northern soul - the current state...?

[Leicester Boy]

55 minutes ago, hullsoulie said:

Thanks for responding friend, that is maybe just my problem, disillusioned with the 'general' direction of much of the scene I have withdrawn - I am sure there are great places left that I would enjoy, but the time effort & finance to attend on a 'lucky dip' is kind of off-putting - I will make a note of Burton and endeavour to give it a visit - cheers

No doubt that there's plenty of ugly ducklings but theirs plenty of good uns as well.

[Guest]

Blues and soul article 1975.  So...one thing that hasn't changed; northern soulies never stop moaning.  Maybe if there was a bit more positivity, there may be a chance of salvaging something from what's left!   

[Guest]

For me there is just to many across the board gigs right now and I have stopped going to some local gigs for that reason. I don't want to hear youth club music at a Northern Soul gigs but it seems that no one wants to put on Oldies nights anymore.

[Pablorally]

I'm an oldies DJ & I play some Monster tunes from "back in the day" & it empties the dance floor. Hahaha. 

I've lost loads of gigs because I've not got any modern soul, but I do like some of it....

[Guest Gogs]

4 hours ago, Pablorally said:

I'm an oldies DJ & I play some Monster tunes from "back in the day" & it empties the dance floor. Hahaha. 

I've lost loads of gigs because I've not got any modern soul, but I do like some of it....

I'm probably the opposite, too well known as an oldies dj so don't get gigs anywhere else even though i have loads of other stuff to play

check out my recent posts in soul media (and my old posts) Living room dj.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Gogs

[Guest]

I love Oldies and they still give me a buzz 45 years later after hearing them for the first time as a 14 year old. How can you overplay a feeling?

[Frankie Crocker]

On 01/10/2018 at 22:00, flamingemeralds said:

Blues and soul article 1975.  So...one thing that hasn't changed; northern soulies never stop moaning.  Maybe if there was a bit more positivity, there may be a chance of salvaging something from what's left!   

An interesting article that suggests Anna Ford attended the Casino as a reporter. Folklore has it that she went to the Casino and by inference was a regular soulie, but I’ve long since dismissed this as an urban legend of no substance.

[Geeselad]

13 hours ago, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

An interesting article that suggests Anna Ford attended the Casino as a reporter. Folklore has it that she went to the Casino and by inference was a regular soulie, but I’ve long since dismissed this as an urban legend of no substance.

theres a photo of her at the casino in the mike ritson book  

[Frankie Crocker]

3 hours ago, geeselad said:

theres a photo of her at the casino in the mike ritson book  

Yes, familiar with it. So, did she visit just the once for the purpose of work or did she put on a pleated skirt, high-heeled wedges and t-shirt to dance the night away on other occasions?

[Pablorally]

Post the photo please somebody.... Lol

[Ian Stacey]

On 07/10/2018 at 18:34, Majy said:

For me there is just to many across the board gigs right now and I have stopped going to some local gigs for that reason. I don't want to hear youth club music at a Northern Soul gigs but it seems that no one wants to put on Oldies nights anymore.

need to come to nuneaton we play oldies buddy 

[Ian Stacey]

18 hours ago, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

An interesting article that suggests Anna Ford attended the Casino as a reporter. Folklore has it that she went to the Casino and by inference was a regular soulie, but I’ve long since dismissed this as an urban legend of no substance.

photo of Anna Ford in a book called soul survivors page 127 at wigan   written by Russ winstanley & David nowell  

[Frankie Crocker]

2 hours ago, IAN STACEY said:

photo of Anna Ford in a book called soul survivors page 127 at wigan   written by Russ winstanley & David nowell  

Well known photo but you can not see Anna’s face. The Casino manager, Mike Walker, is at the table suggesting it is a ‘meet the press’ formality. The lasses around the table seem to be making up the numbers with a photographer. The suited gents in the background suggest this is not an Allniter photo but could be a Saturday evening disco snapshot. Still waiting for Anna to confirm she was an ‘early fan’ as the photo caption suggests.

[Guest]

16 hours ago, IAN STACEY said:

need to come to nuneaton we play oldies buddy 

Sounds like my kind of venue Ian.

[Geeselad]

On ‎08‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 21:58, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

Well known photo but you can not see Anna’s face. The Casino manager, Mike Walker, is at the table suggesting it is a ‘meet the press’ formality. The lasses around the table seem to be making up the numbers with a photographer. The suited gents in the background suggest this is not an Allniter photo but could be a Saturday evening disco snapshot. Still waiting for Anna to confirm she was an ‘early fan’ as the photo caption suggests.

the photo I've seen she's  got her face in full view

[Local]

On ‎08‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 19:35, IAN STACEY said:

photo of Anna Ford in a book called soul survivors page 127 at wigan   written by Russ winstanley & David nowell  

Everything is unquestionably true if Russ Winstanley wrote it !

Edited October 10, 2018 by local

[Guest]

On 01/10/2018 at 13:02, LEN said:

I believe in paying the DJs even if you are making a loss

I believe the DJ's should pay to DJ, and the crowd should get in for nothing!

There are that many wanabee DJ's out there, they could bid to DJ!!

Edited October 10, 2018 by Guest

[Foi]

The current state of the scene is not in the state I'm sure a lot of us remember it in, as an underground thriving scene. It was beautiful and raw in its entirety. Now it's still thriving but not underground I'm afraid to say....it's got too big for itself and developed itself a sort of corporate image, what with the tea towels,mugs, t shirts, coasters, coffee tables you name and it's  got "northern  soul" written all over it. It's called progress I guess but it's commercial as opposed to underground so never will be the same, just glad I was part of the "underground" era as it was magic! Needless to say I guess it's got to adapt to the times in order to survive and there's young blood to carry it on but I'm guessing the numbers aren't that big compared to years ago when we were teenagers?! Not sure as I don't go to many nighters any more.

Edited October 10, 2018 by foi

[Len]

1 hour ago, solidsoul said:

I believe the DJ's should pay to DJ, and the crowd should get in for nothing!

There are that many wanabee DJ's they could bid to DJ!!

There's certainly plenty of 'DJs' out there - I think it a shame that there's not many that have real 'pull' as far as attracting lots of people to an event nowadays. That's defo something that has changed.

Len 

[Guest]

Don't log on here much anymore but it my opinion the northern scene is on its arse to many venues and those two films didn't help. Last person to leave the scene please turn out the lights I'm  sorry but for me its lost its magic which is a real shame.

[Tomangoes]

7 hours ago, foi said:

The current state of the scene is not in the state I'm sure a lot of us remember it in, as an underground thriving scene. It was beautiful and raw in its entirety. Now it's still thriving but not underground I'm afraid to say....it's got too big for itself and developed itself a sort of corporate image, what with the tea towels,mugs, t shirts, coasters, coffee tables you name and it's  got "northern  soul" written all over it. It's called progress I guess but it's commercial as opposed to underground so never will be the same, just glad I was part of the "underground" era as it was magic! Needless to say I guess it's got to adapt to the times in order to survive and there's young blood to carry it on but I'm guessing the numbers aren't that big compared to years ago when we were teenagers?! Not sure as I don't go to many nighters any more.

A bit like the motown museum in Detroit.

If folks have not visited, do it soon.....

It's going to be expanded exponentially and will be fantastic I'm sure, but will lose its quirkiness.

Northern Soul is mainstream now whenever a fiver can be made, which is only natural. 

It seemed normal in the 70s to see .hundreds of teenagers wearing a kind of Northern Soul uniform,  but seeing OAPs reviving the trend is OTT for me, and as stated beforehand, NS is a brand with no limits....even a Haynes manual cd for NS came out a few years back!

Ed

[Guest Gogs]

It will keep going for as long as we let it keep going. Might be kinder to take it to the vet's and let it be put down humanely.

[Ian Stacey]

16 hours ago, foi said:

The current state of the scene is not in the state I'm sure a lot of us remember it in, as an underground thriving scene. It was beautiful and raw in its entirety. Now it's still thriving but not underground I'm afraid to say....it's got too big for itself and developed itself a sort of corporate image, what with the tea towels,mugs, t shirts, coasters, coffee tables you name and it's  got "northern  soul" written all over it. It's called progress I guess but it's commercial as opposed to underground so never will be the same, just glad I was part of the "underground" era as it was magic! Needless to say I guess it's got to adapt to the times in order to survive and there's young blood to carry it on but I'm guessing the numbers aren't that big compared to years ago when we were teenagers?! Not sure as I don't go to many nighters any more.

the numbers are tiny compared to the late severnties early eighties now you can count the youth in a nighter where as when we went it was count the older crowd .25-45 yr olds massive difference.now im afriad we outnumber the youth ..scooters where the main mode of our youth for transport  now be lucky to see one at a allnighter . 

[El Corol]

2 hours ago, IAN STACEY said:

.scooters where the main mode of our youth for transport  now be lucky to see one at a allnighter . 

What about the mobility ones!

[Geeselad]

1 hour ago, El Corol said:

What about the mobility ones!

can remember Evo's 50th birthday, with a zimmer decorated with mirrors and a fox tail.

[Simon T]

20 hours ago, foi said:

12 hours ago, tomangoes said:

A bit like the motown museum in Detroit.

If folks have not visited, do it soon.....

  but seeing OAPs reviving the trend is OTT for me, and as stated beforehand, NS is a brand with no limits....even a Haynes manual cd for NS came out a few years back!

Ed

 

20 hours ago, foi said:

...it's got too big for itself and developed itself a sort of corporate image, what with the tea towels,mugs, t shirts, coasters, coffee tables you name and it's  got "northern  soul" written all over it.

 

Searching ebay.uk last night for some parts for a lap - Samsung RF511,  but missed the 5 out.

Number of warrington supporters with a Samsung phone who are into Northern = ?

[Mark S]

Denton soul club last year I think it was Dave Beech played a storming set about 75 percent of it was new to me the flloor was full , on the odd occasion that happens for me the scene is in a pretty good shape . Cant be doing with all the nostalgia shite and reliving our youth. I am still in my youth only 62 not finnished yet 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Mark S

[Local]

It seemed normal in the 70s to see .hundreds of teenagers wearing a kind of Northern Soul uniform,  but seeing OAPs reviving the trend is OTT for me.

.............................................

This was a casino thing, prior to 1973 you couldn’t really tell a soul boy or girl from any other cool dude. Yes back in 71 main stream fashion in the North meant we were wearing Two tone suits, brogues, parallels, Ben Sherman’s, Fred Perry shirts etc but really by the time Wigan opened, the look that became the “Northern Soul Uniform” was out of fashion. Badges, beer towels, training shoes etc really didn’t do anything to enhance the look and just made you an easy target for a bag search by the local DS, or a fight with a punk rocker.

It wasn’t a great look back then,so to see some balding bloke in his mid fifties dressed in bags, braces checked shirts and an Harrington in 2018 is something I don’t understand. 

 

 

[Frankie Crocker]

2 hours ago, local said:

It seemed normal in the 70s to see .hundreds of teenagers wearing a kind of Northern Soul uniform,  but seeing OAPs reviving the trend is OTT for me.

.............................................

This was a casino thing, prior to 1973 you couldn’t really tell a soul boy or girl from any other cool dude. Yes back in 71 main stream fashion in the North meant we were wearing Two tone suits, brogues, parallels, Ben Sherman’s, Fred Perry shirts etc but really by the time Wigan opened, the look that became the “Northern Soul Uniform” was out of fashion. Badges, beer towels, training shoes etc really didn’t do anything to enhance the look and just made you an easy target for a bag search by the local DS, or a fight with a punk rocker.

It wasn’t a great look back then,so to see some balding bloke in his mid fifties dressed in bags, braces checked shirts and an Harrington in 2018 is something I don’t understand. 

 

 

When Wigan opened in 1973, there was a self-imposed dress code for the gents and lasses. Not a uniform, but sharp gear for dancing in. This changed somewhat after 1977 with the disco-soul fashion pushed by Blackpool Mecca and the Manchester Ritz. By 1978 the scene was split dress-wise but the whole nation was wearing clobber popularised by soulies up and down the country.

I think it’s good to see old soulies sporting the gear they once wore. It is not a uniform. Neither is it clown-wear as the naive suggest. It’s smart, distinctive, often made to measure and reminiscent of a golden age. Back in the day, only divvies wore trainers and narrow jeans to soul do’s. Nobody ever feared the punks at Wigan, they ran a mile and it was the drug squad who had trembling knees as they wasted their time on fruitless bag searches.

As I’ve said before on Soul Source, trainers don’t enhance the look but I concede there’s a few nifty dancers who prefer them...somebody give them a pair of brogues for Christmas please...

Edited October 12, 2018 by FRANKIE CROCKER
Date corected

[Local]

5 hours ago, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

When Wigan opened in 1973, there was a self-imposed dress code for the gents and lasses. Not a uniform, but sharp gear for dancing in. This changed somewhat after 1977 with the disco-soul fashion pushed by Blackpool Mecca and the Manchester Ritz. By 1978 the scene was split dress-wise but the whole nation was wearing clobber popularised by soulies up and down the country.

I think it’s good to see old soulies sporting the gear they once wore. It is not a uniform. Neither is it clown-wear as the naive suggest. It’s smart, distinctive, often made to measure and reminiscent of a golden age. Back in the day, only divvies wore trainers and narrow jeans to soul do’s. Nobody ever feared the punks at Wigan, they ran a mile and it was the drug squad who had trembling knees as they wasted their time on fruitless bag searches.

As I’ve said before on Soul Source, trainers don’t enhance the look but I concede there’s a few nifty dancers who prefer them...somebody give them a pair of brogues for Christmas please...

The smart distinctive bespoke gear I think you are referring to, is the look popularised by Mods in the late 60s and very early seventies and I wouldn’t disagree, it was and is still very classy, with a degree of stylish individuality. By 71 street fashion,had changed,as I mentioned earlier, around this time branded clothing such as Fred Perry, Wrangler, Ben Sherman etc had started to have an influence on what we wore,the emphasis was still on being smart, nothing clown like at all. We were” in with the in crowd” soul music hadn’t yet become “Northern” it was still a secret scene enjoyed by those of us who were lucky enough to go to The Mecca, Torch and (I’m told)the Cats.

When Wigan opened in 73, none of my soul friends wore brogues or straight baggy trousers, preferring flares, platforms and penny round collared shirts, a full length, belt waisted leather coat completed the look. To quote Rod Stewart, “my dad said we looked ridiculous” and he was probably right, but we didn’t think so at the time. 

I disagree with you when you say that by 1978 the whole country was “wearing clobber popularised by soulies” the fact is that fashion at Wigan had, dare I say it, regressed into a similar but scruffier version of what we had been doing 5 years previously, and the disco fashion seen at Blackpool and the Ritz was probably a truer reflection of what was happening nationwide. I really don’t think that the fashion world was taking its lead from what was happening at Station Road around this time. I also don’t think you can generalise that all punks ran a mile if a confrontation was on the agenda, they didn’t and you know they didn’t.

The world unfortunately doesn’t stay still and trends in both fashion and music move on,Northern Soul has not been exempted. As a person I don’t like living in the past as I prefer to look to the future and I really can’t understand why anyone would want to wear what they did 45 years ago but it’s a free country and if that’s what floats your boat then great, my dad is still alive and even now, thinks “ I look ridiculous”

 

Edited October 13, 2018 by local

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

I've said very little here but I am gonna cut in here.

In the early eighties I was a goth, I mean full on, I used to get asked at niters if I was from Bauhaus or Sisters of Mercy.

Back then one of the reasons I went was because I was told that no one gave two f***s what you wore.

Nowadays people are laying an egg over what people wear!

WTF? Let 'em wear wtf they want why is it an issue?

This is the difference between the real scene as it was and the way it is today!

Sorry but p****s me right off.

 

[Timillustrator]

9 hours ago, BabyBoyAndMyLass said:

Nowadays people are laying an egg over what people wear!

WTF? Let 'em wear wtf they want why is it an issue?

A lot has been written by people over time about what are the "correct" type of trousers to wear. I'm with BabyBoyAndMyLass, there's nothing in the world less important than the kind of trousers that other people wear. Who cares!??!?

[Sikirby]

16 hours ago, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

When Wigan opened in 1973, there was a self-imposed dress code for the gents and lasses. Not a uniform, but sharp gear for dancing in. This changed somewhat after 1977 with the disco-soul fashion pushed by Blackpool Mecca and the Manchester Ritz. By 1978 the scene was split dress-wise but the whole nation was wearing clobber popularised by soulies up and down the country.

I think it’s good to see old soulies sporting the gear they once wore. It is not a uniform. Neither is it clown-wear as the naive suggest. It’s smart, distinctive, often made to measure and reminiscent of a golden age. Back in the day, only divvies wore trainers and narrow jeans to soul do’s. Nobody ever feared the punks at Wigan, they ran a mile and it was the drug squad who had trembling knees as they wasted their time on fruitless bag searches.

As I’ve said before on Soul Source, trainers don’t enhance the look but I concede there’s a few nifty dancers who prefer them...somebody give them a pair of brogues for Christmas please...

So "back in the day" when those of us attending Wigan who stopped wearing Spencers bags  and adopted narrow leg jeans and trousers as that was the fashion of the day, we became divvies?.  And I somehow doubt that the clothing worn by those who went to the mecca/ritz influenced the direction of fashion for the UK.

[Chalky]

18 hours ago, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

When Wigan opened in 1973, there was a self-imposed dress code for the gents and lasses. Not a uniform, but sharp gear for dancing in. This changed somewhat after 1977 with the disco-soul fashion pushed by Blackpool Mecca and the Manchester Ritz. By 1978 the scene was split dress-wise but the whole nation was wearing clobber popularised by soulies up and down the country.

I think it’s good to see old soulies sporting the gear they once wore. It is not a uniform. Neither is it clown-wear as the naive suggest. It’s smart, distinctive, often made to measure and reminiscent of a golden age. Back in the day, only divvies wore trainers and narrow jeans to soul do’s. Nobody ever feared the punks at Wigan, they ran a mile and it was the drug squad who had trembling knees as they wasted their time on fruitless bag searches.

As I’ve said before on Soul Source, trainers don’t enhance the look but I concede there’s a few nifty dancers who prefer them...somebody give them a pair of brogues for Christmas please...

Smart and distinctive?  I think it looks ridiculous on many of them.  There is plenty of photographic evidence from around 80/81 at the casino and hardly any bags in sight.

[Steve S 60]

The current state of the Northern Soul scene?  So it's not down to the amount of events, or even the quality of those events.  It's not even down to the number of attendees, or their age.  It's nothing to do with the music that gets played.  It isn't about the amount of money that promoters make, or what they pay their DJs.  As demonstrated in this thread, it is, was, and always will be about the width of your trouser bottoms.

[Frankie Crocker]

3 hours ago, Sikirby said:

So "back in the day" when those of us attending Wigan who stopped wearing Spencers bags  and adopted narrow leg jeans and trousers as that was the fashion of the day, we became divvies?.  And I somehow doubt that the clothing worn by those who went to the mecca/ritz influenced the direction of fashion for the UK.

Read the text properly. When Wigan was experiencing the boom years, tourist divvies could be spotted wearing regular jeans, Levi jackets and ordinary shoes as trainer’s were not as common as they are today. With the arrival of the 80’s disco-funk sounds, peg-leg jeans became vogue, worn with a dangly belt, capped t-shirt and occasionally plastic sandals. These new to the scene folk wanted to dress like Brian Ferry but they did’t hang around long as the Casino closed so they went back to dancing to Gary Numan on Top of the Pops.

British fashion followed the soul scene in the 70’s but was always a year or two behind. Skinners followed Wranglers. Spencers followed cords. Bags followed parallels. Collared shirts followed bowling shirts. Cardigans, bomber jackets, leather trench coats, it was the underground soul scene that led the way. When New York disco wear crossed the Atlantic to Blackpool, then the Ritz, Birmingham Locarno etc, clubbers in Britain soon followed suit and so too did High Street fashion.

[Geordiejohnson]

On 30/09/2018 at 15:26, chalky said:

I think as said.  above weekenders have had a big impact on nighters and soul nights.  People can get their fix all in one weekend and they can do this every month.  There is probably two weekenders per month now to choose from.  

 

Many Brits choose European Weekenders now over the UK scene, might not be the newies but rather than the same old same playlists there is a lot more imagination from more enterprising Djs and the scene over there doesn't have the baggage the UK scene has.

 

Chill out Sundays also making life difficult for the scene.  Many choose to do 6 hours or so on a Sunday, chuck a dinner in as well and home for 8/9pm.  No getting wiped out and had their fix of the music with their mates.

 

The scene has evolved and it appears to be to the detriment of the nighter scene.  There is still life in it though but for how long I'm not sure, many seem to be holding it back with their selfish attitude and reluctance to evolve or to move on with the music.  Maybe as the old farts disappear those left behind can take it up and develop their own scene just as happened in the 80s?

 

 

I think thats spot on.. we travel to Europe for the weekenders because they are musically better... i hear more fresh stuff abroad ...to add there is a hell of a lot of young peeps getting into the scene and some running some great venues like the golden ball at York and the manchester Lads.. but they are small venues, and  more for the listeners not dancers, many finish anywhere from 11pm to 3am but the variety of music is great and im still hearing fresh stuff played by these guys who have no... as chalky says "baggage" ..  they will pick up the scene for the future,  and it will be a far different scene to what we have today..

 

[Frankie Crocker]

1 hour ago, chalky said:

Smart and distinctive?  I think it looks ridiculous on many of them.  There is plenty of photographic evidence from around 80/81 at the casino and hardly any bags in sight.

It looked the height of coolness at the time in 1973/74 to us fresh to the scene. It looked great during the Golden Age. Sure it can look out of place in today’s venues but full marks for the retro-crowd for flying the flag. Other nostalgia scenes contine to wear their cult gear and it looks fine.

By the early 80’s, Northern dress styles had moved on, perhaps in line with the music or the new recruits who opted for High Street fashion. The Casino pictures of the final months could have been taken at any Sixth Form bop or at least the less sweaty discos of the time.

[Frankie Crocker]

15 hours ago, local said:

The smart distinctive bespoke gear I think you are referring to, is the look popularised by Mods in the late 60s and very early seventies and I wouldn’t disagree, it was and is still very classy, with a degree of stylish individuality. By 71 street fashion,had changed,as I mentioned earlier, around this time branded clothing such as Fred Perry, Wrangler, Ben Sherman etc had started to have an influence on what we wore,the emphasis was still on being smart, nothing clown like at all. We were” in with the in crowd” soul music hadn’t yet become “Northern” it was still a secret scene enjoyed by those of us who were lucky enough to go to The Mecca, Torch and (I’m told)the Cats.

When Wigan opened in 73, none of my soul friends wore brogues or straight baggy trousers, preferring flares, platforms and penny round collared shirts, a full length, belt waisted leather coat completed the look. To quote Rod Stewart, “my dad said we looked ridiculous” and he was probably right, but we didn’t think so at the time. 

I disagree with you when you say that by 1978 the whole country was “wearing clobber popularised by soulies” the fact is that fashion at Wigan had, dare I say it, regressed into a similar but scruffier version of what we had been doing 5 years previously, and the disco fashion seen at Blackpool and the Ritz was probably a truer reflection of what was happening nationwide. I really don’t think that the fashion world was taking its lead from what was happening at Station Road around this time. I also don’t think you can generalise that all punks ran a mile if a confrontation was on the agenda, they didn’t and you know they didn’t.

The world unfortunately doesn’t stay still and trends in both fashion and music move on,Northern Soul has not been exempted. As a person I don’t like living in the past as I prefer to look to the future and I really can’t understand why anyone would want to wear what they did 45 years ago but it’s a free country and if that’s what floats your boat then great, my dad is still alive and even now, thinks “ I look ridiculous”

 

I like much of what you say. But when I bought a pair of work trousers in Eastbourne in 1978, they were wide bottomed bags. Kids at the time had side pockets at thigh level on their school trousers. Sure, a new era of club fashion was dawning and becoming more visible on the High Street. Wigans Ovation reflected what people were wearing whenever they appeared on Top Of The Pops, a trend that went nationwide with Footsee exposure in 1975. In the mid to late 70’s, High Street chains were churning out wide waistband, multi-pocketed bags before jeans became narrower in 1977/78. Cuban-heels were taken on by brogues in 1973, the former fading away by 1974/75. By 1975, leather bomber jackets became vogue on the soul scene at a time when the public barely considered them but by the end of the decade, denim and cord jackets had been widely supplemented by them.

Soul scene clothing in the 70’s was a distinctive part of the ritual. The underground scene embraced it with a passing nod to the Mod scene and football fan attire. By the end of the decade, Northern cult gear had given way to the new styles that prevail today. But if someone wants to wear 70’s retro-gear in 2018, I say let them - it was fine back in the day and should be accepted today.

[Amsterdam Russ]

State of the northern soul scene today? Let me ask...

Anybody here under the age of 50?

Anybody here under the age of 40?

Anybody here under the age of 30?

Anybody here under the age of 25?

There’s the state of the northern soul scene today.

[Chalky]

14 hours ago, FRANKIE CROCKER said:

It looked the height of coolness at the time in 1973/74 to us fresh to the scene. It looked great during the Golden Age. Sure it can look out of place in today’s venues but full marks for the retro-crowd for flying the flag. Other nostalgia scenes contine to wear their cult gear and it looks fine.

By the early 80’s, Northern dress styles had moved on, perhaps in line with the music or the new recruits who opted for High Street fashion. The Casino pictures of the final months could have been taken at any Sixth Form bop or at least the less sweaty discos of the time.

I think some, well many just go too far with the retro look, the size of the flares, the number of pockets etc.  From looking cool to looking like a clown for some.  

[Leicester Boy]

58 minutes ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

State of the northern soul scene today? Let me ask...

Anybody here under the age of 50?

Anybody here under the age of 40?

Anybody here under the age of 30?

Anybody here under the age of 25?

There’s the state of the northern soul scene today.

Yes the age thing again. Ok you want youngsters coming we all do other wise the scene dies but most of the people who moan about the lack of young blood are the very same who want the scene less mainstream and more underground, you can't have it always. 

[Amsterdam Russ]

1 hour ago, Leicester boy said:

Yes the age thing again. Ok you want youngsters coming we all do other wise the scene dies but most of the people who moan about the lack of young blood are the very same who want the scene less mainstream and more underground, you can't have it always. 

Exactly so. This from a scene that says it wants new blood so it can move forward, but gets hung up debating what trousers were worn by people 45 years ago, and describes newcomers who attend events but aren't recognised as "soulies" as divs, hand-baggers and worse - and all the while proclaiming that it's an open, tolerant and welcoming scene.

Europe is where the future of the scene is. At European events (certainly the ones I've experienced), people only care whether you're enjoying the music. And there's nothing more important than that - not the width of your trouser bottoms, the way you dance, the shoes you wear, your views on one sub-genre of soul music versus another sub-genre of soul music, whether [insert name of venue] was better than [insert name of venue], whether there are too many DJs, or who played what tunes first and when nearly half a century ago.

If you're there to enjoy yourself, and you're loving the music - no matter if you're young or old, a soulie for a lifetime or a first-timer who dances in their own way for their own pleasure - then you're very, very welcome. And it's this open attitude that'll ensure there's a scene on the European mainland for a long, long time to come.

[Frankie Crocker]

3 hours ago, chalky said:

I think some, well many just go too far with the retro look, the size of the flares, the number of pockets etc.  From looking cool to looking like a clown for some.  

Fair point. Know what you mean. There’s You Tube clips I just can’t bear to watch. On the other hand, some video clips show off the dress-making skills of lasses who have evidently gone the extra mile to attire themselves in bespoke way to enjoy dancing to the music that moves us.

[Zed1]

5 hours ago, Leicester boy said:

Yes the age thing again. Ok you want youngsters coming we all do other wise the scene dies but most of the people who moan about the lack of young blood are the very same who want the scene less mainstream and more underground, you can't have it always. 

The very reason many of us as teenagers were attracted to the scene in the first place was the very fact that it wasn't Mainstream or Commercial.  This was never a one size fits all scene, most of us had to go in search of the music, it didn't come knocking on our doors begging us to join. 

Go to any Local Soul night today and you'll see exactly what happens when you try to give the music mass market appeal.  If the kids can't be arsed to go and find it, it's their loss, and if that means the scene dies with us, then so be it. Sooner that than changing the whole ethos of the scene and it's music just to accommodate a few kids in some desperate attempt to keep it alive.

 

Edited October 14, 2018 by Zed1

[Leicester Boy]

36 minutes ago, Zed1 said:

The very reason many of us as teenagers were attracted to the scene in the first place was the very fact that that it wasn't Mainstream or Commercial.  This was never a one size fits all scene, most of us had to go in search of the music, it didn't come knocking on our doors begging us to join. 

Go to any Local Soul night today and you'll see exactly what happens when you try to give the music mass market appeal.  If the kids can't be arsed to go and find it, it's their loss, and if that means the scene dies with us, then so be it. Sooner that than changing the whole ethos of the scene and it's music just to accommodate a few kids in some desperate attempt to keep it alive.

 

Totally agree with most of what you say zed. I would never want our scene to be mass market appeal but i don't see why we should hide it either. Its hard to know if you like the chocolates in a box if you cant get in it.

[Steve S 60]

21 minutes ago, Leicester boy said:

Totally agree with most of what you say zed. I would never want our scene to be mass market appeal but i don't see why we should hide it either. Its hard to know if you like the chocolates in a box if you cant get in it.

I'd like to say that the current Northern Soul scene is like a box of chocolates, but unfortunately, more often than not you know what you're going to get.

[Guest Spain pete]

4 minutes ago, Steve S 60 said:

I'd like to say that the current Northern Soul scene is like a box of chocolates, but unfortunately, more often than not you know what you're going to get.

  Sod the chocolates a jamboree bag is the soul scene nowadays you never know what you get and music wise its all the better for it

[Geeselad]

On 13/10/2018 at 13:09, Timillustrator said:

A lot has been written by people over time about what are the "correct" type of trousers to wear. I'm with BabyBoyAndMyLass, there's nothing in the world less important than the kind of trousers that other people wear. Who cares!??!?

A long time ago a wise man said to me 'never judge a man by the width if his trousers'. Ive been ignoring his advice ever since. Lol. 

[Geeselad]

1 hour ago, Zed1 said:

The very reason many of us as teenagers were attracted to the scene in the first place was the very fact that it wasn't Mainstream or Commercial.  This was never a one size fits all scene, most of us had to go in search of the music, it didn't come knocking on our doors begging us to join. 

Go to any Local Soul night today and you'll see exactly what happens when you try to give the music mass market appeal.  If the kids can't be arsed to go and find it, it's their loss, and if that means the scene dies with us, then so be it. Sooner that than changing the whole ethos of the scene and it's music just to accommodate a few kids in some desperate attempt to keep it alive.

 

Top man well said, divs are divs, whatever they wear.