Winnie :-)

Seems a fair bit since read a review from Winston , but as just passed on his look back to last nites St Ives reunion, looks like back in action. Published Date: 2004/10/22 3:10:00 St Ives 16th October When H.G. Wells penned "The Time Machine", one assumes, he envisaged mad scientists working frantically to create a mechanism capable of traversing the very portals of time. A lot of work, and in reality on something that could never exist! Or could it? If he'd have looked closely at the psyche of the human being, he would have discovered that all the tools he needed were in place, within. Walking into St Ives tonight was akin to stepping back to an era long forgotten. Of course the mullets and afros (disregarding my own, which is rapidly approaching Phil Lynott proportions) 😃 weren't very much in evidence. Nor thankfully were the white socks or tank tops, but sports bags and talc abounded, and of course the odd pair of Spencers with obligatory beer towel surfaced without apology. The venue actually has a no talc policy, but apparently half the 700/800 had watched the film "The Wooden Horse", and consequently those with 'roomier' Spencers were detailed to liberally disperse talc from secret compartments. I really wish the 'Northern Soul Bible', and its fourth commandment "Thou shalt fuck the floor by making it impossible to stand up on", had never been commissioned 😃 But back to yesteryear, the venue's hardly changed, magnificent dancefloor, although even this couldn't cater for the throng in attendance. Thoughtfully tables and chairs had been strategically placed around the dancefloor, for those of us of advancing years, who need to sit down between the stompers. 😃 If your persuasion was such, there were always the balconies, offering 'Fish bowl vision', but these were in the main, populated by the 'handbaggers'. It would be remiss of me not to point out the generous serving of KTF'rs in attendance......Karen Crane, Debs, Carms, Lisa, Nogsy, Spanner, Alan Gibbons and Nige Brown. Leaving aside the last three, a KTF beauty pageant.....and yes I know I've included Nogsy, but he did look kinda cute 😃Thankfully he appeared in fine fettle, apart from an insistence on playing R&B 😃Some of you probably know he's not been well, but I told him everyone on KTF wished him a speedy recovery. First DJ up was Tony Warot a selection of his play list appears below. 1) I lost a true love - Danny Wagner 2) What would I do - Tymes 3) What kind of lady - Dee Dee Sharp 4) Ever again - Bernie Williams 5) Wanting you - April Stevens 6) Ice man - Billy Watkins 7) I wish I was - Eddie Garrigan 😎 Cool Off - Detroit Executives 9) Cry your eyes out - Dottie Cambridge 10) That's not love - Holly St James Whilst Tony firmly stuck with oldies, a policy required and insisted upon by the audience, nothing seemed out of place. The floor was heaving right from the off, and when the final record was played just after one, dancefloor space was still at a premium. Derek Allen was next up delighting the crowd with..... 1) I want my baby back - Stevie Wonder 2) Suspicion - Funk Brothers 3) Crying Time - Brenda Holloway 4) Just because - Pat and the Blenders 5) Comin' home baby - Dee Dee Sharp 6) Love you babe - Paulette 7) My little girl - Bobby Garrett 😎 Try a little harder - Fi-Dels 9) Cause you're mine - Vibrations 10) In orbit - Joy Lovejoy Again, I would like to stress this was never billed as anything other than a revival night and the crowd were in raptures. Then on strolled the ex shades DJ Glenn Bellamy and his first track? 1) Double Cookin - Checkerboard Squares 2) I'm not strong enough - Four Perfections 3) You hit me - Alice Clark 4) Satisfied - Ben Aiken 5) Can't help lovin' you - Paul Anka 6) Come go with me (instr) - Ed Cobb Orchestra 7) Better use your head - Little Anthony & the Imperials 😎 Breakout - Mitch Ryder 9) Do what you wanna do - Paul Sinbad 10) Cry your eyes out - Dottie Cambridge 11) You didn't mean me no good - Jelly Beans 12) Something's burning - Marvellows 13) Help me - Al Wilson 14) Can't you see you're losing me - Mary Wells 15) Aint no soul left in these old shoes - Ronnie Milsap 16) Please let me in - JJ Barnes. It wasn't that Glenn played more records than the other DJs it's just that he's more efficient, and actually enjoyed scribbling out his play list. The last DJ to furnish me with a play list was the immortal Brian Rae. 1) Champion - Willie Mitchell 2) Sad girl - Carol Anderson 3) I can't do it - Eddie and Ernie 4) No one else can take your place - Inspirations 5) Didn't' say a word - Yvonne Baker 6) You got me where you want me - Larry Santos 7) I've got the need - Moments 😎 Lend a hand - Bobby Hutton 9) Wade in the water - Ramsey Lewis 10) Help me - Al Wilson Even though some records were duplicated, a situation usually frowned upon, there was no frowning tonight! Just hundreds of happy faces, each with their own personal time machine, which had transported them back, some 25 years. The only thing that didn't regress was the price of the records in the record bar, they were firmly rooted in 2004.......but hey, you can't have everything. I make no apologies for my reflections on a great night being somewhat wordy, I haven't done a review in ages and......it just seemed right. No apologies from the organisers for the music policy either, oldies was the fare for the night, and it was consumed with passion by the ravenous horde, and if seconds had been available, then everyone's name would have been "Oliver". As a codicil to this review, I think when Dave Godin coined the phrase "Northern Soul" most of the tracks played tonight would have measured up nicely to his interpretation of our wonderful scene!! KTF Winston 😃

A xmas carol - Winstons holiday adventures - more great stuff from your man A Xmas Carol Review - Winston Well what a weekend, it started just how I wanted, it to with Janine picking up myself and Steve Heinsen from Bedford. Made really good time getting to Willington near Derby, (a mini-nighter, 9 til 4 a.m.) with Janine expertly and safely driving her way through the snow and other associated bad conditions. We arrived around a quarter to ten, and were pleasantly surprised just how many people were there, given the conditions, and the fact that there were at least 3 more soul nights on within a 40/50 mile location. Some early dancers were going through their paces, so all in all the promise of a good night was in store. As the night progressed the crowd built up to probably between 250 to 300 and included fellow KTF members, Andy Humberston and Dale Rose (Dancer) and Mandy P. The atmosphere on the night was excellent, and everyone seemed to be in particularly good humour, even Dale when he was hit in the head by a snowball aimed with great precision, by the modess Janine 🙂 The lovely Sandy didnt bring any food with her, so I did get a little peckish later on in the night, but I was determined not to let my hunger pangs get the better of me and battled on against the starvation as most guys would do.:-) The dance-floor after 11 was mostly packed right through til about 3 and then people started to disappear, the usual selection of sounds were on offer, with Kenny Burrell supplying the rarer stuff. Whatever was played on the night was right to be honest, it was a party atmosphere and thoroughly enjoyable for everyone. Onto Saturday night: I decided to try Mansfield as a warm up before Trentham, difficult to describe really, as again a party atmosphere prevailed, there was even a fancy dress competition. But for me it never quite got off the ground, the dance-floor was atrocious, Ive never seen wood that had been furrowed before, .....well until tonight. 🙂 It really was almost impossible to dance on, everybody was making the effort, but thats exactly what it was an effort. I did see Carl from Nottingham do an incredible sequence of drops during Edwin Starrs - "Time" but to anybody who has witnessed Carl dancing in the past, this will come as no surprise. Kenny Burrell was again guesting and as ever enjoying himself behind the decks. We left at just before midnight to make our way to Trentham, again the weather was very bad, but after about an hour or so, we arrived at our destination. Great sets from the "Rimmerman" and "Butch" and also Guy Hennigan. Although the numbers did not match Willington the night before, there was still a fair few there, and the dance-floor was normally full. The floor was a little fast for most, but you cant have everything. 7 a.m. quickly arrived, and bought to an end, what in my opinion was a marvellous all-nighter and one which I look forward to going to again in the near future. As ever, these days there were some other KTFrs there, Michelle and Caz if Im going to name-drop.:-) New years eve, arrived and I hadnt really made a decision where to go, the soul nights on offer, although tempting, involved a lot of travelling and all had early finishes. Through Janines contacts on the mod scene, it turned out that there was a mod all-nighter on in Clacton so the die was cast, and off I went with Janine. Ive got to say from the off, Im well impressed with the time and effort taken by the "Mods" to ready themselves. A great deal of attention to detail is obviously paid, from the Steve Marriot hair cuts, to the smart suits and dresses. It is very much an image thing, and the dedication to it can only be admired, almost a religious fixation with everything 6Ts. I was introduced to no end of "Mods" young and old, male and female and I thought one of the guys Caspar I think his name was, really looked cool. There is a lot of young blood on this scene, eighteen year olds etc, and if as I suspect some drift to the northern scene, it bodes well for the future. Musically I would say that half the music played tonight had northern roots, with particular emphasis on R&B. A lot of R&B sounds currently on offer on the traditional northern scene, were played here tonight, and all graciously accepted and danced to. I would have liked to have heard more Motown or Atlantic stuff, as Im sure these would have been played in yesteryear, but at the end of the day, it was new years eve.:-) Although I stood out like a sore thumb, my tie lasted from the car until I got in the venue 🙂 a lot of the "Mods" took the time to talk to me, (hello to Helen and Paul) and it was interesting discussing the 6Ts with lads of no more than 21. I must say as well they were pretty knowledgeable, and had researched the subject quite thoroughly. The style of dancing is definitely different in the main, but northern steps are creeping in, wont be long before theyre in spencers and vests.:-) I must confess that as 6 a.m. came and went I fell asleep, the night was supposed to finish at 5 a.m. but carried on until about half past seven, at which time Janine woke me up and told me it was time to go. I didnt fall asleep through boredom, I must emphasise, but through being dog tired, the weekend had finally caught up with me.:-) An excellent end to the year if somewhat different, and I look forward to seeing some of the younger "Mods" at various northern events throughout the year. Finally a happy new year to all the people I have met on and off KTF throughout the year, and I look forward to meeting all of you again, and some new faces, over the coming year. Soulfully Yours. Winston 🙂 KTF.

THE AQUA: HEDNESFORD 1/02/2002 Thanks to Winston for passing on a review and playlists of the Aqua Not having been to this venue before, but having heard so much about it from friends I felt really excited on the journey down. A couple of mates from St Ives rung up (Baz and Stuart) and said that they had spare seats and would I and Juliette like to go with them. We jumped at the chance and a couple of hours later we were on our way. It took about two hours to get to the venue from Cambridge, which wasnt bad considering the high winds and after setting off at around seven we duly arrived around nine. (Basic maths):-) A large car park just opposite the venue housed most of the punters cars and it was pleasing to see that it was quite full when we parked up. Its a really smart venue, into the foyer and paid the very reasonable amount of three pounds fifty each to get in. Through the doors and wow, what a pleasant surprise. A massive dance floor which felt really good underfoot, and I just knew that it would be a pleasure to dance on. To the right was the bar, which was well staffed so the thirstier section of the soulies was also well catered for. One of the other things that impressed me was the amount of seating, which was great for the less energetic and more elderly element, 🙂 amongst what seemed like almost one hundred percent TRUE soulies. I went straight to the bar, and almost immediately turned back to the floor because one of the DJs played J.D.Bryant and you just have to dance to that tune dont you? After re-visiting the bar, we settled down, met a few fellow KTFrs, Steve and Janet, Nige, Gayle and her Husband, and all sat/mingled together. Nick Brown (Driveller) also turned up, (is there a more hard working promoter on the scene?) and gave out flyers for the re-birth of Scenesville in Euston. There may have been some others of the KTF crew there and as ever if I missed you out I apologise. I was pulled to the floor almost immediately by the Tangeers and after that rarely left it. The music policy was excellent, with something for everyone, a little bit of modern, some storming rarities, R&B and a great oldies set from Sam Moore. The sound system was also excellent, no distortion, which was a pleasure after having my ears, battered at the rocket the week previous. The atmosphere built over the night and by ten thirty it was banging, and the floor told the story that everyone was enjoying themselves. I didnt know that many people there (outside of the KTF crew) but they all seemed pretty friendly and ready to chat, which is something that always makes you feel more at home. The only minor gripes (and they are only minor) were: The bar closing without any warning, although something was said by the DJs, but it was too late the bar had already closed. The insistence of people using talc on what was one of the best floors Ive danced on in ages. Below are selections from some of the DJs Playlists: Nige Shaw.... 9.30 THRU 10.00 TANGEERS...WHATS THE USE OF ME TRYING....OKEH TY KARIM....YOU REALLY MADE IT GOOD TO ME....VIRTUE ACETATE ROOSEVELT...GRIER...IN MY TENEMANT...RIK LOVETTES....I NEED A GUY DOTTIE & MILLIE...TALKIN BOUT MY BABY......TOPPER ESKEW REEDER...UNDIVIDED LOVE JONNY BARTEL...IF THIS ISNT LOVE...SOLID STATE DEMO JOANNE GARRETT...WHOLE NEW PLAN...CHESS TERRY CALLIER...ORDINARY JOE...CADET HARRY DEEL & GALAXIES...I STILL LOVE YOU RHETTA HUGHES...I CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP....TETROGARMO WOTSIT...LP DEON JACKSON....OOH BABY...ATLANTIC NIGE BROWN 10.00 THRU 11.00 ETTA JAMES...MELLOW FELLOW...ARGO LITTLE JOHNNY TAYLOR...SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE...GALAXY BARBARA DANE...IM ON MY WAY...3 TREY UNIQUES...NOT TOO LONG AGO...PAULA TANGEERS...LET MY HEART AND SOUL BE FREE....OKEH NOLAN PORTER...IF I COULD ONLY BE SURE....ABC DEMO KELLY BROTHERS....CRYING DAYS ARE OVER...SIMMS..........(yes they certainly are) HERB WARD..... STRANGE CHANGE....ARGO IKE & TINA TURNER...SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE....LOMA LORRAINE CHANDLER...I CANT CHANGE....RCA DEMO BUD HARPER....WHEREVER YOU WERE..PEACOCK DEMO DANNY WOODS ...YOU HAD ME FOOLED...CORRECTONE HOLLY ST JAMES..THATS NOT LOVE...ABC DEMO LARRY TRIDER.....CARBON COPY....AQUA SPECIAL PRODUCTS NATURAL FOUR...I THOUGHT YOU WERE MINE...ABC DEMO VALENTINOS...SWEETER THAN THE DAY BEFORE...CHESS MOMENTS...YOU SAID...DEEP HANK JACOBS....ELIJAH ROCKIN WITH SOUL..... CALL ME MITCH RYDER...BREAKOUT...UK STATESIDE MARTHA REEVES...SHOW ME THE WAY...UK TAMLA MOTOWN ANN ROBINSON ???...WORLD OF HAPPINESS...GOLDMINE/HARTHON LTD ED JACKIE WILSON ....BECAUSE OF YOU....BRUNSWICK DEMO ACE SPECTRUM...DONT SEND NOBODY ELSE...ATLANTIC Overall a brilliant night, and Im certain that I will go back there, its just a shame it finishes at one as personally I could have danced on and on 🙂 If you havent been already give it a go you wont be disappointed. Winston

Started the weekend in just the right way, a really good soul night at Willington. This is a really cool venue: a good sized dance floor thats in good repair, a pretty good sound system and a reasonably cheap bar. I think those assets just about cover the requirements of most soulies I know! WILLINGTON and LOUGHBOROUGH REVIEW Started the weekend in just the right way, a really good soul night at Willington. This is a really cool venue: a good sized dance floor thats in good repair, a pretty good sound system and a reasonably cheap bar. I think those assets just about cover the requirements of most soulies I know! The music policy is across the board, but the emphasis (for me) does lean slightly towards oldies. Not that Im complaining, I havent been out a lot recently, so it was nice to feel so comfortable with the music. I never made or asked for playlists, (havent been writing much of late) but once I got there I danced most of the night. Fellow KTFr, Nogsy was there, as was Andy Humberston, and if either of them read this they may be able to remember some of the plays (for those interested) ;-) All in all (cliché time) I was sick as a parrot that the night didnt go on a little longer, but thats can you ever get too much of a good thing? For anyone who hasnt made the trip to Willington, I would say give it a go, youll probably be pleasantly surprised. So its now Saturday, Id asked Steve Heinsen and his good wife Janet, if I could scrounge a lift with them to Loughborough and they agreed. By the time we arrived (just before 9:30) the car park already had quite a few cars in it (that could be a case of stating the bleeding obvious) so the night looked promising. And for me I think the promise was fulfilled. The venue was pretty full by 11 and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, there were quite a few in from the thriving Nottingham circuit, Carl and Andy Riley with his wife Debs to name but a few. There was also a fair sprinkling of the species KTF. As already mentioned, Steve and Janet, Alan Gibbons, Andy Humberston, Peter Burton, Nogsy, Mark Sanders, the Rimmerman, Spanner, Chris Anderton and as usual there will be others that Ive forgotten to name.:-) I spent the night flitting between the small room (which included sets from Andy H, Nogsy and Peter B) and the main hall. Best set for me in the main room, well the Rimmerman took the prize. He managed to keep Spanner dancing/walking/yomping all night. ;-) A few of us had a chat and we came up with the idea of getting Spanner one of those "For great Northern Soul dancing, put your feet here, here, and here mats. Amaze your friends, youll never take up quite so much room again" :-) I thought Dave played an excellent set, as ever, and the floor was heaving during his spot. Again no playlists, mainly because I was too busy dancing. Last spot of the night in the main room belonged to Derek Allen, the Mr Motivator of the Northern DJ circuit, he is just so enthusiastic you cant help but be carried along. My only grizzle is about the dance floor, which was a composite material that was IMO already quite fast, and after a few had liberally covered it in talc became even faster. Im not going to go into the should you shouldnt you talc the floor, as Ive made my feelings on this subject known before. That really was the only moan I had, it was for me an excellent night with great atmosphere, great music and great company. Once again I urge you to give it a go if you havent been, and to go back if you have. A big pat on the back to Mark Sanders for working so hard to make it a success, and a further pat on the back for his lovely wife Leanne, for dancing.:-) KTF Winston

THE MAGIC TOUCH a review by Winston A couple of weeks ago I was given a video called The Magic Touch. It is basically three hours of dance footage, shot at various venues across the country and its been painstakingly put together by a lad called Andy Holroyd, who lives in the Nottingham area. For the last year or so, Andy has been filming the dancers at every venue he has visited, he must have had hours and hours of tape, and hes edited what he considers the best of it together, to produce Touch. The video starts off with some stills from the 1999 dance competition held at Alfreton and then moves onto the real thing. Ive watched various videos over the years, from This England to Swons but for me none of them have ever quite captured what the scene is about, DANCING. Quite simply, I like to watch people dance and Ive always been of the opinion, that most punters are the same. My favourite sequences in This England were of the dancers, but the programme had other messages to put across, plus it was only half an hour long. Swons (the unabridged version) was well over twelve hours long, but contained very little footage of the dancers, although allegedly some ninety hours were shot. For me it was too preoccupied with the Blackpool Mecca and its influence on the soul scene, and whilst it cannot be denied that it had a major impact, I found the film to be a little too self indulgent, but thats another story. The Magic Touch never proclaims to be anything other than a tribute to the dancers, who are currently gracing the scene. Sometimes the filming is a little shaky (but overall pretty good) but Andy never claims to be anything other than an amateur. Being first and foremost a dancer himself, his appreciation of other dancers shines through. Andy and his trusty camera visited venues up and down the country, amongst them were: Keele, Skegness weekender, Blackpool weekender, Brighouse Ritz and Alfreton and he got good footage from all of them. Many of the well-known dancers, currently on the scene are included, Andy Riley, Carl, with his brilliant acrobatic displays, (a winner of many dance competitions) Sandie Gilvear (runner up at this years Cleethorpes) all from the Nottingham area. Tall Paul from Manchester, (who could spin for a living) Caz from Bolton (who won the Togetherness weekender dance comp) Panch and Karen, just to name but a few. In truth I dont think that Andy ever set out to make a tribute video to the best dancers on the scene, it just so happens that some of them were at the venues where he was filming. Overall the film is just paying homage, to those that I consider the mainstay of the Northern Scene, dancers in general. Without these willing souls, where would the scene be? Watching people sweating buckets, whilst retaining a smile on their face, or seeing them singing along with their favourite record, with all the passion of the original artist, is and always will be inspirational to me. Personally Ive never experienced the out and out joy thats created by the Northern scene anywhere else, and here it is on video, for me to relive in my dotage. 🙂 And just how I want to remember it, distinctive, energetic, passionate, and intense, enjoyed by a crowd of friendly people, a cut above the norm. This isnt meant to sound pompous, those are into rock and roll may share the same feelings towards their music, as in the future, so might those that are currently into house and garage. But I havent been into either, so I can only comment on my perception of the Northern Scene. The last couple of hours of the video were shot at Winsford in February, at the venues 6th anniversary. It seems to me to be quite apt, Winsford was on the downward spiral, attendance wise, (musically it was superb) and had just been taken over by Sam Moore. Sam had set about promoting Winsford very heavily, sometimes flyering three different venues in a single night. Subsequently the turn out at the anniversary was excellent and Andy was there to catch it. The footage produced, in my opinion, captures the atmosphere, and the fervour of the Northern Soul scene, in its entirety. I was there on the night and vividly remember most of it, but watching Andys video pricks the memory and helps me to remember that it wasnt a dream, it really was that good of a night. So for those who prefer shorter reviews, 🙂 three hours of some of the dancers currently adorning the scene, with Northern Soul music pounding over the top, in buying it you will have instant visual access to your past. You know you really “Cant get over these memories”, and all this for a measly fiver, cant be bad. 🐵 KTF. Winston Video online...