Review Top Nite - George Hotel at Macclesfield

Well mentioned it earlier and here's a more detailed view

Big thanks to Shirley for a well "spanking" account

Posted earlier on Soul-Talk - The Only List for Real Northern Soul Info and News!

Friday 30 Nov - Im sorry this is a long one, some of the tracks played are listed at the end of the report This has got to have been the best soul nite (musically speaking)I have attended to date, the music was just spanking!!! (thats my latest word to describe anything that is just too good to be described any other way)

This was our first trip to the venue with the usual posse of John, Dawn, Colin & myself; we arrived around 10ish, we had tried to get there earlier, but John did the now accustomed tour of the surronding area - although this time we did spot the venue before motoring off up the road in completely the wrong direction on a one way system - not quite lost this time, but we still got to hear Johns latest profanities as we tried to make our way back; our journeys to venues are not complete without this little ritual

Anyway we finally arrived and in we go chomping at the bit, times a wasting, Its quite a small,intimate cellar bar venue (my favourite sort) not dissimilar to the Beehive at Bradford, the boys headed straight to the bar for refreshments whilst Dawn & I looked for seating, we found somewhere and I did my usual dumping of bags and coats and made my way to the dancefloor.

From there on in it was sheer heaven, we knew it was going to be as the guest DJs were Andy Rix and Rob Thomas, unfortunately as we had arrived later than planned we missed most of the local jocks / collectors sets, but the bit I did catch was a good start. I finally got to meet Andy Rix - at previous venues where he has been DJing I always seemed to miss having a quick chat, Ive even been mis-directed by "well meaning" friends and spoken to some poor unsuspecting bloke whos only crime was to have a passing resemblance to the description of Andy I had been given - well Andy now Ive finally met you I would just like to say that I didnt think your ears were that big - so much for "well meaning" friends!!

All the DJs, but especially Andy & Rob played some good, good toons, the dancefloor was full all night, but there was still room for a stunt dancer to knock Dawn over (lucky that table was there to break your fall Dawn, otherwise all the chin rubbers & anoraks in the corner behind you would have gone over like a set of dominos ;-)) The stunt dancer probably had to attend the nearest hospital A&E on his way home as he managed to fall over no less than four times throughout the evening, each fall being more spectacular than the previous one. I think it was a combination of the booze in him and the condensation on the floor which had turned the whole cellar bar into a pseudo ice-skating rink.

Anyway thanks to all punters & DJs alike for a spanking evening I don't think I could have attended anywhere in the UK this weekend and heard better tunes and had a better night:-o

Here's a short list of some of the records played, in no particular order, throughout the evening (sorry theres no credits to particular

DJs I'm afraid you'll have to work out who might have played what):

Jessie James - Love is alright

Willie & the Magnificents - Check it baby

Johnny & the Weirdest - Cant get over these memories

Imperial Challengers - Somebody tell her

Herman Hitson - love slipped through my fingers

Jimmy Radcliffe - thrill of loving you

Kim Weston - Im still loving you

Cindy Scott - In one ear and out the other

Wallie Hawkins & Rose McCoy - switch around

Scott English - you made a man out of me

Blue Notes - rags to riches

Chris Bartley - out of my mind

Kenny Shepherd - What difference does it make

............the list just goes on and on with mouth watering, toe tapping goodies so I'll leave it at that except to add Rob Thomas played a great male vocal c/up that was totally new to me.

Also a special mention about Ross, (Greatstone Hotel Promoter and totally great guy) who sadly died last week - he'll be greatly missed - the whole evening was a fitting send off for another soul hero who has left us.

Shirley