Jethro

[Guest Bogue]

Back on track..

Sounds a great idea. My first thoughts were that I would have thought most photos would have seen the light of day by now...but I guess the people on here are only the tip of the iceberg?

I for one know of someone who took some photos there, & he hasn't really had much to do with Ns since...so I guess there is a good chance there are countless others similar.

Perhaps we need to look further than the present community...ask the 'tourists' for want of a better word (& before someone else says it)

Edited February 6, 2010 by Bogue

[Steve Foran]

Steve , here is the link to the video , hope you are ok mate ..Best wishes ,Eddie

https://www.youtube.c...h?v=di02cko2SMM

Hey Eddie thanks for the reply. Yes I am fine. Good to meet you at Alan Pollards funeral before christmas. Amazed you came from Banbury to Stockport for Alan. Respect.

Watched Jethro on the film, crickey he always seemed taller and more thick set than the film. Best dancer for me, although Danny Daniels from Peterborough was great as well. Actually DJ aying tomorrow for Alan Pollards Memorial night at Paul Kidds do Reddish Working Mens Club,Houldsworth Square, Stockport. Billy Woods will have to be dusted off methinks. Anyhow take care mate. Watched the Japan Nude Club vid yesterday. Talk about getting in the mood. Not got Frankie Karl anymore nor the Del Larks. But I agree with other postings it looks like a bygone age and the fun is clear to see. Keep in touch eh? Via SS. Best Regards Steve Foran.

[Eddie Hubbard]

Hey Eddie thanks for the reply. Yes I am fine. Good to meet you at Alan Pollards funeral before christmas. Amazed you came from Banbury to Stockport for Alan. Respect.

Watched Jethro on the film, crickey he always seemed taller and more thick set than the film. Best dancer for me, although Danny Daniels from Peterborough was great as well. Actually DJ aying tomorrow for Alan Pollards Memorial night at Paul Kidds do Reddish Working Mens Club,Houldsworth Square, Stockport. Billy Woods will have to be dusted off methinks. Anyhow take care mate. Watched the Japan Nude Club vid yesterday. Talk about getting in the mood. Not got Frankie Karl anymore nor the Del Larks. But I agree with other postings it looks like a bygone age and the fun is clear to see. Keep in touch eh? Via SS. Best Regards Steve Foran.

Hi Steve , it was the very least I could do for Alan , he was a great guy .I would've come tonight , but I'm DJing in Scotland , but will be thinking of you and Alan .Didn't know you'd got Billy Woods - wow !! Yeah Jethro always seemed a big fella to me too , but then everyone does LOL....That Japan video is great isn't it - what a tonic !! Anyway chat soon mate ,Eddie

[Agentsmith]

Hi Steve , it was the very least I could do for Alan , he was a great guy .I would've come tonight , but I'm DJing in Scotland , but will be thinking of you and Alan .Didn't know you'd got Billy Woods - wow !! Yeah Jethro always seemed a big fella to me too , but then everyone does LOL....That Japan video is great isn't it - what a tonic !! Anyway chat soon mate ,Eddie

spiders web tonight, eddie wish we were there, pass on our best to rona & ken ( may & rob)

rob.h

[Agentsmith]

hi mike,

back reading posts, think after almost a week people are getting the idea whats involved here anda seperate entity on soulsource where all the photographic evidence could be collated, including peoples identities is a concrete idea...plus testimonies as to when pics might have been taken. put this page/s under a working title which could also apply to a book. remember, tapes are a sountrack ( they were recorded live...yes?) whereas records are a response to hearing those tunes and the want and need of the soulfan to purchase them...yes?. finally, as far as the triumverate is concerned, cinefilm has to be the piece-de-resistance, the holy grail if you like, this is why i consider "the outsider" or the "ex-pat" to be a good place to hunt, folks who are no longer on the scene or gave up when wigan closed and emigrated or the "tourist" who added it to their porfolio off the back of the casino/studio 54 battle 78....remember...who's the best in the world?. and yes of course, to put flesh to the bones, there are soulies in all walks of life in hi-tech industry who are graphic designers, dvd/audio sound specialists,book production,etc.....so with soulsource as the virtual source these people can come together under their various guises, to make reality happen...a book for the people, by the people....its not rocket science is it?. no one individual takes credit for it there's no financial ulterior motive, certainly not for me...this is something i would want to own....AND I CURRENTLY DONT HAVE...LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD.

im building a nice little collection of books, mainly on motown but i want a wigan bible, not just casino, soul survivor, nightshift, they are individual testimonies that give you the taste for wanting more, something completist...if everyone provides their artifacts, thats their piece of the pie, no quibbling, no need or room for critisism.

p.s. come on mike im dumb, help me here, what the bloody hell is feedback and where do i click on it and what am i supposed to do next?

rob.h

[Guest proudlove]

hi mike,

back reading posts, think after almost a week people are getting the idea whats involved here anda seperate entity on soulsource where all the photographic evidence could be collated, including peoples identities is a concrete idea...plus testimonies as to when pics might have been taken. put this page/s under a working title which could also apply to a book. remember, tapes are a sountrack ( they were recorded live...yes?) whereas records are a response to hearing those tunes and the want and need of the soulfan to purchase them...yes?. finally, as far as the triumverate is concerned, cinefilm has to be the piece-de-resistance, the holy grail if you like, this is why i consider "the outsider" or the "ex-pat" to be a good place to hunt, folks who are no longer on the scene or gave up when wigan closed and emigrated or the "tourist" who added it to their porfolio off the back of the casino/studio 54 battle 78....remember...who's the best in the world?. and yes of course, to put flesh to the bones, there are soulies in all walks of life in hi-tech industry who are graphic designers, dvd/audio sound specialists,book production,etc.....so with soulsource as the virtual source these people can come together under their various guises, to make reality happen...a book for the people, by the people....its not rocket science is it?. no one individual takes credit for it there's no financial ulterior motive, certainly not for me...this is something i would want to own....AND I CURRENTLY DONT HAVE...LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD.

im building a nice little collection of books, mainly on motown but i want a wigan bible, not just casino, soul survivor, nightshift, they are individual testimonies that give you the taste for wanting more, something completist...if everyone provides their artifacts, thats their piece of the pie, no quibbling, no need or room for critisism.

p.s. come on mike im dumb, help me here, what the bloody hell is feedback and where do i click on it and what am i supposed to do next?

rob.h

First off mate,good luck with getting together what you need for this project.One of the problems that you will have is that there was very little photografic and next to nothing cinegrafic taken at nighters for many different reasons...........and as a tie in to another thread,someone wandering about with an expensive camera pointing it at people would have had it taken off them,certainly in the early days at Wigan.

I would also question why you would want to limit your research to Wigan,because it is only percieved in some eyes as the "Be all and end all"because off the large amount of publicity surrounding the place generated by people with their fingers in the Wigan pie.

There are people on here that go back to the dawn of this soul scene,people who broke records at the wheel when the likes of Winstanley/Levine/Searling were at school,there are people on here that were mirroring what was going on in the North all over the country in pockets..........just look at the first All Nighter thread.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe just Wigan is a bit narrow and would appeal to a small percentage of people into this scene.

Again good luck with what you are doing

Steve

[Pete S]

hi mike,

back reading posts, think after almost a week people are getting the idea whats involved here anda seperate entity on soulsource where all the photographic evidence could be collated, including peoples identities is a concrete idea...plus testimonies as to when pics might have been taken. put this page/s under a working title which could also apply to a book. remember, tapes are a sountrack ( they were recorded live...yes?) whereas records are a response to hearing those tunes and the want and need of the soulfan to purchase them...yes?. finally, as far as the triumverate is concerned, cinefilm has to be the piece-de-resistance, the holy grail if you like, this is why i consider "the outsider" or the "ex-pat" to be a good place to hunt, folks who are no longer on the scene or gave up when wigan closed and emigrated or the "tourist" who added it to their porfolio off the back of the casino/studio 54 battle 78....remember...who's the best in the world?. and yes of course, to put flesh to the bones, there are soulies in all walks of life in hi-tech industry who are graphic designers, dvd/audio sound specialists,book production,etc.....so with soulsource as the virtual source these people can come together under their various guises, to make reality happen...a book for the people, by the people....its not rocket science is it?. no one individual takes credit for it there's no financial ulterior motive, certainly not for me...this is something i would want to own....AND I CURRENTLY DONT HAVE...LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD.

im building a nice little collection of books, mainly on motown but i want a wigan bible, not just casino, soul survivor, nightshift, they are individual testimonies that give you the taste for wanting more, something completist...if everyone provides their artifacts, thats their piece of the pie, no quibbling, no need or room for critisism.

p.s. come on mike im dumb, help me here, what the bloody hell is feedback and where do i click on it and what am i supposed to do next?

rob.h

Do you mean members feedback Rob? Click on FORUM at the top of the page and all the different sections should come up, two thirds down is a section called Members feedback.

[Jez Jones]

First off mate,good luck with getting together what you need for this project.One of the problems that you will have is that there was very little photografic and next to nothing cinegrafic taken at nighters for many different reasons...........and as a tie in to another thread,someone wandering about with an expensive camera pointing it at people would have had it taken off them,certainly in the early days at Wigan.

I would also question why you would want to limit your research to Wigan,because it is only percieved in some eyes as the "Be all and end all"because off the large amount of publicity surrounding the place generated by people with their fingers in the Wigan pie.

There are people on here that go back to the dawn of this soul scene,people who broke records at the wheel when the likes of Winstanley/Levine/Searling were at school,there are people on here that were mirroring what was going on in the North all over the country in pockets..........just look at the first All Nighter thread.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe just Wigan is a bit narrow and would appeal to a small percentage of people into this scene.

Again good luck with what you are doing

Steve

.....and that Steve is what makes the history of this scene so compelling. Whilst we were steeped in Wheel/Torch/Cats primarily---it is fascinating that in other parts of the UK there was a 'parallel' scene at that time with regional variations on 'top sounds' of the day.

I do think though it would be an absolutely mammoth task to try to collate and 'chronicle' everything. It would probably have to be done chronologically and not just based on venues because as you say--there was a lot more going on in far flung places that doesn't get mentioned but is staple to the 'roots of the scene.

There is probably more 'product' out there with regards to Wigan due to its longevity and would possibly stand a better chance from an archive point of view.

....oh and how yer doing matey. Hope you and yours are well. Bumped into Stuart Garrett the other day and had a good ole chinwag.'

[Agentsmith]

First off mate,good luck with getting together what you need for this project.One of the problems that you will have is that there was very little photografic and next to nothing cinegrafic taken at nighters for many different reasons...........and as a tie in to another thread,someone wandering about with an expensive camera pointing it at people would have had it taken off them,certainly in the early days at Wigan.

I would also question why you would want to limit your research to Wigan,because it is only percieved in some eyes as the "Be all and end all"because off the large amount of publicity surrounding the place generated by people with their fingers in the Wigan pie.

There are people on here that go back to the dawn of this soul scene,people who broke records at the wheel when the likes of Winstanley/Levine/Searling were at school,there are people on here that were mirroring what was going on in the North all over the country in pockets..........just look at the first All Nighter thread.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe just Wigan is a bit narrow and would appeal to a small percentage of people into this scene.

Again good luck with what you are doing

Steve

hi steve,

absolutely no quarrel with the valid points you and jez have put. i think the twist is there though, and dont get me wrong....i loved the cats....theres an arguement in there that wigan was responsible for its demise, but the council had other plans for the piece of land it stood on anyway. as it is we were so young, just starting out on the scene that is so little to reference other than peoples memories....add to that, the sad fact that so few people who went to our preliminary venues are still on the scene and,...many sadly departed, the best way to gauge the scene in depth....and remember this is only my view....would be to concentrate on the venue that took our scene to a higher plain, with bigger attendances, breaking more records, making the scene more socially acceptable and, where the vast majority of memorabilia has been created necessary to make a "project" like this possible. im stating the obvious, when i say to you im no expert and it is a monumental undertaking but because its wigan we have the necessary tools to work with that were not even thought of or contemplated as being significant where our other magnificent heritages are concerned.

i'll put this into perspective if you like: neil rushton will probably bear me out on this one...i know of only one person ( who i havent met in over 30 years) who took a "set", yes, set of photographs at the catacombs. his name was graham hawkins....they were in COLOUR!. outside of that, the only other tokens were the adverts in the express and star and the memberships. i cant vouch for the torch, wheel, blue orchid, mojo, dungeon, va-vas, night owl, kieghley, mr. georges, chateau impney...im not old enough...but ive heard of, and read about them with as much excitement as anyone else in their soul infancy and these venues get their due in many publications.

please dont concieve that i am being biased towards a venue that i visited so little, im not politicising the casino like it was an election. the fact is, withstanding everything else it is our scenes greatest point of reference to the past...its where the scene took a giant leap forward from being a sub-culture to a global phenomenon and yes, all the trash, sneering remarks and press over-hype that it carried as baggage.....

ITS LIKE THIS....IN THE A-Z THERES A "W" if you ask a soulie what sums up w....the answer would be: WIGAN...every time

guys, im not here to argue with you, what i am saying is there isnt a definitive of wigan in hard cold currency that everyone can have right now because until WE make it so it dosnt exist!.whilst the tides in lets float our boats full of souveniers so they reach a safe haven coz when the tides out and were all long gone who's gonna be interested in the message in a bottle on the beach?

rob.h

[Agentsmith]

over 1500 views...good keep it going and more posts please. the subject of tapes: i reason a small proportion would have got: trashed chewed lost erased etc., lets say for instance: 10,000 still exist and amongst them several 100 have good audible quality...in other words you can decifer the tunes and the djs amongst the distortion, then, lets say at least one person has a complete set of tapes pertaining to one whole all-nighter....and this could be cleaned up in a hi-tech studio...voila! a live performance at wigan casino.it could be on any given night in those eight years but wouldnt that be something....another record to savour.

so, everybody on the planet....re-evaluate what you have in your posession and see if it corresponds!.

rob.h

[Agentsmith]

Can i add fuel to this fire if you please...it may or may not have escaped wiganite's attention but december 2011 sees the 30th anniversary of the closure of the casino, another means by which to put this project into perspective. youve had celebratory cds and records and revival all-nighters...isnt it right there should be THAT BOOK, THAT FILM, THAT LIVE RECORDING?. it not only completes the circle, it confirms to the faithful that the casino fulfilled our musics aspirations to be recognised and everything that has come and gone since has been inspired by wigan's breaking of the mould, bringing northern soul to the attention of a global audience.

rob.h

[Guest Bogue]

hi mike,

back reading posts, think after almost a week people are getting the idea whats involved here anda seperate entity on soulsource where all the photographic evidence could be collated, including peoples identities is a concrete idea...plus testimonies as to when pics might have been taken. put this page/s under a working title which could also apply to a book. remember, tapes are a sountrack ( they were recorded live...yes?) whereas records are a response to hearing those tunes and the want and need of the soulfan to purchase them...yes?. finally, as far as the triumverate is concerned, cinefilm has to be the piece-de-resistance, the holy grail if you like, this is why i consider "the outsider" or the "ex-pat" to be a good place to hunt, folks who are no longer on the scene or gave up when wigan closed and emigrated or the "tourist" who added it to their porfolio off the back of the casino/studio 54 battle 78....remember...who's the best in the world?. and yes of course, to put flesh to the bones, there are soulies in all walks of life in hi-tech industry who are graphic designers, dvd/audio sound specialists,book production,etc.....so with soulsource as the virtual source these people can come together under their various guises, to make reality happen...a book for the people, by the people....its not rocket science is it?. no one individual takes credit for it there's no financial ulterior motive, certainly not for me...this is something i would want to own....AND I CURRENTLY DONT HAVE...LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD.

im building a nice little collection of books, mainly on motown but i want a wigan bible, not just casino, soul survivor, nightshift, they are individual testimonies that give you the taste for wanting more, something completist...if everyone provides their artifacts, thats their piece of the pie, no quibbling, no need or room for critisism.

p.s. come on mike im dumb, help me here, what the bloody hell is feedback and where do i click on it and what am i supposed to do next?

rob.h

Been reading back... & I guess I should have read post 21 properly before my last comments Rob ...it was late & they were getting a bit long by then though

Hope you get this off the ground though...I'll certainly badger the guy I was talking about to get up in his mum's loft & try & find some pics

[Zed1]

ITS LIKE THIS....IN THE A-Z THERES A "W" if you ask a soulie what sums up w....the answer would be: WIGAN...every time

rob.h

TBH, whenever the 'W' word is mentioned on this forum it just seems to solicite the usual stereotype comments of 'Baggies, Frank Wilson and Hawai 5-0', many on here just see the 'W' word as a point scoring exercise to try in some way to show they're 'superior' and have 'Moved on'.......

There are countless 'local' type venus on every fri/sat nite that are never advertised on this forum, many attended by people who used to be regulars of these big 70's venues and may still have lots of pic's etc from those days, because however most of these people arn't DJ's or collectors of Rare Vinyl, they'll have little or no interst in this forum...

Perhaps some kind of flyer at these venues directing people to this forum/a website could bring up some otherwise unseen/unknown stuff.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Teapot

[Agentsmith]

TBH, whenever the 'W' word is mentioned on this forum it just seems to solicite the usual stereotype comments of 'Baggies, Frank Wilson and Hawai 5-0', many on here just see the 'W' word as a point scoring exercise to try in some way to show they're 'superior' and have 'Moved on'.......

There are countless 'local' type venus on every fri/sat nite that are never advertised on this forum, many attended by people who used to be regulars of these big 70's venues and may still have lots of pic's etc from those days, because however most of these people arn't DJ's or collectors of Rare Vinyl, they'll have little or no interst in this forum...

Perhaps some kind of flyer at these venues directing people to this forum/a website could bring up some otherwise unseen/unknown stuff.

right on bro!

thats the ticket, everyone get off their backsides and keep coming up with ways to chisel out the nuggets, a flyer would certainly help, even if its just photocopied.

[Agentsmith]

Just a point ,i would think many ex-girlfriends from the early days would have photo´s, i know my ex Alison Humphries from Gloucester had an album with photos from The Cats(also colour) Wigan, Cleethorpes Yate etc and many of the Cheltenham crowd Stella Reuter, Jane Keatley others whose names i forget took photos every week on the coach on the way to Wigan.

Contact those people and i am sure many pictures(at least) will turn up.

Also Julie Dyke had fu##in´thousands of photos!!

Happy Hunting Steve

cheers mate,

if you've been following this, a lot of people have posted photo's and more people need to be made aware of this fact. its getting close to 2000 views however, its essential that more posts are made. id hate to think that a large proportion just cant be bothered because they figure they've seen it all before. i have to reference back to my initial comments about whats staring us back from our bookshelves and it aint the whole story. consider the fact that we are witnessing a dismaying loss of people we love and cherish, many of them long time soulies...its ironic we may never know what treasures of the scene they've left behind...close family and friends may consider these of little relevance...so its too late to step in and save them. were all gonna be in that situation sooner or later and thats not nice....so it would be great for the majority who were involved in the history of the casino to share something special that other generations can look at in wonder. the history of wigan casino in photographic and literal form in the shape of a definitive book is the only thing we have missing to complete to circle, to bring us all together. hopefully, critical film evidence will emerge in the course of time but it cant wait forever.

rob.h

[Guest Gabbi]

F**K me is that a young Charlie Frost 4th right???? A legend for my generation and an all round top bloke! The Magnum tash is a bit worrying, much like Taffs high waisters!!!!!

That was definitely Charlie Frost.. I would know that tash anywhere.. as I lived with I for about a year! We lived in the flat above the Hairdressers on Leys Avenue 1977ish...

[Wiggyflat]

hi steve,

absolutely no quarrel with the valid points you and jez have put. i think the twist is there though, and dont get me wrong....i loved the cats....theres an arguement in there that wigan was responsible for its demise, but the council had other plans for the piece of land it stood on anyway. as it is we were so young, just starting out on the scene that is so little to reference other than peoples memories....add to that, the sad fact that so few people who went to our preliminary venues are still on the scene and,...many sadly departed, the best way to gauge the scene in depth....and remember this is only my view....would be to concentrate on the venue that took our scene to a higher plain, with bigger attendances, breaking more records, making the scene more socially acceptable and, where the vast majority of memorabilia has been created necessary to make a "project" like this possible. im stating the obvious, when i say to you im no expert and it is a monumental undertaking but because its wigan we have the necessary tools to work with that were not even thought of or contemplated as being significant where our other magnificent heritages are concerned.

i'll put this into perspective if you like: neil rushton will probably bear me out on this one...i know of only one person ( who i havent met in over 30 years) who took a "set", yes, set of photographs at the catacombs. his name was graham hawkins....they were in COLOUR!. outside of that, the only other tokens were the adverts in the express and star and the memberships. i cant vouch for the torch, wheel, blue orchid, mojo, dungeon, va-vas, night owl, kieghley, mr. georges, chateau impney...im not old enough...but ive heard of, and read about them with as much excitement as anyone else in their soul infancy and these venues get their due in many publications.

please dont concieve that i am being biased towards a venue that i visited so little, im not politicising the casino like it was an election. the fact is, withstanding everything else it is our scenes greatest point of reference to the past...its where the scene took a giant leap forward from being a sub-culture to a global phenomenon and yes, all the trash, sneering remarks and press over-hype that it carried as baggage.....

ITS LIKE THIS....IN THE A-Z THERES A "W" if you ask a soulie what sums up w....the answer would be: WIGAN...every time

guys, im not here to argue with you, what i am saying is there isnt a definitive of wigan in hard cold currency that everyone can have right now because until WE make it so it dosnt exist!.whilst the tides in lets float our boats full of souveniers so they reach a safe haven coz when the tides out and were all long gone who's gonna be interested in the message in a bottle on the beach?

rob.h

Ive about 7 or 8 photos from the Catacoombs...got them from Martin Allsop

[purist]

Ive about 7 or 8 photos from the Catacoombs...got them from Martin Allsop

I'd love to see those, and I guess I'm not the only one. Can you share them with us please

[Barry]

Mickey Davey from Leigh, a mate of Wayne Hacketts' (M's regular) has someof the best (100's) of black and whites of The Casino that I have seen.

If I remember his mate Paul, a keen amateur photographer with a good camera, took them over the course of one of the Anniversaries.

I have a few of them, just crowd shots with me in them but there are some seriously quality shots of Vernon mid spin and varying dancing competition shots, some fantastic M's shots, off guard groups etc - they show a busy Wigan at it's height in all it's majesty.

I've tried many times over the years to meet up with Mickey and get them catalogued but I've never managed to get me, him and the photo's in the same place.

I got a call last week regarding Mickey, so I'll try and chase him and them up.

[Agentsmith]

lots of info here now, thats good and i suggest you all keep diggin and keep all your artifacts to hand now as the wheels could well be moving shortly, especially with this previously undisclosed film ( fingers crossed ) as attempts are being made to contact the party concerned. ive been assured this film DEFINITELY does exist and is in prime condition but the matter of securing it for usage is in other hands, not mine and it has also been expressed to me that a book could definitely be in the offing. if there are any further developements, i'll add to this thread.

rob.h

[TheBigO]

I'll tell you who has a shit load of pics from Wigan and beyond and thats the great Graham Barbour (he of doddgy headbands abd the 'thumpy hands' spins!) I last bumped into him some 10 years ago(?) where he was telling me he was running survival courses of some sort up in the Lake District but he and his brother defo have 100s of great pics over the years. Now if you could track him down then you'd have enough for a proper book of pics that would show the scene as was. Just a thought.

[Agentsmith]

cheers to the big 'o', im amazed lots of people still reading and showing interest in this thread. literally 1000's of pics all over the uk and many taken with high quality cameras. i havent had a look but i presume many are now posted on ss and the possibility of a book seems genuine, as i said before, its the type of book that none of us have that is a direct reference to all of us and not just a privilaged few. i hope you all keep this up because it is of significantly vast importance to catalogue the past for everyone in the present to acknowledge and for future generations of youngsters to be educated by.

rob.h

[Wiggyflat]

I'd love to see those, and I guess I'm not the only one. Can you share them with us please

heres a taster......

BMP_4.BMP

BMP_7.BMP

BMP_017.BMP

[Eddie Hubbard]

heres a taster......

Wow , they're good quality , love the 3rd one ..... kinda sums it up ,Best,Eddie

[Wiggyflat]

Wow , they're good quality , love the 3rd one ..... kinda sums it up ,Best,Eddie

Looks like a bloody cave. What was the dancefloor like stalagmites??.Ive a great picture of a soulie asleep and everyone has piled up beer cans on top of him. Give me a few mins.

BMP_004.BMP

BMP_013.BMP

Edited April 7, 2010 by wiggyflat

[Agentsmith]

Looks like a bloody cave. What was the dancefloor like stalagmites??.Ive a great picture of a soulie asleep and everyone has piled up beer cans on top of him. Give me a few mins.

my memory's probably goin but......,it dosn't look like the cats to me,....certainly not where the dancefloor area is concerned...you see, to the rear of the small dance floor ( that would be rammed with 40 people on it ) there was a raised stage ( no more than a foot off the ground ), this is where you would get your rock bands as the catacombs provided entertainment other than northern soul, which took place on wednesdays and saturdays. immediately above the stage was a concrete beam, again, about 6-9" thickness, protruding from the ceiling. this area was not cavern shaped although i cant remember weather the in-house speakers were at floor level, mounted or inset.

the catacombs was probably, originally a factory unit as it was above a cobbled courtyard and the rest of the buildings in this block were, infact factories. it consisted of a lot of alcoves and nooks and crannies, the windows were painted out and adorned with roadworks lamps with red and yellow glass. there was a fire exit and stairwell to thr right of the stage. facing the dance floor was the dj booth which had saloon-swing doors to the side for entry and a serving hatch at the front through which you could make requests. the corridor by which you reached the dance floor lead back to the bar area and ultimately, the dressing room/toilets and entrance where you provided your membership and payed in, no kiosk just a table manned by the manager and doorstaff as i remember.

so....the pictures are a puzzle...theyre obviously from way back and i dont doubt their 70's authenticity and, im sure the girl, centre, on the 3rd pic is helen who married pep, one of the djs at the cats....but stalagmites?......im sorry that just dosnt fit......I ONLY WISH NEIL RUSHTON IS VIEWING THESE BECAUSE HIS MATE GRAHAM HAWKINS HAD SOME COLOUR PICS AND HE TOOK THEM WITH THE BACKROUND OF A WHITEWASHED WALL WHICH, WOULD BE IN THE VACINITY OF THE DJ BOOTH.

so, tell me ive lost my marbles after infamously banging my head on THAT BEAM because im disorientated with thes pics.

incidentally, ive heard that a plaque to commemorate the site of the catacombs is being erected at some point soon, that will be very poignant indeed for all soulies who frequented a venue known as "one of the legendary four".

rob.h

[Wiggyflat]

Id assumed it was the Catacoombs because....it looks like a Catacoomb.Far too young myself.Can you identify this poor unfortunate soulie or the venue

BMP_005.BMP

BMP_005.BMP

[Guest Netspeaky]

I've got about 60 odd tapes from the Casino will have to dig them out, and see what they sound like.

Also got a pic or two somewhere, although I think I have already put them up somewhere, maybe facebook.

[Agentsmith]

Id assumed it was the Catacoombs because....it looks like a Catacoomb.Far too young myself.Can you identify this poor unfortunate soulie or the venue

dunno about these dudes, but look at the spencer's!!, they all look wrecked...must have been end of the night. the "catacomb" pic looks great though....GOOD JOB IT WAS A CONCRETE BEAM AND NOT THAT STALAGMITE THAT MY HEAD HAD AN ARGUEMENT WITH!!.....just a thought, but the gig could have been held in a REAL greek cave...( authenticity you know!)....where's the bloke on the boat with the cat and dog?.

rob.h

[Wiggyflat]

heres a taster......

These three look like heavy dudes with their leather jackets and RCA white labels. Wonder what the record was?

[Guest]

my memory's probably goin but......,it dosn't look like the cats to me,....certainly not where the dancefloor area is concerned...you see, to the rear of the small dance floor ( that would be rammed with 40 people on it ) there was a raised stage ( no more than a foot off the ground ), this is where you would get your rock bands as the catacombs provided entertainment other than northern soul, which took place on wednesdays and saturdays. immediately above the stage was a concrete beam, again, about 6-9" thickness, protruding from the ceiling. this area was not cavern shaped although i cant remember weather the in-house speakers were at floor level, mounted or inset.

the catacombs was probably, originally a factory unit as it was above a cobbled courtyard and the rest of the buildings in this block were, infact factories. it consisted of a lot of alcoves and nooks and crannies, the windows were painted out and adorned with roadworks lamps with red and yellow glass. there was a fire exit and stairwell to thr right of the stage. facing the dance floor was the dj booth which had saloon-swing doors to the side for entry and a serving hatch at the front through which you could make requests. the corridor by which you reached the dance floor lead back to the bar area and ultimately, the dressing room/toilets and entrance where you provided your membership and payed in, no kiosk just a table manned by the manager and doorstaff as i remember.

so....the pictures are a puzzle...theyre obviously from way back and i dont doubt their 70's authenticity and, im sure the girl, centre, on the 3rd pic is helen who married pep, one of the djs at the cats....but stalagmites?......im sorry that just dosnt fit......I ONLY WISH NEIL RUSHTON IS VIEWING THESE BECAUSE HIS MATE GRAHAM HAWKINS HAD SOME COLOUR PICS AND HE TOOK THEM WITH THE BACKROUND OF A WHITEWASHED WALL WHICH, WOULD BE IN THE VACINITY OF THE DJ BOOTH.

so, tell me ive lost my marbles after infamously banging my head on THAT BEAM because im disorientated with thes pics.

incidentally, ive heard that a plaque to commemorate the site of the catacombs is being erected at some point soon, that will be very poignant indeed for all soulies who frequented a venue known as "one of the legendary four".

rob.h

Photo's definitely not the Catacombs, as I have in my posession a photo taken from the stage looking across the dance floor to the DJ booth, plus Graham Hawkins' collection of photo's taken in the corridors at the Cats. Have been working on a full time project on The West Midlands soul scene for quite some time now and a full volume of the history of the Catacombs, which are near completion.

Keep up the work on your Wigan project, as your dreams can be fulfilled. If you need any assistance or guidance as to putting things into a context, I'd only be too pleased to help.

Steve Powell

[Guest gordon russell]

Looks like a bloody cave. What was the dancefloor like stalagmites??.Ive a great picture of a soulie asleep and everyone has piled up beer cans on top of him. Give me a few mins.

thats the britt at nottingham l think

[Eddie Hubbard]

This says it all really , taken on our 2nd visit in 1975 ....

[Agentsmith]

This says it all really , taken on our 2nd visit in 1975 ....

iconic id say ed.....now tell me,...has someone dismantled this as well and hid it in their back garden?!

rob.h

[burt weedon]

i went to the catacombs in 73, prior to wigan and surprise, surprise there is even less photographic evidence of a legendary venue but wigan was a massive stage for everything, with huge crowds year in, year out ....just thinking out loud, imagination or not, there has to be a possibility that someone was privilaged to have a cine-camera. on the other hand as years passed cameras became more accessible and better quality so by 1979-81 there should be some great pictures. like i say this was a global phenomenon as we all know....so who knows if someone in france, usa, australia, japan, thailand etc, who came as a tourist or a brit who emigrated, might have something in their posession that nobody has ever seen. you have to consider all possibilities. as i suggested this should be a broad concensus, ive posted this as a way of jogging peoples memories like no other...... I CAN SEE PEOPLE ARE VIEWING IT SO ARE YOU INTERESTED OR NOT....I SAY THIS BECAUSE THERE APPEARS TO BE A LOT OF INQUISITVE POSTS ABOUT WIGAN....IT IS A MAGNETIC FASCINATION....DONT YOU THINK, UK AND THE REST OF THE WORLD, WE SHOULD TIE ALL OF THESE STRANDS TOGETHER BEFORE WERE ALL IN OUR COFFINS AND LEAVE A LEGACY FOR OTHER GENERATIONS TO UNDERSTAND?

ROB.H

ROB.UR BANG ON IT IS VERY RARE UALL SEE A PHOTO OV ME..YET MY YUNGER SIS IS ALL OVA THE BLOODY PLACE..AND I DIDN,T NOW ER TILL A FEW MONTHS BAK..HA. WUD LUV 2 C THIS DUN MATE..ANY HELP..I CAN ASURE U THIS....I CAN HELP..X

[burt weedon]

Photo's definitely not the Catacombs, as I have in my posession a photo taken from the stage looking across the dance floor to the DJ booth, plus Graham Hawkins' collection of photo's taken in the corridors at the Cats. Have been working on a full time project on The West Midlands soul scene for quite some time now and a full volume of the history of the Catacombs, which are near completion.

Keep up the work on your Wigan project, as your dreams can be fulfilled. If you need any assistance or guidance as to putting things into a context, I'd only be too pleased to help.

Steve P

N I BET YA DOLLAR I AY ON ANY OV THEESE....WEST MIDS.....WUD LIKE TO AV A LUK AT THAT...OWD TERTA....

[burt weedon]

Id assumed it was the Catacoombs because....it looks like a Catacoomb.Far too young myself.Can you identify this poor unfortunate soulie or the venue

THATS PEP..EES LOST A TANNER...HA..IM IN THE BAK GROUND...

[Ady Croasdell]

As the Cats was such a good and influential club, can anyone explain why the Saints & Sinners club at the back of an all night pro's cafe in Brum city centre was frequented by overwhelmingly Northants/Harboro kids? Apart from Slip from Brum I can't remember any other West Mids accents!

[Dave Fleming]

These three look like heavy dudes with their leather jackets and RCA white labels. Wonder what the record was?

Looks like a copy of the "Bobbettes" with £8 on the sleeve

Dave f.........

[Wiggyflat]

THATS PEP..EES LOST A TANNER...HA..IM IN THE BAK GROUND...

Whats the story then. Wheres the piccie taken.I'm assuming it the Notts area. Theres a few wrecked faces in there.Do you know the leather jacketed heavy blokes with a copy of The Bobettes..worth £8. That must have been a fortune then.Anybody know a northern deejay Hector.He works in my local record and tape exchange and is selling a few of his records..