1980's Northern Low Point

[Dave Moore]

Northern Low Point?

What'll that be then? Never had one!

Oh aye I have, in Notts Palais when I had to straighten out a bumpkin who tried to roll me thinking I was blocked (unfortunately for him, I was straight as a die). He he!

Regards,

Dave

[Kev Cane]

I bet if I get the echoes out from the 80's (what I have left) there would be far more venues than mentioned.  I remember some weekends with 6 nighters on....hardly a scene you would call dead and that no one went.

Chalky, I honestly think anybody who thinks the 80,s was a low point for the soul scene didn't go anywhere, or was one of the "pop your head round the door" nostalgic, addidas bag carrying romantic, who hung their 40 inches up, cried when the Catino shut and got into Simple Minds and U2 had a few kids, waited until they,d grown up, then heard that Lloyd from Coronation Street was doing a "NORTHERN SOUL " night and decided to come out again, don the "bags" and demand to hear the same shite they flew about to 30 odd years ago and then demand respect because "I used to go to Wigan you know". Open and shut case mate, 80,s and early 90,s AWESOME, Underground, hardcore soul fans, driven by the need and addiction to hear new sounds, remember like yesterday the first night Rob Marriot played Cleveland Wilson (aka OC Tolbert) at Mansfield "The Swan" "I'm shooting high" us lads from the NE practically shit ourselves, Butch playing Just Brothers, "Go on and laugh", this in the mid 80,s, Low point ? do me a f-----g favour

 

Kev

[Peter99]

Northern Low Point?

What'll that be then? Never had one!

Oh aye I have, in Notts Palais when I had to straighten out a bumpkin who tried to roll me thinking I was blocked (unfortunately for him, I was straight as a die). He he!

Regards,

Dave

The only fight I've ever seen inside a do was at Notts Palais - it was probably you then Mr Moore!  

Bit of a long shot I know - the ruck I saw was probably 1980, give or take a few years after! It was a long time ago.

 

Peter

 

[Dave Moore]

The only fight I've ever seen inside a do was at Notts Palais - it was probably you then Mr Moore!  

Bit of a long shot I know - the ruck I saw was probably 1980, give or take a few years after! It was a long time ago.

 

Peter

 

Quite possibly. '80 sounds about right. It wasn't a fight as such. He demanded my drugs and money, I clattered him about a bit. Don't think he was a soul fan. Bugger was, I had to leave in case his Mates called the cops. Ah the folly of youth eh?    

Regards,

Dave

[Simon T]

There were some lows too. I remember going to Lincoln Drill Hall in 1987 and the DJ  played an entire set  of  which I only knew George Blackwell. The Just Brothers wasn't Sliced Tomatoes and a neither was the Del Larks the right record, which he had the cheek to play twice. After each record I asked him to play some 'Northern' or something that I knew like Frank Wilson & Benny Troy. He told me to F off back to my youth club disco. I nicked his play list in an attempt to get my money back at the door under the trades descriptions act.

 

Here's the list

 

appointments

frank beverly - wanted

mello souls

george blackwell

devotions

soul bros inc - pyramid

delegates of soul

cheryl lynn

'diane lewis'

gene toones

little john - heartbreaking

two plus two - conquer

tommy ridgley

james dockery

shufflers

mr lucky

ray agee

chantelle & aqualads

mello souls

'just brothers'

[Geeselad]

Chalky, I honestly think anybody who thinks the 80,s was a low point for the soul scene didn't go anywhere, or was one of the "pop your head round the door" nostalgic, addidas bag carrying romantic, who hung their 40 inches up, cried when the Catino shut and got into Simple Minds and U2 had a few kids, waited until they,d grown up, then heard that Lloyd from Coronation Street was doing a "NORTHERN SOUL " night and decided to come out again, don the "bags" and demand to hear the same shite they flew about to 30 odd years ago and then demand respect because "I used to go to Wigan you know". Open and shut case mate, 80,s and early 90,s AWESOME, Underground, hardcore soul fans, driven by the need and addiction to hear new sounds, remember like yesterday the first night Rob Marriot played Cleveland Wilson (aka OC Tolbert) at Mansfield "The Swan" "I'm shooting high" us lads from the NE practically shit ourselves, Butch playing Just Brothers, "Go on and laugh", this in the mid 80,s, Low point ? do me a f-----g favour

 

Kev

thats a shit hot, spot on, post, as for the returnee's, and your observations are only about those who actually went to wigan, lot alone the hoards of wannabe's who only went to thier local youthy. nowt wrong with that, its just the attitude so many, 50 something, plastic soulies, bring with them, ie, 'I know what northern soul is!'  

Edited June 16, 2013 by geeselad

[Guest daz mycroft]

steve, running an all-dayer in nottingham 28th August 100 yards from where garry lives ! bet he tries to get a lift off you !!!!

kenny, was the Night Owl about 91 ? The mansfield venue was the leisure centre !

Ian he HAS photos ,Diaries, and fluent French, he went to the Paris allnighter last year and some bloke thought he was Belgian !

Also gets mistaken for dale winton

if you have a whip round for a computer ,he'll spend the money on records !!!!

The Sherwood Rooms in Nottingham...saw chuck jackson, edwin Starr, jJ barnes

Worksop Town hall run by Pete ward monthly soul nights

Worksop Leisure Centre "Lou Ragland "Live !!!! (YES HONEST !) run by Pete ward & John Smith i think (Plus noel & ?)

Matlock Bath Pavillion

Alfreton Leisure Centre all-nighters

Ripley soul nights in an old church ?

The Olde English Matlock with dennis macdonald & Roy early 80s

back out side to think !!!! (Its gonna be HOT at Cleethorpes-who does Ady pay to get this weather ?) 

 

think Matlock Bath Pavillion was all dayer in 70s not 80s.

 

remember Olde english (sandys) Matlock and Alfreton Leisure centre Niters, went to a few dos @ blue note in Derby also

[Tezza]

The only fight I've ever seen inside a do was at Notts Palais - it was probably you then Mr Moore!  

Bit of a long shot I know - the ruck I saw was probably 1980, give or take a few years after! It was a long time ago.

 

Peter

 

Took some friends for their first venture into Northern Soul ( in the 80's sometime ). Told them that the venues are really friendly and there's never any trouble.  Decided to go to a do in Worksop ( not the Town Hall )

Mass fight broke out, the night had to be abandoned and it was never run there again.

They decided not to go to any more Northern do's !!

[Guest Byrney]

I bet if I get the echoes out from the 80's (what I have left) there would be far more venues than mentioned. I remember some weekends with 6 nighters on....hardly a scene you would call dead and that no one went.

Totally agree Chalky. Although you have to ask why the myth that the scene was dead in the 80s was perpetrated. My theory is it came around though nostalgia night promoters who had vested interest in creating nights for a large market that were based on a simple formular: limited number of nostalgia / youth club tunes to an audience that either went to the casino or elsewhere for 2 or 3 years or did the odd local alldayer / youth club scene, that's a big market.

This also sets the bar low for middle aged folk who want to access a new over 40s / 50s scene . By suggesting the scene was dead until the returnees were ready to come back ( all about timing - kids grown up, divorces, disposable income etc) offered an immediate welcome - the scenes where you left it, nothing's changed other than a few pounds and grey hair, thanks goodness your back KTF....

So if you were on the peripheries of the scene you can now reinvent yourself and your history and be truly part of something. If you wasn't on the scene, no problems - open door policy, low barriers to becoming a face, just don the uniform and off you go.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Byrney

[Guest Byrney]

There were some lows too. I remember going to Lincoln Drill Hall in 1987 and the DJ  played an entire set  of  which I only knew George Blackwell. The Just Brothers wasn't Sliced Tomatoes and a neither was the Del Larks the right record, which he had the cheek to play twice. After each record I asked him to play some 'Northern' or something that I knew like Frank Wilson & Benny Troy. He told me to F off back to my youth club disco. I nicked his play list in an attempt to get my money back at the door under the trades descriptions act.

 

Here's the list

 

appointments

frank beverly - wanted

mello souls

george blackwell

devotions

soul bros inc - pyramid

delegates of soul

cheryl lynn

'diane lewis'

gene toones

little john - heartbreaking

two plus two - conquer

tommy ridgley

james dockery

shufflers

mr lucky

ray agee

chantelle & aqualads

mello souls

'just brothers'

Simple request to those promoters on the nostalgia / oldies scene. If you could source DJs to play these oldies (ok you'll struggle to get Butch so miss out Just Bros, Diane Lewis etc) would you do so? Quite a few of those tunes sitting in the East Midlands, if you don't know them give them a try on You Tube. Serious question.

[Wiganer1]

there was never a low point in the 80s - 10 years of all niter bliss

[Tezza]

There were some lows too. I remember going to Lincoln Drill Hall in 1987 and the DJ  played an entire set  of  which I only knew George Blackwell. The Just Brothers wasn't Sliced Tomatoes and a neither was the Del Larks the right record, which he had the cheek to play twice. After each record I asked him to play some 'Northern' or something that I knew like Frank Wilson & Benny Troy. He told me to F off back to my youth club disco. I nicked his play list in an attempt to get my money back at the door under the trades descriptions act.

 

Here's the list

 

appointments

frank beverly - wanted

mello souls

george blackwell

devotions

soul bros inc - pyramid

delegates of soul

cheryl lynn

'diane lewis'

gene toones

little john - heartbreaking

two plus two - conquer

tommy ridgley

james dockery

shufflers

mr lucky

ray agee

chantelle & aqualads

mello souls

'just brothers'

Mello Souls - twice.

How unfortunate.

[Peter99]

 

 peripheries

 

Don't you talk to me like that!

 

Peter

 

 

 

[Guest Byrney]

Mello Souls - twice.

How unfortunate.

Yes, newly discovered records played twice in one spot, well - its disgusting. Now if you're playing Soul Time four times at a nostalgia night over five spots, well that's just ok then

Do wonder how the old Del Larks C/U would go down, say at an oldies night in Nottingham nowadays - bear in mind it wasn't played at t'casino though.

[Guest Byrney]

Simple request to those promoters on the nostalgia / oldies scene. If you could source DJs to play these oldies (ok you'll struggle to get Butch so miss out Just Bros, Diane Lewis etc) would you do so? Quite a few of those tunes sitting in the East Midlands, if you don't know them give them a try on You Tube. Serious question.

Seriously. Anyone from Grosvenor Rooms, Blackhearts, Kingsway or similar want to have a go at this question - in the 80s this question would be a no brainer - a resounding yes.

[Steve L]

Seriously. Anyone from Grosvenor Rooms, Blackhearts, Kingsway or similar want to have a go at this question - in the 80s this question would be a no brainer - a resounding yes.

You're wasting your breath (fingers?) mate

[Tezza]

Yes, newly discovered records played twice in one spot, well - its disgusting. Now if you're playing Soul Time four times at a nostalgia night over five spots, well that's just ok then

Do wonder how the old Del Larks C/U would go down, say at an oldies night in Nottingham nowadays - bear in mind it wasn't played at t'casino though.

I remember it well. And yes, Dance Dance Dance played more than 10 times at Prestatyn.

I don't like the Mello Souls (Del Larks). Had to push them I understand

[Guest Byrney]

I remember it well. And yes, Dance Dance Dance played more than 10 times at Prestatyn.

I don't like the Mello Souls (Del Larks). Had to push them I understand

So the Mello Souls was played at an oldies event? Mick H I guess, once pushed was it accepted? Or did the crowd moan and want say Count Down Here I Come.... Again?

Dance x 3 being played 10 times confirms why the nostalgia scene is such a state. Pitifull really.

Thinking back to the 80s when the opening bars of the Mello Souls kicked in we literally ran to the dance floor. Also thinking back to an mainly oldies night I was involved in at Ripley back then, mainstream top 500 most of the night but you could easily get away with an hour of underplayed / unknown even with a few 80s modern thrown in and still have a fairly full dance floor without anyone coming up to the DJ box demanding you get this rare sh1te off. WTF went wrong.

[Guest Byrney]

Started at niters in 81/82 with Bradford Queens hall, Morecambe Pier, Clifton Hall, Peterborough,never missed Warrington Parr Hall,Bensons in Bradford,Chesterfield,CIS and Abraham Moss in Manchester plus soul nights at Burnley,Castleford,plus Mod events in Bradford, Manchester, plus all dayers in Widnes, Runcorn, Blackpool,North Wales,all niters at every scooter rally..Just a few things going on there for me in the 80s...

Abraham Moss nighters were quality, forgot about them: was it Tony Smith and Ion that promoted these? The record bar was sectioned off in a gym by some netting I remember. Right next to this there were amphetamine fuelled 5 a side footy matches which made rollerball seem like a whist drive.

[Peter99]

 amphetamine fuelled 5 a side footy matches which made rollerball seem like a whist drive.

Amphetamine fulled squash is something to be avoided!     :sweatingbullets:    

 

Peter

 

[Tezza]

They push them for when recorded as opposed to when first played and so sort of get away with it. Sam Dees first played 82ish but recorded 68/69

Depends which side of the Played/Recorded fence you sit.

I know Mello Souls was a floor mover but Never Ever For Me. Bit like The Majestics, always fills a floor but I can't see it myself. Each to their own I suppose.

[Guest Byrney]

They push them for when recorded as opposed to when first played and so sort of get away with it. Sam Dees first played 82ish but recorded 68/69

Depends which side of the Played/Recorded fence you sit.

I know Mello Souls was a floor mover but Never Ever For Me. Bit like The Majestics, always fills a floor but I can't see it myself. Each to their own I suppose.

So if the punters are open to say Sam Dees LFYB that begs the question then why arent the nostalgia scene promoters extending the playlists to 60s 'smash the gaff up Northern' outside of Connie Clark and friends? I don't get it, they could be listening to a fecking wealth of 60s dynamite tunes as good as anything played at Wigan.

[Peter99]

So if the punters are open to say Sam Dees LFYB that begs the question then why arent the nostalgia scene promoters extending the playlists to 60s 'smash the gaff up Northern' outside of Connie Clark and friends? I don't get it, they could be listening to a fecking wealth of 60s dynamite tunes as good as anything played at Wigan.

I think you've answered that one yersen Byrney.

 

Hope yer well buddy.

 

Peter

 

[Quinvy]

I thought the scene had had it when I sold up in 1976.

Twenty plus years later when I came across the Goldmine Cd's in a record shop in Burnley quite by accident. I couldn't believe my eyes. Must have looked hilarious as I gasped and grabbed every Cd in the rack and tried to stagger to the till without dropping them. I couldn't believe the scene was still going, and couldn't believe the stuff I had missed. Also couldn't believe that one of my old mates had had such a massive impact on the scene.

I personally really regret missing out on the 80's. To me looking at what was played in that era, it was the golden age. If only I had known.

[Ted Massey]

Yes, newly discovered records played twice in one spot, well - its disgusting. Now if you're playing Soul Time four times at a nostalgia night over five spots, well that's just ok then

Do wonder how the old Del Larks C/U would go down, say at an oldies night in Nottingham nowadays - bear in mind it wasn't played at t'casino though.

I heard Mick H play the Mello Souls at the Grovsnor soul night rammed the floor 

[Trev Thomas]

surprised nobodys mentioned the sensible soul club, who ran nighters in london early / mid 80's, , in disused warehouses

Edited June 18, 2013 by trev thomas

[Triode]

For me the 80's were the best era,

I actually felt proud of this superb underground movement now?.....not sure.

[Wiggyflat]

I think the 90 s were the low point.Beat ballads and midtempo crap forced me on to the jazz scene.The Ritz alldayers sparked my interest again...the southern scene was crap imho although I liked the underground vibe.

[Edwin S Wales]

surprised nobodys mentioned the sensible soul club, who ran nighters in london early / mid 80's, , in disused warehouses

 I remember going to a sensible soul alldayer at Heaven night club in London...that was a bit odd  ..run by the Demob boys if I remember rightly

[Markw]

 I remember going to a sensible soul alldayer at Heaven night club in London...that was a bit odd  ..run by the Demob boys if I remember rightly

Blimey. Were you there too Edwin? Ian Levine's "World's First Gay Northern Soul All Dayer"!!? Was that Easter Sunday, probably 84? Mark Bicknell put on an all dayer at the Wooburn Grange Country Club near High Wycombe (a bit odd in itself as this was the building used for all the outdoor shots of the Fawlty Towers hotel). Couple of car loads of us piled up to Charing Cross to Heaven after the dayer. Blokes in dresses serving behind the bar, blokes in full leather bondage gear etc etc. JImmy Ruffin did a view numbers live (karaoke style..)..........strange world of Northern Soul? Indeed.

[Guest Byrney]

I think the 80s had its own type of attitude compared to any other era ive been on the scene that sets it apart.

Firstly it broke down the hierarchy of the DJ and punter, Keb, Guy etc would be getting stuck in with you on the floor, travel with you and be in the services with you and whats more it was expected. Although there was a respect for the top DJs this wouldn't stop you ripping the pi££ / having the crack with them should the chance arise as they were 'one of the lads'.

Secondly many of the punters had a fresh irreverent attitude to what went before with a yearning for taking things forward. Don't get me wrong the scene embraced positive traditions of the past but didn't mess around with demonstrating that most of the poppy side, the dip in an out attitude, the uniform, the looking back to oldies, the cliches etc were all seen by many as a tad divvy. To massively misquote Pete Lawson, he used to say something like you had to bring something to the scene - music, personality, drugs, humour... Or something like that. I brought an uncanny ability to dribble, wear dodgy haircuts and swear a lot.

Thirdly, although a bit, no very messy, it did have a serious side; there seemed to be an unwritten rule that you at least had to have a basic understanding of records (the bit I struggled with ) and one upmanship was commonplace in terms of knowledge. Again plenty of chance to have the pi££ ripped out of you if not up to parr.

It was a time where you didn't get away with much, you couldn't hide and at times it could be hard work. but the returns on this was a camaraderie that endures to this day, a good crack and a chance to hear a wealth of utterly amazing records. Worth those Sunday evenings spent thinking "f£&k me I looked a right tool there".

This is why I think so many of us who were there (all my mates anyway) struggle with the nostalgia scene as its everything we rejected.

[Northernjordan]

Also, not sure if has been mentioned. The scooter scene was massive in the 80s and Northern played a huge part in the scene, live acts and allnighters were common place at rallies. So in my opinion did its bit keeping the Northern scene live and kicking.

[Edwin S Wales]

Blimey. Were you there too Edwin? Ian Levine's "World's First Gay Northern Soul All Dayer"!!? Was that Easter Sunday, probably 84? Mark Bicknell put on an all dayer at the Wooburn Grange Country Club near High Wycombe (a bit odd in itself as this was the building used for all the outdoor shots of the Fawlty Towers hotel). Couple of car loads of us piled up to Charing Cross to Heaven after the dayer. Blokes in dresses serving behind the bar, blokes in full leather bondage gear etc etc. JImmy Ruffin did a view numbers live (karaoke style..)..........strange world of Northern Soul? Indeed.

yep Mark...must have been 84/85

[Paul-s]

Only went one nighter at Rock City.Strange place indeed !!

 

Yes it certainly was, i was living in Notts at the time and went to one...very odd! Mind it was just post "Operation Crossbow', so an odd atmosphere was prevailing anyway.

Personally, I had a cracking time all over the country at nighters and soul nights in the 80s.

[Reforee]

Personally for me the 80's fused together the trad northern and the modern and then threw in the more mid tempo & 60's Newies scene.

Basically a more tolerant rare soul scene(well back biting aside) but a more wider spectrum of what soul fans wanted to hear while out!

Oldies, Newies modern, beat ballads the lot and in my humble option what Soul is all about, we are all different and have our personal preferences when it comes to Soul music, but for me it's all Soul music (let's not get into the debate about Real Soul).

Getting back to the original thread of the scene dying in the eighties, well it probably DID if you were a die hard oldie stomping 60s fan!

KTF

The MIB

[Guest Byrney]

Yes it certainly was, i was living in Notts at the time and went to one...very odd! Mind it was just post "Operation Crossbow', so an odd atmosphere was prevailing anyway.

Personally, I had a cracking time all over the country at nighters and soul nights in the 80s.

The Friday Soul nights at Rock City were fantastic though. One week 60s ( mostly 60s newies) the next modern and one of my old Forest mates behind the bar sorting me with a round for 50p

[Guest son of stan]

yep that was it, in ednomton, I thought Ion was involved.

 

I remember what happened there.

 

They'd run a previous allnighter at this fairly swish studio / venue off The Strand called something like (kid you not) 'The International Dance Centre'...Part of the Royal Society of Arts Building (well, it is now, anyway). Historical footnote, I remember Butch announcing 'Two Can Live Cheaper Than One', adding... '..not if Thatcher gets her way with the Poll tax.' So that dates it. I digress...

 

So the second one was advertised, we all turned up and the venue had had second thoughts at the last minute, or something (wonder why..).

 

So there were coaches laid on to whisk us all off to this stand in venue in salubrious Edmonton...

 

Late 87 / early 1988, possibly....

 

I seem to think they may even have done a second one at the Edmonton club.

Edited July 11, 2013 by son of stan

[Guest son of stan]

A few more (all London):

 

Penny Black on Exmouth Market. Fridays. (posties' pub opposite Mount Pleasant sorting office). (Ion?)

Drummonds, opposite Euston Station Fridays (pre-Leighton Buzzard?) Saturdays.(Jon Buck)

Metropolitan in Farringdon midweek. (Ian Clark/)

Comedy Store, Leicester Square. Thursdays. (Sean McCluskey...maybe?)..mid 80s

6Ts Thames boat trip/s..mid 80s

A 70s / modern night - Joe's Wine Bar(?) Thursdays. Edgware Road, late 80s....

Stomp at Dingwalls (70s / Crossover) Lou Ragland and (I think) Sam Dees performed at those....Fridays. Very late 80s..

Various different nights at a place on Cork Street in Mayfair...

 

Oh yeah there was even a one off at the Limelight Club on Shaftesbury Avenue one Monday night. God knows what that was about!

 

I went everywhere in those days.....

Edited July 11, 2013 by son of stan

[Guest]

Some of these northern gaffs seem bloody charming. Was all the violence a eighties thing or a north thing I wonder. Saying that as I don't remember such ag in the prim South so much. At northern do's that is.

Sure there was trouble everywhere I guess not just on our scene. But from the venues I mentioned on page one, I don't remember any bovver at any of them.

I was reading the other week where someone said about running from the train station to Wigan to avoid getting chinned.

Leicester and Loughborough were the only places we felt threatened and that was really just because of our accents, would want to make the locals give us a good kicking. never happened though thank god. Glad we don't have so much of that bullshit these days eh?

They did have to run from the Train Stations as Trucks (Punk Night Club) was just around the corner from the Stations, and Punk is the complete opposite what we're into. I met quite a few of the Niter crowd who went to the under 18s over 15s on the Sat before Niter started so they didn't have to risk meeting a gang o daft Wigan Punks. And back in the 70s and 80s Wigan was known as the wild west in polite circles.

[Geeselad]

Been a lot of talk about the 80's being a low point on the northern scene and last week a comment of "during the eighties when the scene was on it's knees" was posted and I thought that was a bit OTT.

I got into Northern 1982/83 and there seemed to be a fair choice of venues that were reasonably well attended. During the early/mid and late eighties we went to, 100 Club, Leighton Buzzard, St Ives, Peterborough, Loughborough, Leicester and Stafford amongst others.

I appreciate although the eighties were by no means a high point of the scene's history compared with the seventies heyday or the early ninetees resurgence. However all the talk that northern soul all but died out during the eighties, is I think an inaccurate overstatement and is unfair on the promoters of the venues of that time.

I'm sure there are other eighties venue's I have missed that we didn't go to. Not sure whether this 'eighties was dead' feeling is a general consensus, or were there folk that went out, danced and like me had a good time back then?

I said the low point was the mid 9ts.

[Simsy]

I said the low point was the mid 9ts.

 

Certainly lower than the 80's, which we've proved were banging!

 

Proud of this thread. More than any other, esp as it features an A to Z listing of all those great 80's venues. Took me feckin ages I can tell thee! 

[Winsford Soul]

Don't think there's been a low point, not on the nighter side of thing's anyway. Loved every decade since the 70,s. Each Decade has given something different, Times change. Steve

[Soulstu]

80s and 90s were low points for me - all my fickle mates drifted away from NS, leaving me high and dry.

Goldmine CDs in the late 90s woke me back up and finally, FINALLY I'm buying vinyl again and off to my first NS do in April for 34 years.

[Geeselad]

Certainly lower than the 80's, which we've proved were banging!

 

Proud of this thread. More than any other, esp as it features an A to Z listing of all those great 80's venues. Took me feckin ages I can tell thee! 

mind you always wished I'd gone to bretby ( was that 9ts or the other side of the millenium?). and the 9ts must have been a bumper time for buying tunes.

[Simsy]

80s and 90s were low points for me - all my fickle mates drifted away from NS, leaving me high and dry.

Goldmine CDs in the late 90s woke me back up and finally, FINALLY I'm buying vinyl again and off to my first NS do in April for 34 years.

 

Know exactly what you mean Stu. Mates I'd been going to nighters with, suddenly offering to do me shitty indie tapes with Inspiral Carpets and Charlattans and whiny white dross like that. Shove it, I'd rather hear Eddie Parker for the billionth time!

[Simsy]

mind you always wished I'd gone to bretby ( was that 9ts or the other side of the millenium?). and the 9ts must have been a bumper time for buying tunes.

 

Looking at that list I did, there are so many places I wish we'd gone to in the 80's. Yate & Stafford top of that list.

[Steve G]

80s was only a low point ONLY if you weren't there.

 

BUT it wasn't all about newies either. We had a strong oldies contingent in Cambs with renegades from the Scooter scene migrating across to Niters.

 

When I used to do The Fleet / Wirrina etc. there was Adam and I doing modern, Brian Rae, Dave Evison, The "vicar" and other assorted bods doing bog standard oldies. The only thing that wasn't big there to be honest was 60s newies.

[Guest Byrney]

I suppose we were blessed in the East Mids; Friday nights Rock City for modern one week 60s newies the next; trotters with Rob Marriott; Stafford, Blackburn, mexborough, Mansfield, chesterfield etc all within a couple of hours drive. The only time we actually got exposed to oldies nights was on the odd occasion nowt of quality was on. But even the oldies nights we went to seemed to have a much wider scope than the nostalgia scene nowadays, I did a few spots at a few in Derby Notts area and I got away with modern, underplayed, some recent newies etc and most of the time to a fairly full dance floor and without me having a toe to toe for not playing Shirley Ellis; well most of the time

[Barry]

80s was only a low point ONLY if you weren't there.

 

 

[Paul-s]

On 06/06/2005 at 14:29, Simsy said:

Been a lot of talk about the 80's being a low point on the northern scene and last week a comment of "during the eighties when the scene was on it's knees" was posted and I thought that was a bit OTT.

I got into Northern 1982/83 and there seemed to be a fair choice of venues that were reasonably well attended. During the early/mid and late eighties we went to, 100 Club, Leighton Buzzard, St Ives, Peterborough, Loughborough, Leicester and Stafford amongst others.

I appreciate although the eighties were by no means a high point of the scene's history compared with the seventies heyday or the early ninetees resurgence. However all the talk that northern soul all but died out during the eighties, is I think an inaccurate overstatement and is unfair on the promoters of the venues of that time.

I'm sure there are other eighties venue's I have missed that we didn't go to. Not sure whether this 'eighties was dead' feeling is a general consensus, or were there folk that went out, danced and like me had a good time back then?

It was full of nighters and nights in the 80's. The wheat and chaff tourists had gone and it was down to a dedicated group of soulies to keep it going: and GO it did.

In addition to the ones you mention, I remember Warrington, Rotherham, KGB, Cleethorpes, Bradford, Blackburn, Morecambe,  and loads of nights like the Tracky in Barnsley. It was a great period as far as I experienced.

Went a bit dark and quiet after 'Operation Crossbow' (I think that was its name), but bounced back.