Timillustrator

A local promoter is just starting this, hopes it will be a weekly thing if there's enough interest. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Performance---Event-Venue/The-Bosted-Wheel-Motown-Club-2067603456606137/

Level 0 – Event in a local pub, sometimes billed as ‘Northern Soul’, usually amongst other things such as ‘Soul’, ‘Motown’, ‘Ska’, ‘Mod’, ‘Indie’, ‘Britpop’ (and in extreme cases ‘Reggae’ and ‘Disco’) but just occasionally the poster (only ever online) might make it look like it’s an actual NS event. Doesn’t have a Facebook page but might be posted somewhere on another group on Facebook by the DJ, not on Soul Source. Usually one DJ, usually does Reggae night and weddings probably using a laptop. Crowd is whoever happens to be in the pub although it might attract the odd person who thinks it’s a proper do. Chance of hearing ‘Do I Love You’ 90% (would be 100% but the DJ, being new to Northern Soul, may not know the song). Level 1 – Event in a local community centre or Labour/Conservative/British Legion/social/working men’s club. Takes place monthly and usually billed as ‘Northern Soul and Motown’ or ‘Motown and Northern Soul’ on posters (online), commonly has a Facebook page, probably not on Soul Source. More than one DJ; some can be very good and it’s their ‘local’ monthly do, usually the same DJ’s every month though. Mostly vinyl although a laptop may be present. Crowd is regulars and nearly all local, some will be wearing NS branded stuff; age is mostly 50+. Chance of hearing ‘Do I Love You’ 100%. Level 2 – Event in a community centre, Labour/Conservative/British Legion/social/working men’s club or town/civic/church/village hall. May be monthly or quarterly, billed as ‘Northern Soul’ although occasionally may have ‘Rare Motown’ or ‘Up-tempo R&B’ etc. added, has posters (online and physical) and flyers, usually has a Facebook page and on Soul Source. Resident and visiting DJ’s, some of the visitors may be national names. Original vinyl only. Crowd is regulars and some who will travel. Much more of a mixed age group although predominantly 18-30 or 45+. Chance of hearing ‘Do I Love You’ 5% (although it may be the Casino Soul Orchestra instrumental version and the DJ may be playing it “ironically”). Level 3 – Event in a Town, Civic or City Hall or purpose built club. 2 or 3 times a year, well publicised, often by a big name promoter, will be all over Facebook and on Soul Source. DJ’s, will be national names with a couple of local well known people. Original vinyl only. Crowd is national. Mixed age group 18-70’s. Chance of hearing ‘Do I Love You’ 0%. Level 4 – Not sure if this level actually exists, although some people would like to think it does. Probably only takes place once or twice a year and in a secret or very out of the way location, advertised mysteriously online although will be on Soul Source. Probably 3 or 4 DJ’s, some may be national names. OVO, rare stuff, very rare stuff and extremely rare stuff. Crowd travel from across the country, age group all. Chance of hearing ‘Do I Love You’ 100% (but only on an unreleased covered up acetate rumoured to be Chuck Jackson that no one ever knew existed).

Does anyone want to hear my theory about the 5 levels of soul event? Just a bit of fun really.

I've seen this happen to a lesser extent with DJ's repeating the previous setlist, I think it's somewhere technology could help - If you had a laptop or even mobile phone with Shazam running it would keep a tally of the previous DJ's set for everyone to see. Of course if they played stuff rare enough to not be on Shazam (not all that hard), it wouldn't show up but it could lead to more competition to play non-Shazam records?

I think that was the same with my one above, part of the problem is that anyone with a copy of photoshop can now knock up a professional looking poster/flyer (well actually nick one and change the dates and venue) in about 5 minutes so if that's all you see it looks like it may be decent enough. Ironically some of the best local nights don't even have a poster - don't need to I suppose because everyone knows about it. They can also, if they even want to bother going that far, pinch a playlist off Facebook and download all the tracks beforehand so it all seems dead easy.

Local pub, advertised as "Northern Soul and Motown night" on Facebook with a poster almost certainly copied from somewhere else, free in, never heard of the (sole) DJ. It was within walking distance and I wasn't expecting much but thought it was worth checking out. The pub actually has a decent function room upstairs with a wood dancefloor and people were posting to ask if it was up there, but no it was a DJ in the corner of the (carpeted floor) bar playing basically Motown Chartbusters and, rather inexplicably, the Nolans from a laptop while 4 drunk people jumped up and down a bit. The beer was OK though!

I know what you mean, those flutes right at the end from 2:00 onwards, sound almost like Strawberry Fields Forever, it might just be the slightly odd ascending pattern they are playing though? The strings sound real enough to me on the rest. I wonder where it was recorded? I seem to remember reading about a group in the 60's who were in a studio where there happened to be a mellotron so they tried it out as they cost an absolute fortune at the time.

Saw Steve Davis DJing on Friday at the Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival in Birmingham. Did a soul set, certainly not Northern and all off CD's, not bad though. He was besieged by (presumably) snooker fans wanting to take selfies with him throughout which must have been a bit off-putting for him. Tried to sketch him too but he didn't keep still so his face is the wrong shape!

Wow, when I heard that starting riff I thought it was Gloria, you know G-L-O-R-I-A. It certainly owes something to it?

There are a few well known Jamaican artists who did some Soul at some point in their lives. Jimmy Cliff and Jackie Edwards being the most well known probably. Any other suggestions, I know a lot of it crosses over into more Ska or Reggae territory?. This is fairly well known but there must be some more obscure stuff out there.

This is a fantastic thread, I have a similar idea.

Absolutely, you had to buy records based on recommendation without having heard them, sometimes wait weeks for them to arrive, go to different cities to get clothes, you only knew where to buy stuff by asking around, clubs might put a poster up but if no one told you about it you wouldn't know. The same for any sub-culture really. As you say a 20 year old can hear about Northern Soul on Monday, stream Spotify for the week, read a few articles online, watch a couple of Youtube vids, order a load of logo'd gear on Tuesday, check out Soul Source for the gigs on Wednesday and turn up Friday fully kitted out/informed.

The other point I guess I was trying to make was that the punk/alternative/hardcore "scenes" such as they were don't exist anymore. OK there are punk gigs with re-formed bands and you occasionally see people at them with mohicans or funny clothes, some modern American Hardcore/Alternative bands play here but there's no ongoing events, little in the way of shared experience or a sense of community, I'd probably not see anyone I know at most of them, there are no clubs as such. If I wanted to go to a punk/hardcore gig every weekend I'd be very hard pushed to find any within 100 miles of me and certainly not every weekend. So whilst people bemoan the death/commercialisation/cheapening of the soul scene or say it's become a parody of itself, it's still around.

Prior to all of that, in the early 80's when I was still at school I was a Mod. Me and my mate quickly went beyond the Who and Small Faces and were heavily into Motown, Stax, Geno Washington, 60's R&B, James Brown, blues, a lot of the early Kent/Ace LP's, didn't realise a lot of this stuff was Northern Soul then. Played guitar and sang in bands doing 60's material with zero success, moved on to punk, noise rock and hardcore in the later 80's, mainly doing bands, still listened to everything and went to all kinds of gigs, even jazz, blues etc. Lost interest in going out after a car crash in '92, bought a house, got married, was busy with work, had kids, got made redundant, started my own business all that stuff etc. So long term soul fan but only on the scene in the last few years. At first I found it amazing hearing these records I hadn't for 30 odd years, and realising that they were actually northern soul.

Interesting, I had a vaguely similar past. I was into the later Hardcore Punk scene, mainly based around fast US bands or those copying them in the late 80's/early 90's. This was also a reaction to punk having gone mainstream/sold out etc. No one had a mohican or leather jacket or studs, it was pretty small and underground. Also very edgy, not so much drugs but an incipient air of violence - I remember being punched in the face by a 6'2" skinhead for "not stage diving properly!". I was also a big fan of soul, R&B and blues but wouldn't ever talk about that kind of music with most of my hardcore mates as they wouldn't have understood it. Sorry probably going off topic here!

Absolutely why not many are going to comment on threads like this; there are often (not particularly on this thread but on this site certainly) comments about how the scene went wrong when the media were let in to Wigan 1975 or various documentaries, films or other changes since. Whilst this may well be true, for someone of 20 today that's as relevant as a discussion about the Second World War or something.

I'm 49 and depending on the event a few times I felt like the youngest there. At other times it's been more of an all ages crowd. These days of course with trained bouncers, id, Challenge 21 etc. it's pretty unlikely anyone underage will get in to many places or even try to.

What would you define as "young"?

Not exactly soul and I am going off topic here but in reply to Spain Pete's post above - Zappa was a massive Doo Wap fan, very early Mothers Records had some strong Doo Wap influences particularly How Could I Be Such A Fool. He also wrote this:

I guess it's similar to some of the original American Photorealists like Chuck Close, John Salt and Richard Estes - you look at their stuff online or in a book it just looks like a photo; when you see the original paintings on the wall of a gallery you see all the brushwork and defects and they are even quite crude close up.

I thought they were prints at first (well they are, prints of the paintings) but he's done actual paintings of the records and sleeves at a large size. Interesting because when they are reduced and photographed, as they are here, they just look like the originals. There's better images of the large size originals here. https://www.williamsart.co.uk/Williams_Art/Morgan_Howell_Wonderwall.html

I've got a few more I'll photograph and post. I sketch most places but not done many of people dancing, I like it though it's a new challenge, especially as it's often pretty dark inside and you can't always see what you're doing. Here's a few I did of Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band last year. That was easier as they were relatively static.

Interesting, I love photorealism but haven't seen anything of his before. I have been sketching at soul events lately, drawing people dancing is a challenge. Need a bit more practice!

Thank you very much, I find sketching a good way of cooling down between dancing. It was a bit dark in there but I just about managed it. Need to work on my people dancing drawings though.