Where Was The First Ns Night

[Guest]

The Navy Club in Widnes,Lancs on a Sunday night.......Sometime in '73

What about you lot then?

Edited June 4, 2010 by webbydublin

[Guest]

The Navy Club in Widnes,Lancs on a Sunday night.......Sometime in '73

What about you lot then?

Bonjour Matelot .......

Malc Burton

[Guest]

For me it would be hard to remember the first "Northern" night as at the time in Gloucester(71) nearly every disco/pub night played some northern,Monday through till Sunday there was a pub or club playing music and most of the d´j´s at the time picked up on the music.Plus the fact with a specialist shop in "The Wax Machine" this was the way it would be,then after the Wigan explosion(newspapers etc) this is the way it was big time!

I actually heard my first northern at a mates house(Dobie Gray etc) and i am pretty sure (but not certain ) that my first night would have been at Gloucester Civil Service club or YMCA,or Bristol Hotel,Or Robin Hood, or Flying Machine, Or Royal William,or The Dolphin one of those definately but didn´t really "Get it" until walking through the door at the Torch now that is another story!

Steve

and not forgetting the good old midland and royal steve

[Harry Crosby]

Oval Ball YORK, on the thursday, then sold my fishing tackle at the second hand shop on the friday. Went to wigan on the saturday:thumbsup:

[Ian Parker]

Nottm Palais All-Dayer , Feb 1978,15yrs old. until then, it was the youth club and town hall discos on a friday night.

IAN

p.s. Webby, when you comin over next? We'd love to come and say hello to ya

Edited June 5, 2010 by parkash

[Tony A]

The Attic, Doncaster, can't remember a year, old grey matter not working.

[Tony A]

Let me help......There were Two World Wars either side of it...

PHIL, you're in trouble again I bet Mr Burton can put a year on it, sure he was working there.

[Mark B]

Mine would be either the Blue rooms in sale or the pendulum in manchester when it moved to MSG buliding.

mark

[Guest proudlove]

Wasn't Ian Levine the DJ at The Blue Rooms.......and wasn't it held on a weekday??

Can see a Blue Rooms thread coming up...........................my mate Hutch used to work behind the bar and spin a few choons there...............unfortunately he is in our spare room sleeping off a hangover........

Edited June 5, 2010 by proudlove

[Davetay]

Wasn't Ian Levine the DJ at The Blue Rooms.......and wasn't it held on a weekday??

Yes on both counts.

[Guest proudlove]

Yes on both counts.

Tom West was the manager of The Blue Rooms....................he brought in Levine and Andy Hanley because he wanted to start a soul night.Hutch used to do a half hour warm up spot.Andy Hanley moved away (Australia?) and replaced him with Colin Curtis.

Tom West was from Blackpool hence the Mecca connection.

Steve

Edited June 5, 2010 by proudlove

[Guest Byrney]

Notts Palias, December 1978 at the tender age of 14

[Citizen P]

Can see a Blue Rooms thread coming up...........................my mate Hutch used to work behind the bar and spin a few choons there...............unfortunately he is in our spare room sleeping off a hangover........

Great to see Mike last night looking happy

Ther was a short thread on here about the Blue Rooms I started a few months back.....

You must have missed it

Take it Easy-WARRIOR

Tony

[Paul Shirley]

1971 monaco in wigan watching geno washington age about 14 .........long before the more recent er? oldies nights they now have there,

[Agentsmith]

first proper soul night i went to was around 1972 at the long acres pub in willenhall, as did a good many from secondary school at the time! those who were older than us were already frequenting the torch and the cats but the acres was the place where these people learned to dance and we, as the next generation went along to watch and learn and eventually we made the transition to wigan and the mecca. even the djs bought tunes back from the torch or from max in wednesfield. bob relf, cooperettes, just bros, travis wammack, robert knight, billy butler, o'jays, johnny jones, shakers, guy darrell, johnny sayles, trammps, bob wilson, sam & kitty, rose batiste, timothy wilson, triumphs, rufus lumley......the list is endless, my initiation....a drug of the best kind....you cant shake it off.....its enduring.

the postscript to this is tinged with irony....i made an unexpected pass by the old building that had been closed for many years, just recently and to my astonishment it has re-opened and as we speak, will be hosting nolan porter in a matter of weeks at a gig being promoted by my old mate, steve powell. nolan was due to have met up with max and chalky and was contemplating a fishing session as chalks has posted....the longacres is a venue that as far as i can remember max never played, but im sure had he made the date, he would have been there, giving nolan a big hand.

one of the best dancers to grace the venue was a man,i, personally never met but only heard about, jerry stack. i was only told that he was one of the top dancers at the torch as well.

rob.h

[Deadwaxdetective]

For me it would be hard to remember the first "Northern" night as at the time in Gloucester(71) nearly every disco/pub night played some northern,Monday through till Sunday there was a pub or club playing music and most of the d´j´s at the time picked up on the music.Plus the fact with a specialist shop in "The Wax Machine" this was the way it would be,then after the Wigan explosion(newspapers etc) this is the way it was big time!

I actually heard my first northern at a mates house(Dobie Gray etc) and i am pretty sure (but not certain ) that my first night would have been at Gloucester Civil Service club or YMCA,or Bristol Hotel,Or Robin Hood, or Flying Machine, Or Royal William,or The Dolphin one of those definately but didn´t really "Get it" until walking through the door at the Torch now that is another story!

Steve

Hi Steve,shame it wasn't the Spiders Web on Commercial Road where as a fourteen year old 'dj' i was banging=out the latest picks off Richard Selwood when he traded from his flat in Hare Lane,plus a whole lot of British label stuff bought mail order from adverts in Record Mirror,Collectors Soul and the like.Not truly a NorthernNight. 'cause of course the genre had not yet been identified and named as such.However the Library was the place for me,saw Mike Raven there and Carl Dene was a regular.How i wish that place was still available to use as a club-Oh how i've asked!! Would be perfect for the centre of Gloucester,sits bang in the epicentre of all the night bus routes out of town for us thirsty-types!!! First Allniter for me was The Junction in Crewe.Lots of starry eyed folk who to a man had absolutely no intention of having the slightest of KIP!!! Far-out! Les Ash.

[Wilxy]

The first time I came across "The" Music, was in 1973 at the Compass club Torquay, however my first attendance in earnest was a year later at an Inter City soul club all-dayer at Tiffany's Durdham Down, in Bristol 1974

[Guest proudlove]

The Navy Club in Widnes,Lancs on a Sunday night.......Sometime in '73

What about you lot then?

The Torch...................pre nighters.

[Guest Phoenix8049]

Wigan Casino 1977

Stu.

[Guest Phoenix8049]

Night do or nighter,mate?

Nighter

[Guest]

PHIL, you're in trouble again I bet Mr Burton can put a year on it, sure he was working there.

I am unsure as to the exact year The Attic first opened Tony , it was either late 1967 or early 1968 .

Terry Sampson was the promoter , with Pete Stringfellow DJing ; PS left and was replaced with Fred Benson from Scunthorpe , complete with go - go dancers . When Fred departed , Alan Taylor took his place as the main DJ .

Alan was the DJ until its' closure in 1970 : I did an Attic 25th Anniversary reunion night with Alan in 1995 , and as you know there was a 40th reunion held recently .

The Attic was a great venue , with great music and many notable soul acts playing there , and holds a lots of memories for people such as you and me . The only drawback was the stairs up to the third floor

Malc Burton

Edited June 6, 2010 by Malc Burton

[Guest proudlove]

Sometimes l get astounded on here...

So you went to The Torch when it wasn't an All-Nighter then,Steve...?

Yup................the first night I went was I think(memories bolloxed) a Friday night.Chris Burton taking the money................looked at me and Mike Nuttall............"Youv'e not been here before lads have you?"........."err........no.........why?".................."If you see the lights flash,DON'T go near the doors..."....................ok

About an hour after,the lights flashed,the whole club (it seemed ) ran outside...............................there was the mother and father of pitched battles going on Hose St was like the Wild West...................needless to say,2 sixteen year old lads slunk back in very quickly.

Steve.

[Guest JIM BARRY]

FIRST NORTHERN NITE FOR ME , THE PENDULUM 73, TAKEN BY GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME.

[scunnyjack]

I am unsure as to the exact year The Attic first opened Tony , it was either late 1967 or early 1968 .

Terry Sampson was the promoter , with Pete Stringfellow DJing ; PS left and was replaced with Fred Benson from Scunthorpe , complete with go - go dancers . When Fred departed , Alan Taylor took his place as the main DJ .

Alan was the DJ until its' closure in 1970 : I did an Attic 25th Anniversary reunion night with Alan in 1995 , and as you know there was a 40th reunion held recently .

The Attic was a great venue , with great music and many notable soul acts playing there , and holds a lots of memories for people such as you and me . The only drawback was the stairs up to the third floor

Malc Burton

Evening Malc,

My first proper Soul night was Riddings Youth Club in Scunthorpe 1968 where Fred was the regular DJ. A number of people there also went to the Attic, Night Owl, Mojo and Wheel.

I can recall going to the Attic when the Drifters (or Invitation's under the Drifter's name ?) were performing and again when Junior Walker was on.

One think I will never forget is getting to the top floor for the Attic and seeing so many Skinheads for the first time, Scunny only had a handful and our village Winterton just the one Ridding's was where I first got to know Terry well.

I was at a do in Grimsby a couple of weeks ago and talking to Kenny Floyd who knew Fred well and used to go with him to the Wheel.

With your depth of knowledge and incredible memory, can you recall who Fred's Go Go Dancer's were ?

When the term Northern Soul came to the fore, the local place to be for me was the Friendship at Keady where Rick Scott was spinning the current sounds of the time.

Steve

[Guest roggert]

Evening Malc,

My first proper Soul night was Riddings Youth Club in Scunthorpe 1968 where Fred was the regular DJ. A number of people there also went to the Attic, Night Owl, Mojo and Wheel.

I can recall going to the Attic when the Drifters (or Invitation's under the Drifter's name ?) were performing and again when Junior Walker was on.

One think I will never forget is getting to the top floor for the Attic and seeing so many Skinheads for the first time, Scunny only had a handful and our village Winterton just the one Ridding's was where I first got to know Terry well.

I was at a do in Grimsby a couple of weeks ago and talking to Kenny Floyd who knew Fred well and used to go with him to the Wheel.

With your depth of knowledge and incredible memory, can you recall who Fred's Go Go Dancer's were ?

When the term Northern Soul came to the fore, the local place to be for me was the Friendship at Keady where Rick Scott was spinning the current sounds of the time.

Steve

hi up used to know few lads from mojo from scunny 1965 -67 lot of em were italian descent for some reason .Caddy was a name i remember !!! the attic was opened about six months after the beautiful mojo,as it was known ,when flower power became the hip scene and all dayers were on the go for a while as the sheffield city council under pressure from the Sheffield drug squad to KEEP IT OPEN ALLNIGHT ON SATURDAYS(that way they could catch drugtakers easily) the city fathers didnt want the publicity of drug busts so stopped the allnight licence!!!!!as the wheel niters were a trip over the pennines the attic was a magnet for the south yorks lads i spent december 26th 1967 fookin freezin at below zero temperatures on the streets of donny for several hours waiting for the opening, the doorman (MAYGod bless him) let us in to the danum hotel to have a warm as we had caught the only bus there about 2 in the afternoon the niter started about 10 or eleven so seemed years away when loosing feeling in feet and fingers.the niter was really good and next day at least we got home a damn sight easier than getting there !!! NEEDLESS TO SAY I NEVER WENT TO AN XMAS NITER AGAIN!!!!!as frostbite was a real problem!

[Dave Morris]

The first time I came across "The" Music, was in 1973 at the Compass club Torquay, however my first attendance in earnest was a year later at an Inter City soul club all-dayer at Tiffany's Durdham Down, in Bristol 1974

The Compass Club,Torquay.Now there's a venue from the past.Went on holiday a couple of times in the 70's and always went in there.

My first real night was Blackpool Mecca in the early 70's when IL & Curtis were behind the decks.Used to do the youth club thing in Blackburn and moved on from there.

[Ian Parker]

My first Soul night was in London in the 80's

Because im only a youngster

Debbie x

[Julie Moore]

My first proper NS nite maybe the Clarion Club in Burnley was expecting my first child 1978

But if im wrong im sure someone will correct me

[Guest]

Seem to remember The Compass Club was advertised in The B&S magazine.about 74ish.....

On your first NS night at The Navy Club , what did you wear Phil ? did you dress to impress ?

Malc Burton

Edited June 9, 2010 by Malc Burton

[Guest]

l'd like to forget the whole sorry episode.....Thank you very much!

Come on now Phil - do not be shy .................... tell your Uncle Malc

Malc Burton

[Guest proudlove]

Come on now Phil - do not be shy .................... tell your Uncle Malc

Malc Burton

Phil never talks about his first time and a sailors hornpipe.........................

[Guest]

Phil never talks about his first time and a sailors hornpipe.........................

......... or things that happened below deck

Malc Burton

[Guest proudlove]

Just let it drop will you,l'm trying to get my life back together now!

OK Phil................the pain goes but the memories...........the flash backs................the horror...............

[scunnyjack]

The Compass Club,Torquay.Now there's a venue from the past.Went on holiday a couple of times in the 70's and always went in there.

My first real night was Blackpool Mecca in the early 70's when IL & Curtis were behind the decks.Used to do the youth club thing in Blackburn and moved on from there.

Went to Babbacombe in 1973 and Paignton 1974. Used to go to Compass Club (Top floor) and also Tiffany's where a lot of Northern stuff was played.

We got pally with a group of lads from Keighley Soul Club who were also on holiday

Steve

[Guest]

Just let it drop will you,l'm trying to get my life back together now!

Do you keep in touch with the other boys in the photograph behind you Phil , that was taken on that first night at The Navy Club ?

Malc

[Mark B]

Can see a Blue Rooms thread coming up...........................my mate Hutch used to work behind the bar and spin a few choons there...............unfortunately he is in our spare room sleeping off a hangover........

Hi i know Hutchy well, yes it was on a thursday night and originally it was Ian and Colin Dj'ing. is hutchy doing well not seenhim for about 2 years.

mark

[Winsford Soul]

The Navy Club in Widnes,Lancs on a Sunday night.......Sometime in '73

What about you lot then?

Think it was a columbia hall in Widnes for me round about the same time mate i know i was still at school

Steve

[Winsford Soul]

And by the way Steve Smith..Winsford Soul also went there....All done by The Stateside Soul Club

I,m keeping out of this one

Steve