Fights At Soul Do's

[Guest in town Mikey]

most of these piss-heads, town gooks etc, used to take on all-nighter goers under the impression that they were dealing with jessies 'cos we danced 'alone' and wore trousers that looked like long skirts from a distance. I have to say that some of the shadiest characters I've met in my life came from our own ranks.

I've been lucky. I can only remember two very brief scuffles at do's I've been to. But I dd see a very well known guy from Gloucester, lets call him Neddis, in the pint Pot, outside the leisure centre one day. Two lads had had too much to drink and decided to pick on him because I assume he was half their size. Both left with the ambulance crew.

Outside Yate, there were a few fights. Yate is one of those 'new' towns, built as overspill for Bristol. Too many Saturday hero's plugged into one hole. As I was 17, and weighed 7 stone sopping wet, I always used the fight to move up the queue a little.

One funny incident I remember, was in a queue outside Leicester Oddfellows. on the opposite side of the road a lone Mod was making his way home. Nothing to do with the allnighter crowd by the looks of it. A group of rockabillies I think it was, walking the other way decided to rough him up. So a boatload of lads waiting in the queue charges across the road and knocked 7 bells out of them. They really didnt have a clue where everyone came from.

[Guest Richard Bergman]

I've seen a couple of people 'escorted' out of the Marrs Bar and at the Dome there was always some tension when a few civilians turned up and danced with drinks but the only real fight i've seen was at Samanthas a while back between two women, pulling hair, the lot, on the dancefloor... After they'd been separated they still managed to find each other for round two.

At Wigan we usually had to run up Station Road chased by skinheads before reaching the sanctuary of the queue.

I don't like fights at soul dos, but i'm proud to hear of accounts where soulies 'defend the dancefloor' against the locals.

Two "ladies" brawling is not vulgar its art.........

[Ezzie Brown]

just been directed to this interesting subject!!! early 70s i was the small bolshie little shit who "always "started on the biggest bloke in the room,yeah, leon i know you know this already ! went to see edwin starr at yate, i think it was pre the niters, during the show a local decides to put a mug in my forehead!! down like a sack of shit i went, carted on the stage, show stopped until ambulance arrived to take me to the vets for a couple of days, proud to say revenge was taken during my absence, one guy using a scaffold putlock!! about a year later im at an all day thing in bristol[funk city it was called then] waiting for said edwin for his show was tiresome as djs played shit, my vocal complaints resulted in me being asked to vacate, as i entered the foyer with my big new frinds helping me along , edwin walks in ,took one look at me and said "hey man! hows your head!!" before escorting me to the bar to buy me a drink,,, fucking priceless!!!!! its true the seventies were mad,, we would all be inside now,thank god ive grown up,a bit!!!!