we welcome any major record dealers or casual seller to bring their boxes to THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB EVENTS, if you are interested pleas dont hesitate to contact us to reserve a free pitch, there is plenty of room in the bar area to accomodate plenty of dealers but will be allocated on a first so first serve basis, so to reserve a space please contact me directly bicknellmark@aol.com or telephone 0161 330 6267 and I will secure your pitch with Chris and Lee. no need to contact us if you are just bringing a small 50 box. infact the more of that the better .......so happy collecting. Im sure major dealers will find the venue rewarding on the basis of 700 plus people on the first night back in December with a lot more for sure to come at the end of this month so please give me a call. DJ TIMES - DJ TIMES - DJ TIMES - DJ TIMES - DJ TIMES. Already worked out the running order for the main room DJs which will balance and blend the NEW CENTURY VIBE perfectly. 9 - 10 GARY COPE. The mans a genius. 10 - 11 KIDDO. Here we go the night gets moving. 11 - 12 MARK BICKNELL. The still sober set from the big man!!!! 12 - 1 JO WALLACE These Old Shoes comes North, powerhouse DJ. 1 - 2 DAVE RIMMER. Souful Kinda Music, Soulful Kinda records. 2 - 3 TIM BROWN. The man has them all!!!!! 3 - 4 ADY CROASDELL. 100 Cub, Cleethorpes master. 4 - 5 MICK H. AWESOME!!!!! 5 - 6 BIG ROBBO. The man is a walking soul machine. 6 - 7 MARK BICKNELL. Serious but very very drunk!!!! PLUS FROM 2AM - 6AM THE Once Upon A Time In Wigan ROOM WITH ORIGINAL WIGAN CASINO DJS - RUNNING ORDER TO BE CONFIRMED. DAVE EVISON. BRIAN RAE. STEVE WHITTLE. RUSS WINSTANLEY. If you fancy a few beers before the allnighter then please check out the pre bar at Atlas on Deansgate from 7pm through 10pm with Steve Cato and friends, admission free, nice venue to chill out in before the big one ten minutes down the road. Also the 31st January is the final night of Paul Sadots play Once Upon A Time In Wigan at The Contact Theatre, which I understand is pretty much sold out, but again would be the perfect way to start a Soulful night out in Manchester, Also Ady Croasdell and Paul will be laurching the Kent CD by the same name at the allnighter a twenty four track killer cd which is basically some of the play soundtrack, so plenty of good stuff to look forward to on January 31st 2004.........Its gonna be huge!!!!!! See flyer here on Soulsource for further details and contacts. Regards - Mark Bicknell - Resident DJ - NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB MANCHESTER.

NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB FINAL UPDATE - DJ TIMES AND MORE FOR ALLNIGHTER THREE SATURDAY 28TH FEB 2004. Final quick update to all things soulful set to happen at the next NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB - ALLNIGHTER THREE THIS COMING SATURDAY FEB 28TH 9PM - 7AM - IN TWO FANTSTIC ROOMS. DJ TIMES - MAIN ROOM - Across The Board Northern Soul. 9 - 10 - KIDDO 10 - 11 - STEVE THOMAS / KARL RHODES 11 - 12 - MARK BICKNELL 12 - 1 - SIMON INGRAM 1 - 2 - NIDGE SHAW AND COOKIE 2 - 3 - GUY HENNIGAN 3 - 4 - KARL RHODES 4 - 5 - GARY BELCHER 5 - 6 - STEVE THOMAS 6 - 7 - MARK BICKNELL SECOND ROOM - MODERN SOUL. 9 - 11 - CHRIS SHARPLES / TONY SHAWCROSS 11 - 1 - JIM HARGREAVES / ANDY LETT 1 - 2 - DAVE RIPPOLES 2 - 3 - CHULL 3 - 4 - PETE HAIGH 4 - 5 - TONY DAWBER 5 - 7 - JIM HARGREAVES AND FRIENDS - Last Man Standing!!! Please note the allnighter warm up pre - bar has now been moved from Atlas Bar on Deansgate and will now be hosted by Steve Cato at the Ducie Bridge Bar bang opp. the allnighter venue - from 7pm through to around 10pm, on two floors dance floor upstairs - music throughout the venue, admission free, a good place to meet up with friends, have a drink and collect tickets for the allnighter. Then from 7am through to 11am you can relax , chill out over tea, coffe and breakfast with even more quality tunes at THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB BREAKFAST BAR SESSION, just 200 yards from the venue at RIKI TIKI TAVI, situated in THE PRINTWORKS COMPLEX, again admission for this superb NEW IDEA IS TOTALLY FREE, a good way to wind down before your journey home, Top DJs on hand to make breakfast go with a swing. RECORD DEALERS - RECORD DEALERS - RECORD DEALERS.... Just one final point if you are interested in booking a free pitch to sell records this coming Saturday - Please secure now as space is limited, we would like to offer a pitch to the dealers who supported the venue last month and will try and fit everyone in who wishes to sell, so could you please give me a quick call to arrange this 0161 330 6267 or bicknellmark@aol.com And finally dont forget the preview of the SOULMASTERS rare soul footage this coming Saturday, exclusive to THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB, which has to be seen to be believed ( see previous posting on Soulsource for more details) - This will be a one off showing of some wonderful footage, so check out the big screen behind the DJs in the main room. For further information / TICKETS etc. please contact CHRIS ON 07989 - 415991 OR LEE ON 07973 - 864256 OR CHECK OUT www.newcenturysoul.co.uk See you all Saturday - Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell.

Dear All, Sorry Ive not posted too much here recently but Ive just had the worst week of my life as my father Alf Bicknell passed away last Monday, so its been a bastard of a week all in all, thanks for all the good wishes etc. its really helped me get through the past few days, some of you may have known my dad had a pretty unique job back in the 60s as he worked for The Beatles so we have had added presure with the press etc. because of his connection with them. I will try and get back on track with all things soulful over the next few weeks, I hope to honour all DJ bookings if i can but dont shout at me if i cant the music being high on emotion makes it just that little bit harder to do. Any of you who may have met my dad will understand how difficult this is right now he was a super bloke and i will miss him so much. He always made my friends off the scene so welcome when they came to the house when i lived at home, he was a real one off. All the best - Mark Bicknell. bicknellmark@aol.com

New Century Allnighter 4 - DJ Times and More. Firstly, a million thanks to everyone who sent emails and cards to me over the past few very difficult days, its been the worst period in my life to date losing my father but the Soul thing has helped me get through it, without question not only is the music the best in the world but its followers are the best people in the world, my very close friends have been superb, a special big thank you to Guy Hennigan whos words and advice helped me through the really bad period and to people like Jumping Joan, Chris Waterman, Lee Crank and many others really I can not find the right words to say what I really feel so thanks will just have to do. Really looking forward to THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB 4TH MONTHLY NORTHERN SOUL ALLNIGHTER - this coming Saturday AT THE NEW CENTURY HOUSE, CORPORATION STREET MANCHESTER - OPPOSITE VICTORIA TRAIN STATION - 9PM THROUGH 7AM IN TWO SUPERB ROOMS - IN ROOM ONE - DJ TIMES AS FOLLOWS. 9 - 10 - KIDDO 10 - 11 - MARK BICKNELL 11 - 12 - CHRIS CHURM 12 - 1 - KARL RHODES 1 - 2 - DEAN ANDERSON 2 - 3 - TIM - BROWN 3 - 4 - MARK BICKNELL 4 - 5 - DAVE THORLEY 5 - 6 - LES HARE 6 - 7 - KARL RHODES AND IN ROOM TWO. SOUNDS OF THE MIDLANDS DJS LITTLE SCOTTY KENNY HICKMAN MICK BENNETT COLIN KIDSON TIMES T.B.A ON THE NIGHT.PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ROOM RUNS FROM 2AM THROUGH 6AM. PLEASE CHECK OUT THE BRAND NEW UPGRADED SUPERB NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB WEBSITE - WHICH HAS FULL INFORMATION AND DETAILS OF ALL NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB EVENTS. http://www.newcenturysoul.co.uk This Alllnighter should be a bumper packer so please be early. Looking forward to seeing you all at the CIS this coming Saturday. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

New Century Soul Club - latest news Firstly a big thank you to everyone who attended Allnighter 4 back on March 27th, musically it was the best yet, all the DJs delivered quality music throughout the allnighter in both rooms, its fair to say that THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB has become a quality national event and we can promise many more fantastic nights in the future. The CIS venue is possibly one of the best venues in the country and its solid reputation is building by the day, full credit to promoters Chris Waterman and Lee Crank with a little help from the team for making Manchester even more soulful than it already is. Easter is always a busy time on the Northern scene and there is plenty of events to keep us all entertained next weekend, New Century is on a bit of a day out in Birmingham on Easter Sunday 11th April hosting its first huge Alldayer in three fantasic rooms at CLUB AIR,Heathmill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham, New Century has joined forces with the highly successful New Untouchables with this event so it will be a very busy day from 2pm through to 2am - DJs include CARL WILLINGHAM, KARL RHODES, KIDDO, STEVE THOMAS, PHIL BLACKNELL,GARY BELCHER, DAVE WELDING, ROB KAY, JOHN POOLE, MICK H, SEAN CHAPMAN, PID, GAV N VIC, ROGER BANKS,ROB BAILEY, MARK RAISON, MARK THOMAS, NEIL HENDERSON - A modern room has now been added to this superb event with DAVE THORLEY and friends presenting the quality Modern and crossover flavas The venue is state of the art and as ever THE NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB can promise a first class quality sound system throughout all the rooms, there are hotels rooms booked near to the venue for anyone wishing to stay over, further information on this please contact CHRIS 07989 - 415991 - LEE 07973 - 864256 - FULL DETAILS ON www.newcenturysoul.co.uk full upgraded website with everything New Century. Tickets can be secured on line at £10.00 advance or you can pay on the door at £12.00 - for direct credit card bookings contact rob@newuntouchables.com This is going to be a quality event for Easter Sunday and we look forward to seeing you all, the music is without question going to be first class and we are confident that we can capture some of the magic of past and current Midlands venues which has always been a Northern Soul hotspot. Lastly many thanks to everyone on the scene who has sent emails and messages to me over the past few weeks, its been a difficult time for me but everything Soulful has helped me, a big sorry to the couple of venues I failed to attend in particular Dave Raistricks Skegness weekender, and Sian at The Rugby Soul nights. Looking forward to the easter bash in Birmingham and all future NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB events - full details of Allnighter 5 to follow soon. Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell.

Mark Bicknell Farewell A Final Thank You To Everyone. Well thats pretty much it from me on a DJ front had a fantastic weekend at The New Century Soul Club on Saturday and a blinding last Allnighter for me at Sheridans in Dewsbury, many thanks to Chris Waterman and Lee Crank at New Century and to Mr Andy McCabe and Mr Kevin Murphy for Sunday nights electric venue in Yorkshire, i really enjoyed myself and it was good to play a few tunes at both venues, i really plan to have a serious amount of time out from the UK Northern scene, like ive already said ill never say never or totally burn my bridges but for a number of reasons both personal and public i have to do this. I have two more U.K events to do at The Plintston, Letchworth 2nd Anniversary on Friday September 3rd and Bridgewater Sports and Social Club, Bridgewater on Saturday September 18th and one final overseas event in Milan, Italy in October then im done. Thanks to everyone who has tried to talk me out of this, thanks for all the emails and good wishes, thanks to all the promoters who have booked me over the years its been fantastic fun and a joy to do. I will still be doing my Solar Radio show every Sunday on Channel 879 SKY DIGITAL also www.solarradio.com - 8pm - 10pm UK Time / 9pm - 11pm Central Europe - for any requests, mentions, dedications contact bicknellmark@aol.com or studio@solarradio.com. Some two hours of all the very best in quality hard to find Northern Soul, some four decades of quality Northern Soul club culture and music, Rare Northern, Club Classics, Stax, Atlantic, Motown, CD and re - issue previews and reviews, special studio guests and much much more. Check out the link here on Soulsource or go to www.solarradio.com Thanks again - See you sometime soon - Regards Mark Bicknell.

NEW CENTURY SOUL CLUB JUNE ALLNIGHTER SATURDAY 26TH JUNE 2004 - UPDATE,NEWS,VIEWS,DJ TIMES AND CURRENT PLAYLISTS...........MMMMMMMMMMMM SEE YOU THERE. Diplomats Kent CD, Winsford Allnighter and More........ Hi All, Seems i did it wrong again at Cleethorpes on Saturday night, too much beer too quickly lost the plot and fell asleep around 5am, up until then it was a superb night, good music, good people, a live act that did a great show, so well done to Ady Croasdell, the DJs and The Diplomats. First time ive attended Cleethorpes in about seven years or so and it was just like going home, incredible to think that this was the 12th weekender there and to think i can remember going to the venue with Ady with my brother - in - law to look at the venue with him prior to the first event, oh how the years fly past...its crazy. Reviewed the superb Ace/Kent Diplomats CD on my Solar Show SKY DIGITAL CHANNEL 879 AND www.solarradio.com on Sunday night featuring some ten of the tracks on offer, again Ady and Ace/Kent have done a fantastic job with this one, superb sound quality, excellent sleeve notes and pretty much the complete Diplomats story, all in all this im sure will be another top seller, includes some 25 tracks both uissued and issued material from the vaults of Arock,Wand,Minit and Dynamo records, standout tracks for me are Perfect Love, Cards On The Table, Jerking Time and Honest To Goodness but all the tracks have that little something extra which is what our scene and its music is all about which is simply QUALITY, CDKEND 232 should be available from all good retailers, THE DIPLOMATS - GREATEST RECORDINGS CD is very much the icing on this years very Soulful Cleethorpes event, one to look back on in a few years and you will be proud to say I was there. New Century Soul Club News - DJ TIMES AND FOUR CURRENT TOP TENS. Only a couple of weeks to go until the next quality Northern Soul Allnighter at NEW CENTURY HOUSE,Corporation Street, Manchester M60 4ES. ON SATURDAY JUNE 26TH 2004 - 9PM THROUGH 7AM. Another solid DJ line up has been secured for this now high profile Allnighter. DJ TIMES (Subject to possible changes on the night but should go something like this......) 9PM - 10PM - KIDDO 10PM - 11PM - DAVE MALLOY 11PM - 12MIDNIGHT - STEVE THOMAS 12MIDNIGHT - 1AM - DAVE RAISTRICK 1AM - 2AM - EDDIE ENGLES 2AM - 3AM - CARL WILLINGHAM 3AM - 4AM - RITCHIE ANDREW 4AM - 5AM - ROBBO 5AM - 6AM - MARK BICKNELL 6AM - 7AM - KARL RHODES Thought it would be nice to include some of the above DJs current top tens - which should show that we are a venue of quality music and not simply the same old same as..............which was recently suggested to us. RITCHIE ANDREW - TOP COLLECTOR FROM NORTH WALES, THIS MAN CETAINLY KNOWS HIS ONIONS.... 1 THE ORACLES - AINT GOT TIME - OM RECORDS 2 PAT AND THE BLENDERS - JUST BECAUSE - FAST EDDIE 3 GENTLEMAN FOUR - CANT KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN - WAND 4 TOBI LARK - SWEEP IT OT IN THE SHED - TOPPER 5 MATADORS - SAY YES BABY - CHAVIS 6 TOPICS - HEY GIRL - CHADWICK 7 CHUBBY AND THE TURNPIKES - INSIDE STORY CAPITOL 8 JOHNNY MAESTRO - STEPPIN OUT OF THE PICTURE SCEPTER 9 VIRGINIA BLAKLEY - LET NOBODY LOVE YOU MOJO 10 SPIDELS - DREAM GIRL PROVIDENCE KARL RHODES - MANCHESTER MAN WITH OH SO MUCH PASSION FOR THE SCENE AND ITS MUSIC. 1 TONY CLARKE - A WRONG MAN M-S 2 JONHNNY McCALL - YOU CANT GET AWAY SATELLITE 3 FRANIE AND THE DAMONS - MAN FROM SOUL JCP 4 E. RODNEY JONES - PEACE OF MIND TUFF 5 LEE ANDREWS AND THE HEARTS - IVE HAD IT CRIMSON 6 BILLY KENNEDY - THIS IS A GROOVY GENERATION THELMA 7 MOUSIE AND THE TRAPS - HOW ABOUT YOU TODDLIN TOWN 8 TYHE MONTCLAIRS - HEY YOU! ARCH 9DYBREAK - I NEED LOVE PAP 10 Z.Z AND Co - GETTIN READY FOR THE GETDOWN COLUMBUS MARK BICKNELL - STILL AT IT NATIONWIDE ON A REGULAR BASIS......Just...... 1 IRENE AND THE SCOTTS - IM STUCK ON YOU BABY SMASH DJ 2 THE JETS - EVERTHING I DO PORT 3 RUFUS WOOD - BEFORE 2001 ESPANOLA 4 VINCE APOLLO - I BEAR WITNESS PENTAGON 5 TWO PEOPLE - STOP, LEAVE MY HEART ALONE REVUE DJ 6 TAMMY WAYNE - HAVE A GOOD TIME BOOM DJ 7 JIMMY ELLIS - PUTTIN IT ON YOUR MIND SALEM 8 THE DYNAMICS - YOU MAKE ME FEEL GOOD RCA DJ 9 AL GARDNER - SWEET BABY SEPIA 10 THE ROSEBUDS 0 SAY YOULL BE MINE B/W MAMA SAID TOWER 2 SUPERB SIDES. KARL WILLINGHAM - WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE TOP MEN ON THE SCENE TODAY............ 1 FAYE SIMMONS AKA UNKONW ARTIST - I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU 2 SOUL BROS. INC - TEARDROPS - SALEM 3 BILL BUSH - IM WAITING RONN 4 THE PASSIONS - IF YOU SEE ME BABY EL VIRTUE 5 KARMELLO BROOKS - TELL ME BABY MILESTONE 6 MAR JS - GOTTA FIND A WAY MAGIC TOUCH 7 OXFORD KNIGHTS - IM SUCH A LONELY MAN DELPHI 8 HAMILTON MOVEMENT - SHES GONE LOOK OUT 9 MARILYN BARBARIN - MAKE IT ALONE VIRGIL 10 PAULETTE - LOVE YOU BABY CONTACT Certainly some interesting tunes in that little lot but by no means the full story as all the DJs seem to shine brightly at the Manchester CIS venue and as ever we look forward to your support and hope we are getting somewhere close in making your night one of good quality music played by some of the best DJs in the UK. For furher details please check out the website www.newcenturysoul.co.uk or contact Chris on 07989 415991 and Lee on 07973 864256. Hope to see you all at THE BURY SOUL NIGHT this coming Friday night June 18th with Neil Jones and friends now in three superb rooms - check out the Venue pages here on Soulsource for further details. Then on Saturday night Ill be at The Winsford Allnighter, first time there for many years as a DJ at least, looking forward to playing a few tunes alongside SAM MOORE, TERRY DAVIES,NEIL JONES, MACE, STEVE SMITH, GARY BEATIE,JOAN LIVESEY AND JACKO, Admission for this one is £10.00 starts at 10pm through to 7am - WINSFORD CIVIC HALL, DENE DRIVE,WINSFORD - M6 JUNCTION 18 - FOLLOW SIGNS FOR MIDDLEWICH, THEN WINSFORD. FURTHER DETAILS CAL SAM ON 07939 835638. Im shattered already........ Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell. P.S Have i upset some folks in London, noticed the cold shoulder now twice, have to stick by my wife really on this one... so no hard feelings.....you know who you are......

It May Be Winter Outside But In My Heart Its Spring - Seasons Greetings From The Big Fellow........ Firstly I cant believe the huge number of hits my recent posting on the bootleg issue got, its fantastic to gain mainly support for my comments so thanks for that, all we need to do is Keep It Real and we should be fine. 2003 has been a fantastic year on the rare soul scene with many of the venues doing really well, some might say that there is a little too much on at the present time but one thing is the scene is possibly the most busy it has ever been over the past four decades and long may it continue. Im really looking forward to 2004 as there are already some very tasty events to look forward to during the early part of the new year in particular the second New Century Soul Club Allnighter in Manchester on Saturday January 31st, this time in two rooms and if the massive first event was anything to go by it is hoped that the 700 plus people who attended will return with a friend and then this venue will be without question one of the leading Northern Soul venues in the country. 9pm through 7am - DJs include TIM BROWN, MICK H, DAVE RIMMER, JO WALLACE, GARY COPE, KIDDO AND MYSELF IN THE MAIN ROOM AND RUSS WINSTANLEY, DAVE EVISON, STEVE WHITTLE AND BRIAN RAE IN THE DOWNSTAIRS SECOND ROOM which also hosts the after show party for Paul Sadots Once Upon A Time In Wigan production which ends its Manchester run and the start of the UK tour, so very much a Wigan Casino flava in room two that night. The New Century event will run on the final Saturday every month throughout 2004 and there are some outstanding DJs booked in to play at future nights. Again thanks to everyone who attended the first Allnighter back on December 6th, it was simply a magic night and has set the venue in a good position to be able to grow to a bigger and better event. Plenty of soul gigs to attend over the Christmas period so have a fantastic time wherever you end up, also if you fancy a good soul night out check out THE LIME STREET CLUB, CHAPEL STREET, OFF KING STREET, DUKINFIELD NEAR MANCHESTER ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 27TH - FROM 8PM THROUGH LATE, WITH DJS ALEX JONES, EDDIE ENGLES, SID JONES, MARK BICKNELL AND VERY SPECIAL GUESTS MICK H AND BIRTHDAY GIRL JUMPING JOAN - ADMISSION ADVANCE TICKET £4.00 OR £4.50 PAY ON THE DOOR PLUS A FREE SAMPLE CD FROM SID JONES TO THE FIRST 50 THROUGH THE DOOR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION TELEPHONE 0161 330 6267 OR 0161 338 7294 - A fantastic little soul night well worth a visit, good sound system, cheap bar, nice dance floor and used but not abused music policy. Last but not least the massive Midnight Hour soul weekender is only a few weeks off now and bookings are well over 2000 so if you plan on going i would suggest that you get your bookings in now rather than miss out on what promises to be a huge event, details can be found here on Soulsource so check out the details as soon as you can. I trust you will all get what you desire this Christmas, mines a George Pepp if anyone can help....................... still cant complain as my wife Jacqui paid for a couple of recent Ebay wins as part of my Christmas present so i love her to bits. Respect and big up to Mike Hughes and all at Soulsource, thanks to all the promoters who have booked me this year, big thanks to Chris Waterman and Lee Crank of The New Century Soul Club for having the faith in me to play at few tunes at their bright, fresh new venue in Manchester at the CIS and for supporting my radio show on Solar Radio, SORRY IF I GO OVER THE TOP SOMETIMES ON CERTAIN ISSUES AND TOPICS CONNECTED WITH OUR SCENE BUT I ONLY DO IT AND SAY THE THINGS I SAY IF ITS WRONG OR OUT OF ORDER, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER FOR THE REST OF OUR DAYS SO WE MUST RESPECT THE MUSIC, THE SCENE AND EACH OTHER IF WE ARE TO CONTINUE THIS AMAZING JOURNEY, ITS WITH US FOR LIFE GUYS SO LETS AT LEAST TRY TO GET ON EVEN IF SOME OF US CANT, LETS KEEP IT REAL AND STAY TRUE TO THE ORIGINS OF THE SCENE AND LETS MOVE ON AND FILL AS MANY VENUES AS WE CAN THROUGHOUT THE UK, IF NOTHING ELSE THE MUSIC DESERVES THAT RESPECT. Its about people, its about sharing the whole deal, no one person is bigger than the music and we must at all cost let the scene survive and blossom because as Dena Barnes said If you ever walk out of my life there be tear drops and heartaches..........imagine life without this beautiful scene of ours.....I cant. To all promoters, DJs, collectors, dancers, record dealers in the land you, we, all of us make the scene what it is, there may be petty politics from time to time, we all dont agree on certain aspects of how the scene is run and worked but what we should all have in common is a passion for what we do and how we do it from the local 200 capacity venue to the monster events they are all keeping the whole thing going and im proud to be a part of just about the best cult music scene in the world. Happy Christmas - Keep It Real - Mark Bicknell. Email bicknellmark@aol.com Company mark bicknell dj services Location manchester