Northern Soul - Selling The Faith

[Guest]

I do love that toilet roll Jess! tat that you wipe your bum with, what could be a better flagrant waste of money, actually I need a new Mouse Mat, no not to wipe me arse with...

 

Here's a mouse mat for you MalC:  https://www.zazzle.co.uk/let_the_good_times_roll_mouse_mat-144089796475247204

 

Can you tell I am not doing any work this morning?!

[Chris L]

Northern Soul Toothpaste  -  with extra whitener that'll make your gnashers glow in the dark..............

[dedji1955]

These kind of Market Traders even popped up down the revival (Whitworth St) Wheel before it closed.

 

I guess it is what we have to expect from some "promoters" these days......

Ive got to say although i was a regular at The Wheel before it left Whitworth Street and I only ever saw 2 traders there, one was selling excellent soul/mod artwork and the other was selling badges. I also think Pete Roberts is a very good promoter and is one of the few to have the balls to ban a person who has been ripping off numerous folks on the Soul Scene

[oldoddmod]

I attended a Northern Soul night at the weekend, musically it was acceptable, but In an adjacent room, I was somewhat dismayed to find what can only be described as a small 'indoor market' selling a plethora of Northern Soul related items:

Various items of clothing, drinks coasters, mouse mats, bootlegs DVDs, bootleg vinyl, bootleg CDs of Kent LPs, more bootleg CDs, cloth patches, coffee mugs, gaudy looking slip mats and numerous other types of tacky 'KTF' and Wigan Casino goodies/crap.

 

Thankfully, I did notice that punters weren't exactly queuing up...

 

I guess that sometime soon, somebody will have the brass neck to openly sell illegal copies of Elaine Constantine's film. but we owe it to her and ourselves to resist buying them.

 

I know that what I found was not the norm, that most soul nights are not like what I have just described above and most promotors/venues would not knowingly accept the selling of such trash. 

 

I haven't dared look, but I would imagine that eBay is awash with the stuff anyway.

 

Maybe I'm just getting grumpy in my old age.

Everything I produce or have produced is made in Manchester and or the surrounding towns it is all my own work it is how( i try and ) earn my living It is my only job I work all week on commission work that I get at venues and new prints. I am not an art snob and believe that the work, I produce in the ART OF AN ERA range is priced to reflect that. Every weekend I am found in  soul clubs at a scooter rally or VW camper/classic car rallies or a combination of them and I travel the UK to display my art prints One of which I in fact sold to Elaine Constantine  at the wheel!   For those of you that after reading this post and its treads I now fear for my livelihood  my web site is          www.creative-g.co.uk          where you may purchase in the privacy of your own home and it will be delivered in a plain wrapper so your soul elite friends don't have to know .

[Kjw]

Northern Soul Toothpaste  -  with extra whitener that'll make your gnashers glow in the dark..............

 

That won't take off - most people on the scene haven't got any teeth left

[Guest]

https://buzztoothpaste.blogspot.co.uk/

[Chris L]

https://buzztoothpaste.blogspot.co.uk/

 

That's outrageous !! I once saw an advert for chocolate flavoured toothpaste - yuk ! (that is not that same as chocolate covered toothpaste, that already exists, they're called After Eight mints)   

Edited March 19, 2014 by Chris L

[Kegsy]

mouse mats?  

 

Even mice have the right to wipe their feet.

[Guest gordon russell]

You all take the piss out of the tat thats sold at venues........if my memory serves me  are the people who run these events...off/from/part of the soul scene........IF SO.......WHY ALLOW THEM TO BOOK A STAND!

[Soul16]

Everything I produce or have produced is made in Manchester and or the surrounding towns it is all my own work it is how( i try and ) earn my living It is my only job I work all week on commission work that I get at venues and new prints. I am not an art snob and believe that the work, I produce in the ART OF AN ERA range is priced to reflect that. Every weekend I am found in  soul clubs at a scooter rally or VW camper/classic car rallies or a combination of them and I travel the UK to display my art prints One of which I in fact sold to Elaine Constantine  at the wheel!   For those of you that after reading this post and its treads I now fear for my livelihood  my web site is          www.creative-g.co.uk          where you may purchase in the privacy of your own home and it will be delivered in a plain wrapper so your soul elite friends don't have to know .

 

Hi,

Please note, at no point did I mention art prints in my original post, I made reference to illegal bootlegs and other KTF tat - I have not suggested that your original art is in any way connected to what I saw, none of which was worthy of the title 'Art' and was definitely not produced in Manchester.

If you were there (which I don't think you were), I missed your artwork completely.

It is nothing to do with elitism either, not approving of the selling of bootleg CDs at £2 a pop is just my opinion. I'm sure that if your prints were photocopied, framed and sold for a couple of quid each by someone else, you would be very upset about it, or would even consider informing the police.

 

I wish you good luck with your enterprise, I, for one, have already had a look at your website  and I guess others will too.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Soul16

[Guest MrC]

Everything I produce or have produced is made in Manchester and or the surrounding towns it is all my own work it is how( i try and ) earn my living It is my only job I work all week on commission work that I get at venues and new prints. I am not an art snob and believe that the work, I produce in the ART OF AN ERA range is priced to reflect that. Every weekend I am found in  soul clubs at a scooter rally or VW camper/classic car rallies or a combination of them and I travel the UK to display my art prints One of which I in fact sold to Elaine Constantine  at the wheel!   For those of you that after reading this post and its treads I now fear for my livelihood  my web site is          www.creative-g.co.uk          where you may purchase in the privacy of your own home and it will be delivered in a plain wrapper so your soul elite friends don't have to know .

 

You might want to sort your website out, a lot of the links just lead to this.

 

The requested application was not found on this server as the application may have moved or changed.

Please link to one of the following sites to find the information or application that you are looking for:

For business purchases for Education Institution, Enterprise, Government or Business customers, please link to https://ecommerce.apple.com and login to your company or institution's store.

For consumer purchases via the Apple Online Store, please link tohttps://store.apple.com

For general information or inquiries about Apple, Inc., please link tohttps://www.apple.com

Edited March 19, 2014 by MrC

[Dave Callard]

https://buzztoothpaste.blogspot.co.uk/

Look out then at an allnighter near you for discarded toothbrushes and squeezed tubes of toothpaste. 

[Pete S]

You might want to sort your website out, a lot of the links just lead to this.

 

The requested application was not found on this server as the application may have moved or changed.

Please link to one of the following sites to find the information or application that you are looking for:

For business purchases for Education Institution, Enterprise, Government or Business customers, please link to https://ecommerce.apple.com and login to your company or institution's store.

For consumer purchases via the Apple Online Store, please link tohttps://store.apple.com

For general information or inquiries about Apple, Inc., please link tohttps://www.apple.com

 

It took me straight to his website!

[Guest MrC]

It took me straight to his website!

 

yeah it does, but click on the lower links on the website Pete. Most of the ones on the right hand side seem to work though.

[Mal C]

Here's a mouse mat for you MalC:  https://www.zazzle.co.uk/let_the_good_times_roll_mouse_mat-144089796475247204

 

Can you tell I am not doing any work this morning?!

Perfic!!

[Guest mvb031259]

These kind of Market Traders even popped up down the revival (Whitworth St) Wheel before it closed.

 

I guess it is what we have to expect from some "promoters" these days......

 

 

Dodgy traders and promoter at the Wheel, I don't think so........ Mind I do remember one character trying to sell T Shirts with record labels on them there once, but no one brought them did they. Come to think of it that was you wasn't it Soash?  Still can't resist the opportunity to take a slug at the Wheel I see, all because Pete wouldn't let you DJ there off your laptop I don't know, dear, dear.......

This was Soash's last attempt at making friends on SS when he was trying to promote his new venue, just have a read and a laugh before taking anything he says as having an ounce of credibility.....

 

[Steve S 60]

That won't take off - most people on the scene haven't got any teeth left

 

Northern Soul Steradent Tablets - the All Nighter for your dentures!

[Back Street Blue]

Everything I produce or have produced is made in Manchester and or the surrounding towns it is all my own work it is how( i try and ) earn my living It is my only job I work all week on commission work that I get at venues and new prints. I am not an art snob and believe that the work, I produce in the ART OF AN ERA range is priced to reflect that. Every weekend I am found in  soul clubs at a scooter rally or VW camper/classic car rallies or a combination of them and I travel the UK to display my art prints One of which I in fact sold to Elaine Constantine  at the wheel!   For those of you that after reading this post and its treads I now fear for my livelihood  my web site is          www.creative-g.co.uk          where you may purchase in the privacy of your own home and it will be delivered in a plain wrapper so your soul elite friends don't have to know .

 

I had problems with some of the links on your website too.

 

This isn't the first thread on here on the subject of "merchandising" aimed at the scene.

 

As the scene grew out of an ethos of kicking back against exploitation, it should be no surprise to learn that "the hard core" if not the majority, among the soul community will not be receptive to attempts to target their events as a marketing opportunity by those looking to make a fast buck.

 

Similarly, the nature of the collecting  aspect of the scene has rare, obscure and cherished "artifacts" at its heart, which means offering cheap crockery, clothing and plastic crap emblazoned with slogans, logos and soul livery as if that will appeal.......is sort of insulting, as is turning an event which had integrity into a flea market.

 

So the grumblings by most of the posters on this thread are heart felt and not made out of some sort of elitism or brinkmanship.

 

For what its worth, in the main the posters in this thread are preaching to the converted and it is highly unlikely that their comments will deter the purchase of any of the said merchandise.

 

I quite like your pictures and the fact that you've featured the old wheel......(my avatar is a picture of me next to the stage at Whitworth Street)....and I don't see your stuff as being "tat"....

 

.....but it could run the risk of being labelled as such if it was displayed in the thick of the old bazah at Prestatyn.  

Edited March 19, 2014 by back street blue

[Frankie Crocker]

Was there a stall selling barf bags? Top Tip for soulies of a nauseous disposition, always travel to Weekenders with extra-strength British Airways sick bags. As the economy picks up, will the scene reach a point when event attenders receive a Goodie Bag on arrival? Would the scene be divided on whether to fill the Goodie Bags with Oldies Tat or Modern Trash? Can I propose we set up a Northern Soul Governing Body to regulate tat sales, check the vinyl is original and ensure Goodie Bag contents are sub-Christmas Cracker standard and in the worst possible taste...

[Guest Backdrop]

It used to be so easy

Merchandise. Don't like. .. Don't buy

Music. Dont like ... Dont dance

Venue. Domt like ... Dont go again

[Steve S 60]

Just out of curiosity, has there been any sightings of the Wigan Waistcoat?

[Back Street Blue]

Just out of curiosity, has there been any sightings of the Wigan Waistcoat?

 

Only heard of one sighting...........which was in the wilds of Cumbria.........sported by a man wearing bell bottoms and plimsolls I believe.....

[Steve S 60]

Only heard of one sighting...........which was in the wilds of Cumbria.........sported by a man wearing bell bottoms and plimsolls I believe.....

 

Well, I do need somewhere to keep my fob watch.

[Guest Paul]

I'm surprised the industrious Chinese aren't already selling us cheap 'northern soul' branded gadgets and clothes on ebay.

 

I could really do with an authentic northern soul key ring, an all-night mouse mat, a Golden Torch flashlight (batteries and bulb not included), an assortment of glow-in-the-dark Twisted Wheel pens (ink not included), a 32.0 GB Wigan Casino memory stick (memory not included), a pair of Blackpool Mecca sports socks with a Nike logo and adidas-style stripes and a range of original soul boy clothes for the summer season ...one size fits all, unless you happen to be almost medium or bigger of course.

I reckon that lot would cost  about $8.99 with free shipping and that's a very small price to pay to be the envy of all your friends.

 

Edited March 19, 2014 by Paul

[Twoshoes]

I'll put my head over the barricades and hold my hand up to buying some tat, not much but I have always liked a good pin badge,the two coasters I bought were to my mind quite tasteful and a single mug. My reasons for these purchases follow, the pin badges to go on my rucksack's , I have three with maybe three badges on each and that's enough, why? Walking in my case can be a solitary pursuit and should I stop for a beer along the way they might be spotted by a fellow soulie and thus induce conversation, the mug likewise ,I use it at work and should anyone visiting my workplace be of a similar ilk again conversation my follow.The coasters, well it's my house and if I am going to have coasters on my coffee table the Martha Reeves and Timi Yuro  to my mind look better than a couple of others used previously.

            As I have said on somewhere else on here the Bazzar would have been better placed elsewhere , it was the first thing we saw as we entered from the camp side of the building and for me did not create a good first impression, plus I guess it took up a lot of what was to me much needed seating room in the main room, we ended up standing every time we went in there,and yes there was an awful lot of stuff that I would not buy my worst enemy . It didn't however cause me as much head shaking as the profusion of pork pie, flat and trilby hats on show, we all have things that bug us about the scene , one question I would ask is were the stallholders from the scene and trying to make a living out of their passion or were they just joe soap from wherever trying to make a fast buck and does it make any difference which?

[Frankie Crocker]

 

 

I could really do with an authentic northern soul key ring, an all-night mouse mat, a Golden Torch flashlight (batteries and bulb not included), an assortment of glow-in-the-dark Twisted Wheel pens (ink not included), a 32.0 GB Wigan Casino memory stick (memory not included), a pair of Blackpool Mecca sports socks with a Nike logo and adidas-style stripes and a range of original soul boy clothes for the summer season ...one size fits all, unless you happen to be almost medium or bigger of course.

 

Paul - you have sorted out my Christmas Wants List, thanks. I can't be bothered with records these days but would travel the length and breadth of the country to add to my badge collection...

[Soul16]

I'll put my head over the barricades and hold my hand up to buying some tat, not much but I have always liked a good pin badge,the two coasters I bought were to my mind quite tasteful and a single mug. My reasons for these purchases follow, the pin badges to go on my rucksack's , I have three with maybe three badges on each and that's enough, why? Walking in my case can be a solitary pursuit and should I stop for a beer along the way they might be spotted by a fellow soulie and thus induce conversation, the mug likewise ,I use it at work and should anyone visiting my workplace be of a similar ilk again conversation my follow.The coasters, well it's my house and if I am going to have coasters on my coffee table the Martha Reeves and Timi Yuro  to my mind look better than a couple of others used previously.

            As I have said on somewhere else on here the Bazzar would have been better placed elsewhere , it was the first thing we saw as we entered from the camp side of the building and for me did not create a good first impression, plus I guess it took up a lot of what was to me much needed seating room in the main room, we ended up standing every time we went in there,and yes there was an awful lot of stuff that I would not buy my worst enemy . It didn't however cause me as much head shaking as the profusion of pork pie, flat and trilby hats on show, we all have things that bug us about the scene , one question I would ask is were the stallholders from the scene and trying to make a living out of their passion or were they just joe soap from wherever trying to make a fast buck and does it make any difference which?

 Attempting to sell hundreds of illegal copies of Ace/Kent CDs, for example, hardly constitutes a passion in my opinion.

[Steve S 60]

The coasters, well it's my house and if I am going to have coasters on my coffee table the Martha Reeves and Timi Yuro  to my mind look better than a couple of others used previously.

 

It'll Never Be Ovaltine For Me.

[Modernsoulsucks]

Looking around the scene I wonder what prompted the idea to mass produce mugs ?

 

ROD

[Twoshoes]

Attempting to sell hundreds of illegal copies of Ace/Kent CDs, for example, hardly constitutes a passion in my opinion.

Nor mine, my post was aimed at the tat side of things some of which I bought,obviously selling illegal CD' s is totally out of order and should and could have been stopped by the promoters,

[Benji]

Looking around the scene I wonder what prompted the idea to mass produce mugs ?

 

ROD

 

Main target group being in a country that consumes lots and lots of tea maybe?

[Guest Krissii]

The 'Faith' was sold years ago - the 'Northern Soul' scene has been sold out & being wrung out for its last few bob & has been for well over a decade & more & it actually started back in the day.

Any self respecting real fan is long gone & takes this pastiche, masquerading as NS with a huge pinch of salt....

Do we care ?....nah, the real scene is still out there for those that want it, let the fakers, tourists & those that have raped n piledged it for everything its got crack on....when its on its knees financially with everything sucked out of it, they'll be gone again....

We will still be here tho, diggin, collecting, dancing & listening to fresh, exciting, soulful, dance music in clubs that take a little effort to find, with punters, DJ's n promoters who have some self respect & a love for SOUL MUSIC in its many forms...

Russ

I understand what you are trying to say and that you obviously care but in a way the scene is not just about "punters, DJs and promoters" .

You see, there are a lot of people out there , mainly in the northern mill towns, who have grown up with this music. They have heard it played in those towns everywhere they go , all their lives . School , home, work, shops, pubs, clubs, weddings, youth clubs. They , in their own way, LOVE this music as much as you do. They might not support rarer clubs and they might only get up and dance at a "local do" or at a wedding or in the pub but that does not mean their opinion matters less. If people want to buy cups and mouse mats and teapots , that's their business and don't think its fair to get all elitist about it, as if this is some kind of underground thing. It isn't , and in a lot of areas in this country it never was. You could argue that is these people, at the bread and butter oldies venues, who have kept this dance scene alive

Edited March 19, 2014 by Krissii

[Guest Krissii]

...my boss (a great lass) is a little bit older than me . She LOVES soul music . Her brothers, her cousins , the area, she knows it is part of her heritage and history of the area . She has heard it ALL her life. We say things at work like "Do you remember this one 'I'm just a quick change artist ' " and we do a fun dance . She wants to go to venues and have a dance and meet old friends . She might buy a mug with a photo of Wigan on it that reminds her of when her brother took her to Wigan . So f**king what !!! Who the f**k is anyone to judge her for that. I go to rarer venues but I'm damned if I will ever look down on people who don't and you know what ? Some of those oldies "dos " are actually a lot of fun

[Guest MBarrett]

This topic is begging for a poll.

 

When the discussions start to tail off could maybe set one up.

 

I'm picturing a real simple poll - 2 choices:

 

1. No merchandise - keep the scene pure versus

 

2. Give the punters what they want

 

That could be fun

[Russ Vickers]

I understand what you are trying to say and that you obviously care but in a way the scene is not just about "punters, DJs and promoters" .

You see, there are a lot of people out there , mainly in the northern mill towns, who have grown up with this music. They have heard it played in those towns everywhere they go , all their lives . School , home, work, shops, pubs, clubs, weddings, youth clubs. They , in their own way, LOVE this music as much as you do. They might not support rarer clubs and they might only get up and dance at a "local do" or at a wedding or in the pub but that does not mean their opinion matters less. If people want to buy cups and mouse mats and teapots , that's their business and don't think its fair to get all elitist about it, as if this is some kind of underground thing. It isn't , and in a lot of areas in this country it never was. You could argue that is these people, at the bread and butter oldies venues, who have kept this dance scene alive

 

Hi Krissii

 

Your probably right & I'm really pleased that for once somebody has posted the opposing opinions, thank you for that.

 

What I would say tho is this, the 'Northern Soul' that you refer to in your post, is generally the NS of a bygone time, a small time capsual that folk hold dear & enjoy listening to the popular records of that time & sometimes dressing in that same manner.  

 

The Northern Soul Scene that I was & still am a part of, is as far away from that as you could possibly get, the Northern/Rare Soul scene that I hold dear to my heart, is still underground (ish), still elitist, still based on discovering, dancing & collecting new exciting danceable soul music, mixed with interesting oldies, rareities & forgotten gems, we still feel the excitment of travelling half way across the country & the world in some cases to hear passionate DJ's play incredible spine tingling soul music, where the dancers & collectors wait in anticipation for innivative DJ's to blow your head off & take the roof off the dancefloor.....its still out there, the venues are smaller, you have to dig that much more to find em, it takes a lot of effort to be part of that sometimes, but its worth it..  

 

I would also add Krissii, that it was the scene that I am part of that kept this music alive when most others were off on a sabatical, but history has been re written time & time again, by people who are self promoting & have only financial interests, the masses lap it up because they see these people as icons in some cases to be followed blindly....the truth is out though & eventually the cream will always rise to the top...

 

Best Russ   

[Twoshoes]

This topic is begging for a poll.

 

When the discussions start to tail off could maybe set one up.

 

I'm picturing a real simple poll - 2 choices:

 

1. No merchandise - keep the scene pure versus

 

2. Give the punters what they want

 

That could be fun

Odd as this may seem as I'm as yet the only person who seems to have actually bought any tat or admitted to it if there was a poll I'd vote No to merchandise at events, not for any "keeping the scene pure" reasons as you put it but as I have said at Prestatyn it just did not look or feel right to me plus I can get all the tat I want off good old ebay without either being made to feel like I'm in some way selling out the music I have followed and loved for over forty years or I'm some kind of sad moron with no taste,

[Steve G]

Odd as this may seem as I'm as yet the only person who seems to have actually bought any tat or admitted to it if there was a poll I'd vote No to merchandise at events, not for any "keeping the scene pure" reasons as you put it but as I have said at Prestatyn it just did not look or feel right to me plus I can get all the tat I want off good old ebay without either being made to feel like I'm in some way selling out the music I have followed and loved for over forty years or I'm some kind of sad moron with no taste,

 

When I smashed a tea mug once I did buy a Darrell Banks London demo replacement    .....But last time I looked Lorrine had planted something in it and it was out in the garden....

[Dave Rimmer]

I'll put my head over the barricades and hold my hand up to buying some tat, not much but I have always liked a good pin badge,the two coasters I bought were to my mind quite tasteful and a single mug. My reasons for these purchases follow, the pin badges to go on my rucksack's , I have three with maybe three badges on each and that's enough, why? Walking in my case can be a solitary pursuit and should I stop for a beer along the way they might be spotted by a fellow soulie and thus induce conversation, the mug likewise ,I use it at work and should anyone visiting my workplace be of a similar ilk again conversation my follow.The coasters, well it's my house and if I am going to have coasters on my coffee table the Martha Reeves and Timi Yuro  to my mind look better than a couple of others used previously.

         

 

 

So you don't feel all alone, and despised by other members, I'll happily admit I bought Jessica a brand new sheepskin coat at Prestatyn. It cost me a quarter of what it would have cost me in a shop, and I'd promised her one for her Birthday, so I'll admit to buying stuff 'in the bazaar' as such.

 

However, I don't want, or need, any items of crockery, or anything else really that have a clenched fist on them. So I just don't buy them. Some people obviously do need to be able to dress their babies up in Northern Soul bibs, so I let them.

 

It's fairly obvious that if people didn't want this stuff, nobody would buy it, so nobody would sell it. Hence, there must be a demand.

[Labeat]

All i want to see at a venue is vinyl.... nowt else

[Guest MrC]

What kind of household has all their stuff with a 'fisting' logo on it anyway   

[Twoshoes]

What kind of household has all their stuff with a 'fisting' logo on it anyway   

If that's intended as another dig at me my home isn't full of fisting logo tat and never will be, I bought one mug for use at work, enough people already think I'm a sad old bastard as it is for being involved in Northern Soul in the first place without supposed kindred spirits having a pop as well, lighten up folks, I haven't committed a crime as far as I know,if I have then I plead guilty as charged.

[oldoddmod]

You might want to sort your website out, a lot of the links just lead to this.

 

The requested application was not found on this server as the application may have moved or changed.

Please link to one of the following sites to find the information or application that you are looking for:

For business purchases for Education Institution, Enterprise, Government or Business customers, please link to https://ecommerce.apple.com and login to your company or institution's store.

For consumer purchases via the Apple Online Store, please link tohttps://store.apple.com

For general information or inquiries about Apple, Inc., please link tohttps://www.apple.com

Thanks for the feedback I have repaired quite a few links yesterday that were dead or miss directing.. websites are a constant battle always updating it and things get missed once again thanks and to all the people that have sent e mail comments of support for my work 

[Soulmanau]

Anybody sell northern soul snow domes?  

[Guest Byrney]

I understand what you are trying to say and that you obviously care but in a way the scene is not just about "punters, DJs and promoters" .

You see, there are a lot of people out there , mainly in the northern mill towns, who have grown up with this music. They have heard it played in those towns everywhere they go , all their lives . School , home, work, shops, pubs, clubs, weddings, youth clubs. They , in their own way, LOVE this music as much as you do. They might not support rarer clubs and they might only get up and dance at a "local do" or at a wedding or in the pub but that does not mean their opinion matters less. If people want to buy cups and mouse mats and teapots , that's their business and don't think its fair to get all elitist about it, as if this is some kind of underground thing. It isn't , and in a lot of areas in this country it never was. You could argue that is these people, at the bread and butter oldies venues, who have kept this dance scene alive

I come from a mining town where in the mid late 70s Northern Motown was on many jukeboxes and always got a few plays at the local discos and youth clubs. We used to pack a double decker to Notts Palais in 78 by 1980 it was empty as all the 'bread a butter' soullies had dropped off, not just to have families but it just wasn't their thing anymore. These were my mates so this is my first hand experience, most as far as I know didn't give the scene a second thought it was over for them.

Cut to the last few years many of them have returned, some with the adidas bags with repro badges etc. So to say these have the same passion as those who kept at it is misguided. Even when I dropped off for 6 or so years for the house scene I was on the phone to my mates every week to hear their new discoveries.

It wasn't underground in my area post 1980 - it was cast aside, wholesale and no matter how those I know wish to recreate history that's fact.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Byrney

[Guest MBarrett]

Odd as this may seem as I'm as yet the only person who seems to have actually bought any tat or admitted to it if there was a poll I'd vote No to merchandise at events, not for any "keeping the scene pure" reasons as you put it but as I have said at Prestatyn it just did not look or feel right to me plus I can get all the tat I want off good old ebay without either being made to feel like I'm in some way selling out the music I have followed and loved for over forty years or I'm some kind of sad moron with no taste,

 

Can easily make it a 3-way poll.

 

1. No way - keep the scene pure

 

2. Cool about it but not at venues

 

3. Anything goes. If you don't like it at venues just look away.

 

I might do it in a few days. See where the balance of opinion lies. 

[Guest MrC]

If that's intended as another dig at me my home isn't full of fisting logo tat and never will be, I bought one mug for use at work, enough people already think I'm a sad old bastard as it is for being involved in Northern Soul in the first place without supposed kindred spirits having a pop as well, lighten up folks, I haven't committed a crime as far as I know,if I have then I plead guilty as charged.

Wasn't a dig in the slightest, I didn't post immediately after one of your posts, or quote one of your posts either. It was plainly and simply my (at times) slightly warped sense of humour.

[Labeat]

What kind of household has all their stuff with a 'fisting' logo on it anyway   

 

Boxing fans

[Guest MrC]

Boxing fans

 

Exactly what I was thinking of!

 

[Labeat]

I come from a mining town where in the mid late 70s Northern Motown was on many jukeboxes and always got a few plays at the local discos and youth clubs. We used to pack a double decker to Notts Palais in 78 by 1980 it was empty as all the 'bread a butter' soullies had dropped off, not just to have families but it just wasn't their thing anymore. These were my mates so this is my first hand experience, most as far as I know didn't give the scene a second thought it was over for them.

Cut to the last few years many of them have returned, some with the adidas bags with repro badges etc. So to say these have the same passion as those who kept at it is misguided. Even when I dropped off for 6 or so years for the house scene I was on the phone to my mates every week to hear their new discoveries.

It wasn't underground in my area post 1980 - it was cast aside, wholesale and no matter how those I know wish to recreate history that's fa 

 

The rare scene has gone further underground but oldies nights just seem to thrive.

The times i hear people say.... "I won't be going back there, i didn't know anything"

Soul music for me is a never ending learning curve, there must have been more

tunes cut than the population of China!

Edited March 21, 2014 by Labeat

[Steve S 60]

This topic is begging for a poll.

 

When the discussions start to tail off could maybe set one up.

 

I'm picturing a real simple poll - 2 choices:

 

1. No merchandise - keep the scene pure versus

 

2. Give the punters what they want

 

That could be fun

 

I'll get the T-shirts printed.