When You Stopped Going To Wigan . . .

[Guest MBarrett]

. . . . what on earth did you replace it with??!!

 

I am thinking people who went regularly for several years and then just stopped.

 

After living that life style for years did it feel like going cold-turkey? Or were you gradually falling out of love with the scene before you stopped so it wasn't such a big deal.

 

Did you move on to other niters or other soul clubs with more normal hours?

 

I know on another thread people said they got married so presumably then the whole dynamic of their lives changed.

 

Maybe you found a whole new music scene like Funk or Punk or New Wave or Disco or whatever.  I bet there were some.

 

I suppose everybody's story is different - would love to hear a few.

Edited March 18, 2014 by MBarrett

[maslar]

. . . . what on earth did you replace it with??!!

 

I am thinking people who went regularly for several years and then just stopped.

 

After living that life style for years did it feel like going cold-turkey? Or were you gradually falling out of love with the scene before you stopped so it wasn't such a big deal.

 

Did you move on to other niters or other soul clubs with more normal hours?

 

I know on another thread people said they got married so presumably then the whole dynamic of their lives changed.

 

I suppose everybody's story is different - would love to hear a few.

 

 

I went for about the last 18 months fairlry regularly. My last night was the first official last Nighter in September when Tommy Hunt was on. It also left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest. I went up without aticket. For whatever reason I hadn't thought I'd be able to go. The nwith less than a week to go I found I could so I phoned them up and asked what was the best thing to do. I was told I'd get in without a ticket since hardly anyone without one would turn up. I went up with a load of lads from Uttoxter some had tickets and a few didn't..

 

To cut a long story short some people without tickets managed to get in, including a few of my mates but  i was one of those who got stopped when the bouncers realised they could be in for a nice golden handshake. There must have been about thirty of us who were kept outside for what seemed like an eternity.

 

When we asked why we were told the place was packed and it was health and safety. Yes H&S at Wigan. You couldn't make it up. I can still remember Harry Green coming to the door every so often every with a sick smile on his face as if to say are you idiots still here or maybe haven't you tried to bribe your way in yet.

 

The whole thing was just so petty. It really bought home to me the real attitude of the people who ran that place toward the customers:- "Oh by the  way did we tell you we think you're a mug".

 

We did get in eventually. They had two more I think after that and some of my mates went to both but there was no way I was going after that.

So to answer your question - when it closed for good after the shambles of the shutdown I wasn't that bothered. 

Edited March 18, 2014 by maslar

[Guest MBarrett]

I went for about the last 18 months fairlry regularly. My last night was the first official last Nighter in September when Tommy Hunt was on. It also left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest. I went up without aticket. For whatever reason I hadn't thought I'd be able to go. The nwith less than a week to go I found I could so I phoned them up and asked what was the best thing to do. I was told I'd get in without a ticket since hardly anyone without one would turn up. I went up with a load of lads from Uttoxter some had tickets and a few didn't..

 

To cut a long story short some people without tickets managed to get in, including a few of my mates but  i was one of those who got stopped when the bouncers realised they could be in for a nice golden handshake. There must have been about thirty of us who were kept outside for what seemed like an eternity.

 

When we asked why we were told the place was packed and it was health and safety. Yes H&S at Wigan. You couldn't make it up. I can still remember Harry Green coming to the door every so often every with a sick smile on his face as if to say are you idiots still here or maybe haven't you tried to bribe your way in yet.

 

The whole thing was just so petty. It really bought home to me the real attitude of the people who ran that place toward the customers:- "Oh by the  way did we tell you we think you're a mug".

 

We did get in eventually. They had two more I think after that and some of my mates went to both but there was no way I was going after that.

 

Thanks

 

In some ways I guess it's easier if you leave something on a "down" - as then you don't carry loads of regret with you.

 

You don't forget the good times but it's just easier to move on.

 

Having said that - 18 months is a pretty long time - what did you move on to? Sorry to be nosey

Edited March 18, 2014 by MBarrett

[Peter99]

Only went a few times before it shut - Sir Dickie was in his absolute pomp. Awesome sets.

 

Moved onto to Clifton Hall and Cleethorpes run by Crofty. Hit the spot for me - bang on.

 

Peter

 

[Guest MBarrett]

Only went a few times before it shut - Sir Dickie was in his absolute pomp. Awesome sets.

 

Moved onto to Clifton Hall and Cleethorpes run by Crofty. Hit the spot for me - bang on.

 

Peter

 

 

I'm going to sound a bit thick here Peter. But you hear about all the people from Scotland, Midlands, South who travelled to Wigan. Were there as many coaches, long-distance travellers etc. going to the likes of Clifton Hall and Cleethorpes?  I know almost nothing about those venues.

[TOAD]

Went to a empty 100 club didn't go back there for about 9 years

[Peter99]

I'm going to sound a bit thick here Peter. But you hear about all the people from Scotland, Midlands, South who travelled to Wigan. Were there as many coaches, long-distance travellers etc. going to the likes of Clifton Hall and Cleethorpes?  I know almost nothing about those venues.

People certainly travelled distances and in numbers - whether they matched the Wigan numbers is up for debate. I think Clifton Hall regularly had over 800 in and I think Cleethorpes was equal to that. I'm sure some people will have a different recollection.

 

I can never remember whether your M is for Mark or Mike or neither!

 

Peter

 

[Guest MBarrett]

 

I can never remember whether your M is for Mark or Mike or neither!

 

 

I'm Mark.

 

I had the same problem as you with Peter99. i.e. when I registered every permutation with Mark in was taken. In the end found just the M worked and now sort of stuck with it.

 

Somebody on here once accused me of sounding like a firm of solicitors or something. Just because of the name I was forced into using. I think he must have been having a bad day at the office.

 

One day I'll set Mark up as a signature and that will solve the problem.

[Winsford Soul]

I'm Mark.

 

I had the same problem as you with Peter99. i.e. when I registered every permutation with Mark in was taken. In the end found just the M worked and now sort of stuck with it.

 

Somebody on here once accused me of sounding like a firm of solicitors or something. Just because of the name I was forced into using. I think he must have been having a bad day at the office.

 

One day I'll set Mark up as a signature and that will solve the problem.

Mark ,your lucky. my name is Steve Smith and theres loads on here  back on topic.

when the casino shut it wasn't the end of the world nighter wise it was the beginning of a new adventure that's still going today in my life and world anyway.

 

Steve

[Godzilla]

 

 

... had the same problem as you with Peter99. i.e. when I registered every permutation with Mark in was taken. In the end found just the M worked and now sort of stuck with it.

 

 

 

Mark ,your lucky. my name is Steve Smith and theres loads on here...

 

Can't say I've ever had that problem...

[Mark B]

Had stopped going regularly before the end went mainly to soul nights or all dayers and all but stopped in 1980/81. All nighter wise I grew to prefer cleethorpes to Wigan.

[The Phantom Janitor]

We went to the Clifton Hall in Rotheram, from South Manchester it was the best allnighter for me with a great mix of 60s and modern played, happy days.

[maslar]

Thanks

 

In some ways I guess it's easier if you leave something on a "down" - as then you don't carry loads of regret with you.

 

You don't forget the good times but it's just easier to move on.

 

Having said that - 18 months is a pretty long time - what did you move on to? Sorry to be nosey

 

After Wigan a few of the guys went to Clifton Hall but I never made it. I had the usual distractions at that time. Looking back I wish I had  at least gone a few times. I went to Stafford and Notts Palais  but not on an regular basis. Mainly I went to soul nights  northern and more contemporary. One of the most unusual soul nights around later was one that happened at Ashbourne with Guy H and Dave E and Guy was playing a lot of his top Stafford stuff. on a Thursday night for just a couple of quid entry. It started off brilliant and then after a while  just nose-dived and turned into oldies only.  That would be mid 80s.

[grant]

Got into punk in 79, then returned back to Wigan late 1980

[Peter99]

grant, on 18 Mar 2014 - 7:21 PM, said:

Got into punk in 79, then returned back to Wigan late 1980

The punk fetish was short lived Grant!

 

 

Peter

[Steve G]

6Ts. Henri's Bar Covent Garden, The Railway West Hampstead, 100 Club, Last Chance Saloon etc.

[Back Street Blue]

last night I went to was the oldies 5th anniversary in February '81

 

we also used to go to the Mecca and Ritz and some of my mates moved into funk/ jazz-funk so we started going to clubs like Smarties in Manchester and later mid-eighties to the Hacienda

 

some of us got into the house /garage scene in the nineties........basically similar lifestyle really

 

always kept my interest in soul though and carried on going to events just not exclusively any more

Edited March 18, 2014 by back street blue

[grant]

The punk fetish was short lived Grant!

 

 

Peter

lol sure was Peter, however I did get back into it again early 80's for a year or so, still love some of it now. But once Northern is in your blood theres no getting away from it

[Wicked]

Didn't go to Wigan at all in the last year, most of the crowd I went with had moved on, joined the army or moved in with girlfriends, I was made redundant for the first time and I felt the crowd at the allnighters was changing. I went to stafford a couple of times, Parr Hall and a few other places up until the late 80's. I can remember nights when the punters where outnumbered by the bouncers and the bar staff. By '88/'89 I thought it was all over and decided to flog my records. I have been to the odd soul night/'nighter since then but can't really be bothered any more. I still love the music though especially some thing new.

[Guest Cluggy]

Stop going on the last night don't remember anything about it to be honest ,no shortage of places to go notts palais,Stafford Clifton halls ,cleethorpes.anywere  where Northern/modern soul  was we tried to be there and still are 

[Iancsloft]

Was going to Soul nites / Niters regulary way before Wigan Cas when it shut just carried on going from club to club niter to niter never been off the soul scene and I never will love the music love the people 45 years of it and enjoyed every minute..

[Guest Mart B]

From my prospective wasn't a problem local soul night's gave me my fix.

[Godzilla]

When the Casino closed I immediately started selling Northern Soul, mugs, coasters, patches, stickers, holdalls and my best selling line -  those nifty 'Keep The Faith' fisting T-shirts.

As you can see business is booming. There's even a thread about all my quality goods somewhere on here.

Right on. KTF.

[Guest MBarrett]

When the Casino closed I immediately started selling Northern Soul, mugs, coasters, patches, stickers, holdalls and my best selling line -  those nifty 'Keep The Faith' fisting T-shirts.

As you can see business is booming. There's even a thread about all my quality goods somewhere on here.

Right on. KTF.

 

My favourite post of the day. Brilliant. Thankfully I don't go for the tacky memorabilia. Very early days of the internet I did fancy a mug with the US Motown logo direct from Detroit. Placed an order but they never took my money or sent the mug.

[Guest gordon russell]

6Ts. Henri's Bar Covent Garden, The Railway West Hampstead, 100 Club, Last Chance Saloon etc.

the railway west hampstead.........now for london that rocked

6Ts. Henri's Bar Covent Garden, The Railway West Hampstead, 100 Club, Last Chance Saloon etc.

[Codfromderby]

After Wigan a few of the guys went to Clifton Hall but I never made it. I had the usual distractions at that time. Looking back I wish I had  at least gone a few times. I went to Stafford and Notts Palais  but not on an regular basis. Mainly I went to soul nights  northern and more contemporary. One of the most unusual soul nights around later was one that happened at Ashbourne with Guy H and Dave E and Guy was playing a lot of his top Stafford stuff. on a Thursday night for just a couple of quid entry. It started off brilliant and then after a while  just nose-dived and turned into oldies only.  That would be mid 80s.

there was another one guy did at the meadows pub in derby, all the big sounds of the time in a off the track market traders pub, to quote wolfman "strange", good nights though

[Markhopes]

Only went a few times before it shut - Sir Dickie was in his absolute pomp. Awesome sets.

 

Moved onto to Clifton Hall and Cleethorpes run by Crofty. Hit the spot for me - bang on.

 

Peter

 

Great call, Wigan sadly missed but had some great nights at Clifton Hall, cleethorpes, Hinckley Leisure centre, Fleet and Leicester Oddfellows! Mark

[The Tempest]

The ironic thing is, I benefited from Wigan's closure !

Having got into the scene as my mates big brother and all his mates were getting out after the Casino closed with endless tales of woe like " Thats it scenes fu***d! , marriage and kids for me , blah, blah, blah !!!

They had this terrible sense of impending doom, which was quite scary for a teenage kid discovering this type of sound as they had been around since the back end of the " Wheel " / "Torch " and knew their stuff.

I since know nowadays they had just been hanging on to "their " youth at that time and like everyone else had found it hard to move on due to pressures of job / relationships, etc....

Anyway , got some cracking original 45''s out of them at the time for peanuts which when I came to sell my 7's collection later on in life paid for a brand new family estate car, God bless Em!!!!

Dragged a couple to Notts Oddfellows in the mid 80's as they were working as builders in the area, but by then, it was an oldies mentality for them and anything "new" especialy the "modern " stuff was purely seen as disco b*llocks!!!!

Oh how times change....................

Edited February 7, 2015 by pikeys dog
swearing - workplace filters

[Labeat]

the railway west hampstead.........now for london that rocked

 

Sorry, Southern venues don't count

[Guest gordon russell]

Sorry, Southern venues don't count

sorry guv ....only went 74 times honest

[Lucky One]

I stopped going to the Saturday nights around October 1977 gave the scene a rest till around march 1978, went to the oldies from then on about four or five times a year till September 1981 my last ever visit to the casino,  although I have been to the town its self several times on business and have been to the site of the casino on a few times.

[Dean]

For some overly romantic reason, Wigan Casino often takes on the mantle of being Northern Soul to some people. It was great at times, but there were plenty of people who went to Wigan as one nighter amongst others, with occasional preference for others. I think because of being a little tired of the prolonged closure process, with so many last nights, by the time it closed I'd already moved on. I think I miss it more now throguh rose tinted specs than I did at the time.

[Ged Parker]

OMG

Don't tell me Wigan has shut

When did that happen?

Still hearing the big tunes from there

[Nocker]

Got into punk in 79, then returned back to Wigan late 1980

Hope you don't play any of that punk malarkey at the next Rat Pit Grant, looking forward to seeing down there mate.

Cheers John

[grant]

Hope you don't play any of that punk malarkey at the next Rat Pit Grant, looking forward to seeing down there mate.

Cheers John

lol promise I want John

[Paul-s]

Just went to other great nighters! Stafford being one...but Morcambe, Warrington, Bradford etc.

[Orotava]

Hi Mark,  I went to Wigan pretty much every weekend from 1977 until the End of an Era allnighter in 1981.  As Peter99 has said, Searling was on fire and untouchable in those latter years.  I then stupidly sold my record collection for peanuts back in the day and concentrated on a career and marriage.  I rekindled my interest about 18 months ago, and I`m having a great time hearing all the stuff I`ve missed in those 30 years!!

[jocko]

Just went to other great nighters! Stafford being one...but Morcambe, Warrington, Bradford etc.Toio

 

Too true. 

 

Got even more into it and had even more fun as loads of deadwood were shaken off, oldies all-nighters and Mr M's, were consigned to their place in history and it became a Northern Soul scene for immature grown ups, at least for a while. 

[Frankie Crocker]

Kent LP's. Soul Supply LP's. Then the 100 Club came along and a swarm of other London venues. By-passed by the Stafford scene as career took over but back on track by late '80's with the help of London record stores such as Rocks Off and Rock On. Trips to the States have provided ample sounds between occasional Soul Nites. Now addicted to Soul Source, eBay and YouTube, career is on the slide and main concerns are where to store all those records and find the time to spin them as much as they deserve to played...

[Robbk]

I never did get to Wigan Casino, but I DO have the "End of An Era" Wigan Casino patch from the last all-nighter sown to my ski jacket.  When I'm skiing, every once in a while a Soulie will ski up and be disappointed when they find out I'm not only not a Brit, but not even a "true" Northern Soul fan.  I have been to a few all-nighters in Lancashire in the early and late '80s, one or 2 in the early '90s, and one in 2004. 

[Labeat]

No-one ever mentions Bretby or Wilton

[jocko]

I went for about the last 18 months fairlry regularly. My last night was the first official last Nighter in September when Tommy Hunt was on. It also left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest. I went up without aticket.

 

That was the October one, the September was the original last night, no live act. They hastily rearranged the October one as Wigan Tiffanies was on with Searling, 40 DJ's and 25 punters. but it was the start of things to come. Casino was just a fond memory by the end of the October Tiffanies all-nighter. 

[Mach]

No-one ever mentions Bretby or Wilton

 

Agreed, both great venues, i done both, but Wigan was ...well just special

[Alison H]

No-one ever mentions Bretby or Wilton

I'll mention the Wilton but I never went to Wigan While I'm here, I might as well mention MY Wigan "Bradford Queens Hall"

.... & now I'll butt out of this thread, as I can't talk about Wigan

[good angel]

No-one ever mentions Bretby or Wilton

And I could walk to Bretby

[Labeat]

I'll mention the Wilton but I never went to Wigan While I'm here, I might as well mention MY Wigan "Bradford Queens Hall"

.... & now I'll butt out of this thread, as I can't talk about Wigan

Your only 28 Alison, you've got years ahead of you.

Enjoy Cleggy, see you there

[maslar]

That was the October one, the September was the original last night, no live act. They hastily rearranged the October one as Wigan Tiffanies was on with Searling, 40 DJ's and 25 punters. but it was the start of things to come. Casino was just a fond memory by the end of the October Tiffanies all-nighter. 

 

You sure?  I  went to the official last one in  September and I  definitely went to the Tommy Hunt one - It's the only time I've ever taken a camera out with me and I got some shots - including me having a cringeworthy moment shaking hands with TH while he's singing. - generally pretty bad photos though due to the crap camera.

 

If it is true they were two different nights then that's really thrown me but in a way it makes sense - esp if the Tommy Hunt was on a Friday because I always vaguely associated it with going after work and I didn't work Saturdays - so that bit  didn't make sense if you see what I mean - because I always remembered it as a Saturday.

[Guest Dave Ward]

I did go to other all-nighters, all-dayers, the Highland Room etc, but  from 1974 to the real (first) last All-nighter in 1981 I loved Wigan the most, probably 200 all-nighters there. To tell the truth, when it closed, I was knackered and kind of glad that there was an honourable escape. Left my dance shoes and membership card on a table and walked out before the 'last three' I know it sounds sentimental, but at the time, it was. Still love the music, but have no wish to attend todays 'events'.

[Guest Aaron Darcy]

Was going to Soul nites / Niters regulary way before Wigan Cas when it shut just carried on going from club to club niter to niter never been off the soul scene and I never will love the music love the people 45 years of it and enjoyed every minute..

 my storey is very similar to mr Cunliffe 

[Barry]

I thought my world had ended when Wigan closed....it had only just begun

 

Rotherham, Maximes, Morecambe, Stafford, 100's Club, Leicester, Buzzard, Hinckley, Parr Hall etc etc and the onset of the early/mid 80's Jazz Funk Soul/two step/indie scene.

 

What a time!!