1980's Northern Low Point

[Simsy]

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?

[Guest Dan]

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?

link

great period for me ian

add in the scottish events, blackburn, sheffield, morecambe, hinckley, coventry, whitchurch, keele, odd one-or-two-offs like ion's abraham moss nighters in manchester, phil dick's dos in bradford...there was loads going on and most of it was great i thought

[Simsy]

great period for me ian

add in the scottish events, blackburn, sheffield, morecambe, hinckley, coventry, whitchurch, keele, odd one-or-two-offs like ion's abraham moss nighters in manchester, phil dick's dos in bradford...there was loads going on and most of it was great i thought

link

Keele! Of course, went to a nighter there - top notch. Never made it to Central Pier, or Blackburn. Venues listed above, and your comment kinda goes towards proving my point though.

[Guest]

great period for me ian

add in the scottish events, blackburn, sheffield, morecambe, hinckley, coventry, whitchurch, keele, odd one-or-two-offs like ion's abraham moss nighters in manchester, phil dick's dos in bradford...there was loads going on and most of it was great i thought

link

Yeah I agree Dan, I got into Niters in '85, and as you state above all those venues were rammed with the addition of, Newcastle, Darlington, Burnley, Warrington etc., however things did peter off in the early 90's, the niters that were on seemed stale and so Soul nites were the order of the day for me then. Still are really, don't do many allniters anymore, except Stoke & weekenders...

Sam

[Guest hammy]

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.

link

I can't comment about the venues back then as I'm too young but there's a lot of learned from the attitudes of that time.

The 80s scene had a lot going for it and many of todays top DJs and collectors came out of it. The characters/passion/committment (call it what you will) of that time certainly appeals to me.

Taking a different tack for a moment, also there seems to be a lot of undeserved 'cred' surrounding the 80s. Most of it is justified, but people seem to be more ready to forget the crap that was played. Often folks namedrop Stafford in a very subjective way (I must continue to emphasise that I can only talk from the playlists I've read about lol). Certainly I think Stafford was as much about an ethos and progressive attitude as it was about specific sounds. If something didn't work, it went to the back of the box and people were more hungry for new stuff than today.Today, I see and hear people discuss the oldies brigade with sneering contempt and yet, somehow, looking back to the 80s is ok as it was "the golden period."

The here and now is the most important scene of them all. I bang on about this all the time like the bore I am - but the creeping nostalgia in all aspects of the scene leaves me cold!

Hammy

Edited June 6, 2005 by hammy

[Steve G]

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?

link

The 80's certainly wasn't dead or a lowpoint. You always here the "everyone got married and had kids" argument. Tosh! A lot of people did drift away, but a lot of them (not all) were "makeweights" anyway, but the scene still had humungous vibrancy throughout the 80's. It's usually the 70's hasbeen and egotistical elite that decry the 80's (i.e. "we left the scene and so it must have died"). Some things of the 80's to put it in perspective:

100 Club ascendancy

Stafford

Hinckley "Ric Tic Review"

Popcorn Wylie tour

Morecombe Pier

RSG

Peterborough (Fleet / Wirrina - on occasions two all nighters on the same night!)

Leicester

Rotherham Clifton Hall

Sheffield Romeo & Juliets

Rock City (Notts)

Many great records also got their first airing in this period, and the moddun scene came into it's own. The 80's was when the kids of the 70's picked up the scene and claimed it for their own......I won't hear a word said against it.

[Simsy]

Well said Steve

[Simsy]

Often folks namedrop Stafford in a very subjective way (I must continue to emphasise that I can only talk from the playlists I've read about lol). Certainly I think Stafford was as much about an ethos and progressive attitude as it was about specific sounds.

link

Stafford was key in terms of introducing mid tempo sounds. So again this was an advancement of the scene rather than the death throes some have talked of.

The here and now is the most important scene of them all. I bang on about this all the time like the bore I am - but the creeping nostalgia in all aspects of the scene leaves me cold!

Hammy

link

Here & now is where it's at deffo. However, 'creeping nostalgia'? Surely apart from the up to the minute modern heads, we are all guilty of nostalgia?

[Guest]

The 80's certainly wasn't dead or a lowpoint. You always here the "everyone got married and had kids" argument. Tosh! A lot of people did drift away, but a lot of them (not all) were "makeweights" anyway, but the scene still had humungous vibrancy throughout the 80's. It's usually the 70's hasbeen and egotistical elite that decry the 80's (i.e. "we left the scene and so it must have died"). Some things of the 80's to put it in perspective:

100 Club ascendancy

Stafford

Hinckley "Ric Tic Review"

Popcorn Wylie tour

Morecombe Pier

RSG

Peterborough (Fleet / Wirrina - on occasions two all nighters on the same night!)

Leicester

Rotherham Clifton Hall

Sheffield Romeo & Juliets

Rock City (Notts)

KGB(sheffield)

Turn-ups(sheffield)

fusion(chesterfield)

Winter gardens(cleethorpes)

Bensons(bradford)

Queens hall(bradford)

Parr hall(warrington)

Tifanis(wigan;sheffield;etc)

Added a few more,i know i was there,exception being Rock city,never knew nothing bout`this!,and Romeo & Juliets cant remember nighter here,if so i propperly was there!!and still have learnt absolutley nothin`

[Simsy]

Wow! A few impressive additions there doctor

What was the other winter gardens we went to in the 80's - Trentham? I think, yeah Trentham Gardens, big old place near Derby perhaps

[Liamgp]

Depends upon your personal perspective.... I got into it all via the mod revival which brought a lot of young, enthusiastic (as well as a bit clueless!) people to the existing Northern scene. Local events in Edinburgh and Fife, Stafford and the 100 Club were the big deal for me and my peers and they were absolutely fantastic events. In the 80s I met a few ex-Wigan era soulies who were rather surprised that there was still a soul scene going strong, not the mass numbers of the 70s, but enough to keep things turning over. Biggest complaint from a lot of the older soulies that was the shift away from 100mph stompers to the slower 'newies' material of Stafford, etc. A lot of them were going to Morecambe, which was maybe a bit more old style. It always seemed to me that mods were more accepting of R'n'B style sounds, so maybe the audience and playlists were more in sync at either 'oldies' or 'newies' nights in the 80s. Nowadays it seems that events are much more 'anything goes'. And speaking of which - I'm going...to lunch.

[Guest GST45]

Speaking of 83/84 there were always regular coaches hired from Scotland, starting way up in Aberdeen and continuing down through the country (Arbroath, Dundee, Kirkaldy, Edinburgh) to Morecambe Pier, Darlington and Stafford.

Not forgetting monthly nighters at:

Aberdeen Music Hall

Arbroath Smokeys

Glenrothes

Leven

Edinburgh Queens Hall

and more......

[Simsy]

In the 80s I met a few ex-Wigan era soulies who were rather surprised that there was still a soul scene going strong, not the mass numbers of the 70s, but enough to keep things turning over.

link

Me and my mates were ex mods embarking on the Northern scene and at Peterborough to name one venue of the eighties, the numbers there were more than just ticking over, the place was packed! This is the essence of the thread, the nineteen eighties was not a poor relation decade for northern, a lot of people like you and me and others above got into it in the eighties. If it really was as dire as some have said, perhaps we wouldn't be on here today discussing what we are discussing.

Enjoy your lunch, chew your food.

ps, Kelsey Kerridge - Cambridge. Another eighties all nighter venue.

[Simsy]

Speaking of 83/84 there were always regular coaches hired from Scotland, starting way up in Aberdeen and continuing down through the country (Arbroath, Dundee, Kirkaldy, Edinburgh)  to Morecambe Pier, Darlington and Stafford.

Not forgetting monthly nighters at:

Aberdeen Music Hall

Arbroath Smokeys

Glenrothes

Leven

Edinburgh Queens Hall

and more......

link

This confirms to me that there was 'action' all over at that time. If I were a civillian lurker on here I would have thought that there couldn't have been more than a dozen venues tops in the 80's. Going by previous comments that is.

[Guest remus]

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?

link

I think the 80's was a bit of a high point personally. The numbers might not have been the same as the "heydays" as you put it, but the scene got back on track, albeit going back underground and going back to the roots of playing soul, old and new, and more importantly, dropping the "pony" records of the "heyday" clubs. Remember Keb playing Darrell Banks 3 times in a row and saying "I hope your sick and tired of that record now", "Listen to this"!........And what followed for many years was newer and more creative and imaginitive sounds being played.

The "oldies crowd" would come out of the wood work and "slam" these new tunes that were being played, hence the revival of the "oldies nights" that have run parallell ever since!

[Guest hammy]

However, 'creeping nostalgia'?  Surely apart from the up to the minute modern heads, we are all guilty of nostalgia?

link

Nostalgia is a tendency, IMHO, to focus on a particular time and place from your past. Listening to old soul records you've never heard before surely can't be classed as nostalgic if the sounds are new to your ears ?

hammy

[Guest]

This confirms to me that there was 'action' all over at that time.  If I were a civillian lurker on here I would have thought that there couldn't have been more than a dozen venues tops in the 80's. Going by previous comments that is.

link

Yeh!but the media didnt want to know then,no internet so what we had was word of mouth;blacknwhite flyers;Black echoes(two pages);Blues & Soul(two pages with the odd feature),propper underground!!not like now,every Tom Dick & harry,on the tv all the time addvertising things,radio all the time,whoever sold the scene out as a lot to answer for,liked it better before when we knew who we were,and everybody else didnt matter,sorry to any Toms dicks and Harry,any resemblance to you is purely coinsidentle,think that how ya` spell it.

Edited June 6, 2005 by kenneth aitchison

[Guest remus]

Yeh!but the media didnt want to know then,no internet so we it was word of mouth;blacknwhite flyers;Black echoes(two pages);Blues & Soul(two pages with the odd feature),propper underground!!not like now,every Tom Dick & harry,on the tv all the time addvertising things,radio all the time,whoever sold the scene out as a lot to answer for,liked it better before when we knew who we were,and everybody else didnt matter,sorry to any Toms dicks and Harry,any resemblance to you is purely coinsidentle,think that how ya` spell it.

link

:ok:

[Simsy]

Nostalgia is a tendency, IMHO, to focus on a particular time and place from your past. Listening to old soul records you've never heard before surely can't be classed as nostalgic if the sounds are new to your ears ?

hammy

link

I see what you mean, understood

[Liamgp]

Yeh!but the media didnt want to know then,no internet so we it was word of mouth;blacknwhite flyers;Black echoes(two pages);Blues & Soul(two pages with the odd feature),propper underground!!not like now,every Tom Dick & harry,on the tv all the time addvertising things,radio all the time,whoever sold the scene out as a lot to answer for,liked it better before when we knew who we were,and everybody else didnt matter,sorry to any Toms dicks and Harry,any resemblance to you is purely coinsidentle,think that how ya` spell it.

80s Northern scence was certainly very obscure and underground to most normal punters. Always remember explaining to this bloke about it. 'You mean you go to this place in the middle of nowhere, take drugs, dance all night and don't drink alcohol?' He couldn't believe it. Thought it sounded ridiculous. A few years later I saw him at a rave, jumping around, out of his tits on E and said: 'Do you think it's ridiculous now?!'

[Simsy]

Yeh!but the media didnt want to know then,no internet so what we had was word of mouth;blacknwhite flyers;Black echoes(two pages);Blues & Soul(two pages with the odd feature),propper underground!!not like now,every Tom Dick & harry,on the tv all the time addvertising things,radio all the time,whoever sold the scene out as a lot to answer for,liked it better before when we knew who we were,and everybody else didnt matter,sorry to any Toms dicks and Harry,any resemblance to you is purely coinsidentle,think that how ya` spell it.

link

They hadn't cottoned on back then how to bum rape our music with a view to making thier sworded pennies I guess.

[Guest]

They hadn't cottoned on back then how to bum rape our music with a view to making thier sworded pennies I guess.

link

They'd done it 'til it was sore in the mid seventies. The media had dropped it by the eighties (luckily) The media interest now seems to be driven by the seventies 'icons', or some of them at least.

IMVHO of course.

[Guest hammy]

They hadn't cottoned on back then how to bum rape our music with a view to making thier sworded pennies I guess.

link

I like that !

Hammy

[Guest remus]

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?

link

The '81 soul club, Resident dj's Mick'Cockney'Webb, Mark White & Mark Bicknell...Happy Days

[Guest]

80s Northern scence was certainly very obscure and underground to most normal punters. Always remember explaining to this bloke about it. 'You mean you go to this place in the middle of nowhere, take drugs, dance all night and don't drink alcohol?' He couldn't believe it. Thought it sounded ridiculous. A few years later I saw him at a rave, jumping around, out of his tits on E and said: 'Do you think it's ridiculous now?!'       

link

I supose we where ahead of our time in a lot of things then,that includes fashion,seems then?it was not all soulbags and 3star Jumpers in the 8ts,have a look at the pictures from the 8ts to see what i mean,more about being different,now if your a "Soulie"you gota`look like me grandad!!!allthough me grandad did look cool.....

[Guest]

it was not all soulbags and 3star Jumpers in the 8ts,have a look at the pictures

It was Polyvelts though Ken

BTW still chasing PO, but I have lost your number. Pls give me a ring

Steve

[Simsy]

I supose we where ahead of our time in a lot of things then,that includes fashion,seems then?it was not all soulbags and 3star Jumpers in the 8ts,have a look at the pictures from the 8ts to see what i mean,more about being different,now if your a "Soulie"you gota`look like me grandad!!!allthough me grandad did look cool.....

link

Remember the black patent leather shoes phase? Part of the uniform at one point they were.

I know what you mean though we did look like a bunch of mincers back then See Jon Bucks group shot from the stage at Buzzard, ah man, my hair! I just don't wanna say

Edited June 6, 2005 by Ian Sims

[jimmyw]

Enjoyed some great nighters in the eighties, many already mentioned such as Parr Hall

Clifton Hall

Queens Hall Bradford

Carousel Manchester

also Civic Hall Brighouse run by a guy called Ivor Allen who did quite a few good nighters and dayers in the eighties

[TheBigO]

For me the scene really rediscovered itself and remoulded itself into a new image, more akin to todays scene. The only thing I can't work out is when SteveG introduced the soulful air guitar to the scene!!!! :-))))

[Guest]

Remember the black patent leather shoes phase?

[Guest]

Right-on Steve,the twats allways seemed to crack on the soul,allways used to have wet socks in winter not leats clean out soggy card board,oh the riggers of being a fashion victim,remember all them Bowling shoe we used to nick from sheffield bowls,think we started something there!brill for dancing in,later picked by Mod/Punk band Jam,then mass marketed and spiolt,what i would not give for my old ones,dont forget we embraced unisex then aswell,remember Clarkes sandles on lads/boys....

[Guest]

Right-on Steve,the twats allways seemed to crack on the soul,allways used to have wet socks in winter not least clean out soggy card board,oh the riggers of being a fashion victim,remember all them Bowling shoes we used to nick from sheffield bowls,think we started something there!brill for dancing in,later picked by Mod/Punk band Jam,then mass marketed and spiolt,what i would not give for my old ones,dont forget we embraced unisex then aswell,remember Clarkes sandles on lads/boys....

Edited June 6, 2005 by kenneth aitchison

[Simsy]

Whoa did the site crash? Or just me?

[Guest]

Whoa did the site crash?  Or just me?

link

Me too!!!

[Guest]

ps,  Kelsey Kerridge - Cambridge.  Another eighties all nighter venue.

link

Blimey, your the first person I have ever known to bring up the Kelsey Kerridge

[Guest]

Blimey, your the first person I have ever known to bring up the Kelsey Kerridge 

link

I would have thought the last,obviously not Karen!!where the fukcs Kelsey Kerridge,not near Imber is it?

Edited June 6, 2005 by kenneth aitchison

[Simsy]

Blimey, your the first person I have ever known to bring up the Kelsey Kerridge 

link

We went to an allnighter there on one occasion. I took 'All your lovin's gone to my head' by The Magnificent Men, That I had purchased from Dave Evison. It was massive at the time they played it. Danny Everard dj'd there that night and to my horror, I saw him in a sleeping bag at the end of the hall after his spot.

[Guest]

I would have thought the last,obviously not Karen!!where the fukcs Kelsey Kerridge,not near Himber is it?

link

Its in Cambridge Ken where I am from originally

[Simsy]

I would have thought the last,obviously not Karen!!where the fukcs Kelsey Kerridge,not near Himber is it?

link

That's Imber bruv - KK's in Cambridge.

[Simsy]

Take it you were a shiny shoe wearer as well then Steve? Never a string vest though Silly baggy trousers -yes. Only allowed to drink Coke as well as a soft drink - anyone remember that in the 80's? My mate was chastised by some soulies for drinking Pepsi

[Guest hammy]

I'm still wearing black patent leather shoes - no wonder " duh kids" laugh when I walk past.

Kelsey Kerridge is a porn star shurely ?

Hammy

[Guest Dan]

Kelsey Kerridge is a porn star shurely ?     

Hammy

link

no, that's kelsey porridge, hammy. easy mistake to make though.

[jasonion]

I can't comment about the venues back then as I'm too young but there's a lot of learned from the attitudes of that time.

The 80s scene had a lot going for it and many of todays top DJs and collectors came out of it. The characters/passion/committment (call it what you will) of that time certainly appeals to me.

Taking a different tack for a moment, also there seems to be a lot of undeserved 'cred' surrounding  the 80s. Most of it is justified, but people seem to be more ready to forget the crap that was played. Often folks namedrop Stafford in a very subjective way (I must continue to emphasise that I can only talk from the playlists I've read about lol). Certainly I think Stafford was as much about an ethos and progressive attitude as it was about specific sounds. If something didn't work, it went to the back of the box and people were more hungry for new stuff than today.Today, I see and hear people discuss the oldies brigade with sneering contempt and yet, somehow, looking back to the 80s is ok as it was "the golden period."

The here and now is the most important scene of them all. I bang on about this all the time like the bore I am - but the creeping nostalgia in all aspects of the scene leaves me cold!

Hammy

link

Same here. Really enjoyed the 80's, all the way through to the early 90's. then, it seemed to me, in a matter of months the scene changed, round about when Droylesden closed. Suddenly 'nighters felt like groundhog day. Thought it was me at the time but, looking back, people who i thought were far more passionate about the scene than i was started to disappear

The 80's were a low point as far as popularity was concerned, but not for those who attended. Really felt underground AND progressive

[Simsy]

Same here. Really enjoyed the 80's, all the way through to the early 90's. then, it seemed to me, in a matter of months the scene changed, round about when Droylesden closed. Suddenly 'nighters felt like groundhog day. Thought it was me at the time but, looking back, people who i thought were far more passionate about the scene than i was started to disappear

The 80's were a low point as far as popularity was concerned, but not for those who attended. Really felt underground AND progressive

link

With no shortage of venues, most reasonably well attended. Why would the popularity be down? lots of mods crossing over NS popularity was on the up.

Where was Droylesden btw?

Edited June 6, 2005 by Ian Sims

[Kerry F]

droylesden was in manchester, brilliant nighters.

[Steve G]

For me the scene really rediscovered itself and remoulded itself into a new image, more akin to todays scene. The only thing I can't work out is when SteveG introduced the soulful air guitar to the scene!!!! :-))))

link

The air guitar was actually late 70's "O" and came initially with records like 7th Wonder "Captain of my ship", and really grew in the 80's with things like Brothers Gilmore. Of course King Moses takes it to another level. I think it was originally a form of response to "Russ" playing "Price Buster" in the main room at Wigan...

[Steve G]

BDK - Rock City was a moddun secret. Romeo & Juliets was an alldayer run by Bernie Golding's SAS. Thanks for the additions, some obviously great venues there.

[Kerry F]

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

[Simsy]

Blimey, your the first person I have ever known to bring up the Kelsey Kerridge 

link

Not sure there were that many do's there. Think Max Rees unsurprisingly had a hand in them, did you ever go?

[Simsy]

droylesden was in manchester, brilliant nighters.

link

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

link

Where was that then? Do tell. How so strange?