Dome Soul Nite Review - 30 Mar 2001

Dome Friday 30 Mar 01 - New playlists added at end

Here's one that cased a bit of discussion, with a soul fan posting up a few complaints of the nite, and the promoters answer, as well you get a few views of the nite, plus full detailed playlists - value for money or what??

Ok a quick brief on what went on last friday at what is said to be the UK's leading and best rare Soul nite, plus a few other views from people out there. Well after the last dome, it seems that this event is now firmly regarded as the leading rare soul nite in uk, not just my view but plenty of others have said the same. So how did the March one go down, well each one seems to throw up something new, this time arriving a hour before it starts, we were took back to see a queue outside about a hour before the doors open, which told us it was going to be a packer. Matt J had said that they have had about 150 new membership applications, so after the last ones one in one out, seems that people were determined to beat the crowd.

Inside, with a few of the regular supporting staff away, a quick bit of juggling was done, before doors open, and by this time the queue had grown resulting in a almost non-stop regular flow of people. Doing the warm up spot, was Ady Lupton, now a regular feature this warm up spot is designed to give the chance for up and coming local djs to show us what they're made of, and Ady L delivered a fine set of some cracking sounds. Word going around was that along with guest appearance of Sidney Barnes, it was rumored there would be a few other surprise guests. With Ady l's spot the nite was well under way, quickly filling up, and thus giving the place a great buzz, the record room was a well busy place with a fair few dealers and dealing.

Come about midnight it was time for Sidney Barnes to do his stuff, now this was a off the cuff thing, originally he was planned just to sign autographs and so on, but with a bit of sorting out from the venues technical staff, plans where made quickly for him to deliver a quick performance on the main stage, and what a performance it turned out, giving us not just one go but coming back for another, featuring two of his classics tracks - I hurt on other side and You always be in style, and he sounded great! Two of the Flirtations turned up, who Sidney used to manage in their Old town days and gave a quick allright to all, the other rumoured guests unfortunately didn't show, but tell you don't think anyone noticed after Sidney's great performance.

He was being looked after by Mark Hanson Ian Levine and Andy Dyson and watch out for some more news regarding that soon, Ady C was guest dj and no prizes for guessing he delivered a great spot, as did all the normal crew, David Flynn, Irish Greg, Alan H, Carl f, of course we were given a helping of the normal Dome flavour of one offs, rarities and classy revivals, This ones for you my love, Downtown crowd, famous tumbleweed classic Barbara Redd, Fran Oliver, to pull a few quickly off top of me head, hopefully more full detailed plays to follow, ending with David f doing the close down 30 mins.

Sidney and two of the Flirtations (photo in gallery now)

Crowd wise, usual bunch of suspects there, including some Germans who made the trip special from southern Germany just for the nite, a long ride home next day or what!

Have heard complaints of too many non soul fans which seems to have spoiled it for some (see posts below), but had no hassle myself.

End of nite, well as said it seems to be a case of saying after each one "best one yet" and unfortunately even though sounding like a vg of ebays -as in a scratched record, gotta have to say it again, end of nite the feeling was.... yeah best one yet!!

paparazzi a go go

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Always after views from out there, in past have put a couple of negative views sent in from soul fans of a couple of events and received a few critical emails off people for posting them, well always after a easy life, but if people take time and effort to send in will always try and post up views , know people are not always going to agree with what they say including myself, but not going to go down road of white washing, ask if you have views, send them in and will post them,

So here's some views on nite...

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Highlight of the night - meeting Sidney Barnes. What an absolute gent. When

Ian Levine was making the SWONS video I was trying to help Ian out with a

bit of editing and effects on a couple of tracks. One of them was the Sidney

Barnes - I hurt on the other side. So after looking at the man on the screen

for hours and hours it was nice to meet him and discuss it with him. I

mentioned how good he looked in the film on the top of that building (in

Chicago I think). "Thank you" he said, "That's were I work - I'm the doorman

at that building". It's a real pleasure to meet a person with such talent

who's down to earth and approachable about it all.

Best sounds of the night , Dirty hearts - Benny Curtis brilliant choice Mr

Flynn but can you not play it anymore till I can get a copy of it. Mayfield

players - love this, is this obtainable in any form cos I'd love a copy?,

Downtown Crowd - Allen Sisters , and pretty much everything Alan Hanscombe

played. Although the record which I thought got the biggest response of the

night was Impressions - You Been Cheatin. You couldn't get on the dancefloor

most of the night but when this was played they we're stacking them 3 high.

What more can I say. If you haven't been to the Dome before you've got to

go.

Cheers Al

ald@globalnet.co.uk

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Originally had posted here a cut email of which I received today regarding friday nite at dome, passed on the original to Matt J as parts of it made certain remarks which I felt he may want to reply, he asked me to post up his reply and whole of the email, so here you go, first the email from soulful bob, and then reply from the promoter Matt J

This is gonna be short, sharp and sweet. We were expecting a fantastic night

at the temple of rare soul in London with the bonus of Sidney Barnes to boot.

What we got was an utter disappointment and an early night!

Sidney Barnes was great and it was nice to see the Flirtations as well. The

first dj played a great set of rare r&b and Ady C. (get your hair cut you

hippie! You look like a Shakespearean actor) didn't disappointment with one

of his best sets for years. The others were OK but Jesus! If the Impressions

'You've been cheating' is now considered rare soul then the scene is in real

trouble. I was half expecting to hear 'out on the floor' and 'ghost in my

house' at any minute! If this is what your gonna be playing in the future

then do not advertise yourselves as the temple of rare 60's soul!

The sounds I can live with, the crowd however I cannot. I don't know which

night Matt was at but it was not as he commented a fantastic atmosphere or

crowd! I'm not the only one who commented on this (and I'm sure Winston will

be passing the same comments later) but we had those that were there taking

the p***, those that were drunk to the point where they spilt their beer over

the floor and us, and those that were so far smashed out of their heads they

could have been at the local nightclub for all they cared! It caused major

problems with our lot and several others sat by the stage. It was annoying at

best and causing a lot of friction and tension. If they were all members Matt

then 1) I'm a dutchman, 2) the scene's in a hell of a state and 3) I'm

stupid! It used to be that soul preceded the payroll but after this night I

now very much doubt it! It seems the cash is more important than the soul.

There is no way these people were soul brothers and sisters. I even had one

twat say to me 'what's this crap playing then? Don't they have any garage?'

Laugh, I almost nutted the **** there and then.

I and many of my friends from all over the UK will not be attending the Dome

again until this is sorted out. I'm not happy as I've always considered the

club to be fantastic and a real credit to the scene. I urge Matt to sort it

out for the next night B4 it's too late.

Soulful Bob

Soulfulbob@aol.com

Matt j's reply in blue

This is gonna be short, sharp and sweet. We were expecting a fantastic night at the temple of rare soul in London with the bonus of Sidney Barnes to boot.

What we got was an utter disappointment and an early night!

Sorry to hear this Bob, our aim is that everybody has a good night

Sidney Barnes was great and it was nice to see the Flirtations as well. The first dj played a great set of rare r&b and Ady C. (get your hair cut you hippie! You look like a Shakespearean actor) didn't disappointment with one of his best sets for years. The others were OK but Jesus! If the Impressions 'You've been cheating' is now considered rare soul then the scene is in real trouble. I was half expecting to hear 'out on the floor' and 'ghost in my house' at any minute! If this is what your gonna be playing in the future then do not advertise yourselves as the temple of rare 60's soul!

I must say that the music policy at the Dome is a mix of rare and underplayed tracks mixed in with 'suitable' oldies. This I believe works well, the dancefloor reflects this. As I've said many times before, people vote with their feet. Until the dancefloor starts to dwindle there is no need to alter the policy. The Impressions was reported in one review to have caused the most fervour on the dancefloor all night. Try telling those rushing to the dancefloor that the track shouldn't have been played?

Tracks played are skillfully chosen by the DJs in my opinion, but everyone is different so we cannot be expected to please everybody all of the time. I'm happy if the dancefloor is buzzing with the enjoyment of the majority of the crowd.

I must caution you not to put words in my mouth, falsely quoting me. Never once have I described the CSC as a "temple of rare 60's soul", your words not mine. Simply it is what it is, everybody makes their own opinions on that, I cannot tell you what to think.

The sounds I can live with, the crowd however I cannot. I don't know which night Matt was at but it was not as he commented a fantastic atmosphere or crowd! I'm not the only one who commented on this (and I'm sure Winston will be passing the same comments later) but we had those that were there taking the p***, those that were drunk to the point where they spilt their beer over the floor and us, and those that were so far smashed out of their heads they could have been at the local nightclub for all they cared! It caused major problems with our lot and several others sat by the stage. It was annoying at best and causing a lot of friction and tension.

'Fantastic atmosphere', that is a personal opinion and it was from where I was standing, but you are entitled to your opinion. Others that I have spoken to and emails from members, whom I do not even know, all seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, which is great to hear. Again we can't always please everybody. We will be releasing over an hour of film footage from the night very soon, so people who didn't attend can judge for themselves.

Troublesome people that you witnessed is another matter entirely, you are right to be annoyed. I'm glad that you have brought it to my attention. There will always be the odd isolated incident, the only way to deal with this is to report it at the time. I cannot solve problems that I know nothing about. In the past I had one or two cases of people who had one too many to drink or are not respectful on the dancefloor. Usually a quiet word from me (after someone has brought it my attention) sorts it out with a friendly "sorry mate, I didn't realise" reply and no further trouble. On the second night this wasn't enough and I had to throw two people out (and went membership only the following month to avoid people walking in off the street). I also post signs saying "Do not take drinks on the dancefloor", to keep the floor dry. I've ejected people from the club before and I have no qualms about doing it again. But you must tell us on the night, or we can do nothing.

If they were all members Matt then 1) I'm a dutchman, 2) the scene's in a hell of a state and 3) I'm stupid! It used to be that soul preceded the payroll but after this night now very much doubt it! It seems the cash is more important than the soul. There is no way these people were soul brothers and sisters. I even had one twat say to me 'what's this crap playing then? Don't they have any garage?' Laugh, I almost nutted the **** there and then.

I'll go with option 3.

The security on the night (usually also supervised by Jo Wallace) are given strict instructions that only members or those on the guestlist can gain entry. The guests are all personally known by ourselves and are no trouble, so they are not an issue. All members have to do is send off for a card, that's it - therefore it is not possible to vet people any further. Again any problems can only be dealt with on the night. If it is clear that someone is in the wrong place and is misbehaving, tell me! and I can address it - if it's not reported what can I do??? The rest of the CSC team along with myself are all friendly people and very approachable, so please come over and tell one of us

"Cash is more important than the soul"??? This I take as a personal insult and if you knew anything about me or knew me then you would know this not to be the case. On the night I personally turned away 10+ hopefulls for not having membership, and we close the door early so that the venue doesn't get too full, so where's the greed there? Unknown to the paying soulie we were hit with a price increase from the venue management at Christmas and have for two months already tightened our belts and accepted the loss from our own pockets, greedy? I think not. We offer as much as we can to the paying soulie - Website, regular mail out of flyers to 700+ members, free tapes, anniversary keyrings. these things all cost money, a lot of money! And for £5 for a London venue this is surely not too much to ask. We have lots more freebies and ideas that cost money, so even if a slight increase was needed to cover it in the future, we still wouldn't see any of it.

I take great pride in the fact that I promote the Dome sheerly for the love of the scene, it's people and it's music, not for money. Ask anyone who knows me! Those saying otherwise are full of shit and should have the balls to talk to me and find out what I'm like before wrongly judging my character!

I and many of my friends from all over the UK will not be attending the Dome again until this is sorted out. I'm not happy as I've always considered the club to be fantastic and a real credit to the scene. I urge Matt to sort it out for the next night B4 it's too late.

Soulful Bob

Soulfulbob@aol.com

That's your choice Bob and it's sad to hear but please read what I have said above. Also think twice on your choice of words next time when judging someone who you clearly know nothing about.

This night has a much younger age spread than any other but they 'are' a great crowd and well behaved. We must not deter new blood, but educate and encourage them: This is the future of the scene we are talking about.

In future, as I've mentioned above I urge anyone with a complaint to see me on the night and I'll happily sort it out. Also I set up, months ago, a comments page on the web site where members can raise any issues. Alternativly pick up the phone, my number is on the flyer, always happy to chat about things.

Please contact me with your views, I'm genuinly interested what people think on ths matter

To sum up we're prepared to take the rough with the smooth, good reviews and bad reviews but please make complaints constructive (so we can address them properly) and not just an unnecessary personal attack.

Regards

Matt Jahans

ok since both posts, both bob and matt have been back in touch, to cut a long story short and draw a line under this, bob has said that he wrote it straight after event, takes in what matt says and withdraws the cash comments, and end of day was trying to get point over that these non-soul fans spoilt their nite. Matt has said he will take steps to hopefully ensure problem doesn't occur again, and feels now his reply may have been a bit over the top, but the cash thing gave him the hump

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Here's the ones that bolted from the Flynny stable.........a right

mish-mash mixed and blended together in a manner that Jamie Oliver would be

proud of.....maybe?! 

11.30 12.00

SIDNEY BARNES -I HURT ON THE OTHER SIDE -BLUE CAT

FLUFFY FALANA -MY LITTLE COTTAGE (BY THE SEA) -ALPHA

EDDIE CARLTON- IT WILL BE DONE -SWAN

OZZ & THE SPERLINGS -CAN YOU QUALIFY -GOLDENWAY

WADE & JAMIE -DON'T PUT OFF UNTIL TOMORROW -PALOMAR

LITTLE DOOLEY- PITY FOR THE LONELY -KO KO

INFORMERS -BABY SET ME FREE -BLACKJACK

SOUL COMMUNICATERS -THOSE LONELY NIGHTS- FEE BEE

BENNY SPELLMAN -THIS ONES FOR YOU MY LOVE -ALON

SIDNEY BARNES -SAFETY ZONE -JOBETE ACETATE

SEPTEMBER JONES -GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR LOVE -UNISSUED

JIMMIE & ENTERTAINERS- NEW GIRL -TODDLIN TOWN

2.30 3.15

BENNY CURTIS -DIRTY HEARTS -RESIST

SUPREMES -LOVE IS LIKE AN ITCHING IN MY HEART -MOTOWN

COOKIE JACKSON -DO YOU STILL LOVE ME -PROGRESS

FRAN OLIVER -SEARCHIN' FOR MY MAN -C/UP

DON RAY -BORN A LOSER -R.C.A.

TWO PEOPLE -STOP LEAVE ME HEART ALONE- REVUE

HYTONES -BIGGER AND BETTER -ABET

SPARKELS -TRY LOVE (JUST ONE MORE TIME) -OLD TOWN

BOBBY REED -THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR LOVE- BELL

SOUL INC. -MY PROPOSAL -COCONUT GROOVE

TONY GALLA -IN LOVE - SWAN

IVORYS -PLEASE STAY- DESPENZA

CHANDLERS -YOUR LOVE MAKES ME LONELY -COL SOUL

VALENTINOS -SWEETER THAN THE DAY BEFORE -CHESS

CHARADES -THE KEY TO MY HAPPINESS -M.G.M.

BENNY SPELLMAN -THIS ONES FOR YOU MY LOVE -ALON

MONIQUE -IF YOU LOVE ME (SHOW ME)- MAURCI

JOHNNY MAESTRO & CRESTS- I'M STEPPING OUT OF THE PICTURE- SCEPTER

Was my turn to do the closing half hour, so a few more oldies than usual

from me, and quite a few requests to be played.....kept the dancers happy,

which is a major priority, naturally!

David

Irish Greg just passed on his plays so here you go

Irish Greg - Sounds List

Blenders - Your love has got me Down - Marvlus

Little Ann - Long lanky daddy - kent

4 Tops - Lonely Lover - Unissued

Fascinators - In other words - Bombay

Bogus Chimes - I think you'll find - Champ

Duke Baxter - Don't let it down - C/up (B.J Thomas)

Sonatas - Going on down the road - Hot-Line

Gerri Hall - Who can I run to - Hot-Line

Flash Mc Kinley - I'll rescue you - Bombay

Magnificent Men - I'll keep climbing - Capitol LP

Willie & The Mighty Magnificents - Check it Baby - All-Platnum

Rocky Gill & Bishops - its not the end - Tear-Drop

Dee & flo - This & then - Dee Wolf Prod.

Gene Toones - What more do you want - Simco

Charles Sheffield - Its your Voo-doo working - Excello

Judy freeman - Hold On - Unissued lp version

Conquistadors - Can't stop lovin you - Act IV

Larry Allen - Can't we talk it over - Green Dolphin

Ree Flores - Look into my heart - M&H

Jimmy Armstrong - I would believe it til I see it - Jet Set

Brand new faces - Brand new faces - Lu-juna

Curley Moore - You don't mean - Sansu