Northern Soul Bizarre

[Steve G]

I have seen some very strange things happening at gigs mentioned in posts in the last few weeks.

- ATB night where the focus is on rare and underplayed sounds and the DJ is pestered to play "The Snake"

- Prince Phillip Mitchell "I'm so happy" described as a "newie"

- another DJ asked to play some northern when "It'll never be over for me" is on

- Trouble playing High Voltage and being told "it's not northern mate"

- a venue with no paying public at all

- claims that DJs will obviously do bookings because they are "well paid" on the northern scene

I know in Herts / Beds we are largely protected from some of the "stranger" elements of the northern scene maybe because most people are happy to have a venue to go to, but what is going on? It all sounds it's gone a bit weird to me

[Davetay]

I have seen some very strange things happening at gigs mentioned in posts in the last few weeks.

- ATB night where the focus is on rare and underplayed sounds and the DJ is pestered to play "The Snake"

- Prince Phillip Mitchell "I'm so happy" described as a "newie"

- another DJ asked to play some northern when "It'll never be over for me" is on

- Trouble playing High Voltage and being told "it's not northern mate"

- a venue with no paying public at all

- claims that DJs will obviously do bookings because they are "well paid" on the northern scene

I know in Herts / Beds we are largely protected from some of the "stranger" elements of the northern scene maybe because most people are happy to have a venue to go to, but what is going on? It all sounds it's gone a bit weird to me

The Strange World of Northern Soul!

Sorry i couldn,t resist

[Guest Bearsy]

I always said i never met a bunch of wierdos like i have on this scene Steve, your goodself excluded of course

[chrissie]

I always said i never met a bunch of wierdos like i have on this scene Steve, your goodself excluded of course

.............oi, you know we are all NORMAL in Beds & Herts

Oh and forgot to tell you, think I have managed to secure "our song" at the right price so if you're at the next Blue Skies

QoFxx

[Davetay]

.............oi, you know we are all NORMAL in Beds & Herts

Oh and forgot to tell you, think I have managed to secure "our song" at the right price so if you're at the next Blue Skies

QoFxx

The reason most of us got into the scene in the 1st place because we didn,t want to be normal

[Chris L]

I always said i never met a bunch of wierdos like i have on this scene Steve, your goodself excluded of course

Good heavens it's NS's main attaraction, who wants normal ?

[Richard Bayley]

Good heavens it's NS's main attaraction, who wants normal ?

Nail on the head, that man!

Could be a good thread, most bizarre incident at a Northern Soul event... (OK, cue endless listing of various crap records being played.. )

[Guest andrew bin]

The reason most of us got into the scene in the 1st place because we didn,t want to be normal

you can't call people normal that drive half way around the country staying up allnight dancing and listening to music that in some cases is older than they are

[Dave]

I have seen some very strange things happening at gigs mentioned in posts in the last few weeks.

- ATB night where the focus is on rare and underplayed sounds and the DJ is pestered to play "The Snake"

- Prince Phillip Mitchell "I'm so happy" described as a "newie"

- another DJ asked to play some northern when "It'll never be over for me" is on

- Trouble playing High Voltage and being told "it's not northern mate"

- a venue with no paying public at all

- claims that DJs will obviously do bookings because they are "well paid" on the northern scene

I know in Herts / Beds we are largely protected from some of the "stranger" elements of the northern scene maybe because most people are happy to have a venue to go to, but what is going on? It all sounds it's gone a bit weird to me

Interesting stuff!

Can we have more detail/links re some of these stories?

I'm particularly interested in any anecdotes involving Trouble, as they are always entertaining. Did his detractor really call him "mate"?

Edited October 1, 2008 by Dave

[Spacehopper]

The reason most of us got into the scene in the 1st place because we didn,t want to be normal

NORMOWL !!....WOS NORMOWL DEN ??......

sorry ....a quote from the mod film i can never spell but cant help saying everytime i hear someone talkin about being normal !!

[Guest bazabod_downunder]

Yes there is some weirdos about.......I had one guy last year enthuse as Tobi Legend was starting to play 'ohhhhhhh I love the four before eight'.........recently had a rather pissed off punter say as I was playing Brother to Brother - In The Bottle...'This was only just played'......'Ummmmm NO, that was Gil Scott Heron & it was 3 hours ago'.......numptys the scenes abound with them.

KTF

Baz

[Guest Black Gold of the Sun]

Interesting stuff!

Can we have more detail/links re some of these stories?

I'm particularly interested in any anecdotes involving Trouble, as they are always entertaining. Did his detractor really call him "mate"?

[Ian Dewhirst]

I always said i never met a bunch of wierdos like i have on this scene Steve, your goodself excluded of course

What??? You're excluding Steve G from being a wierdo?

I thought Steve had a serious fetish for rare, rare, rarer-than-rare pieces of 7" vinyl by artists you've hardly heard of, singing songs you've hardly heard of, on labels you've hardly heard of.

You call that normal?

I mean, what does he do with 'em when he's at home and no one is watching...............?

Ian D

Edited October 2, 2008 by Ian Dewhirst

[Steve G]

This thread is going very slowly.

Behaviours are obviously not as bizarre as I thought!!!

[Guest in town Mikey]

Not recent, but one of my fave stories about Jerry hippo hipkiss is at a soul night at the Bristol Hotel in Gloucester, Jerry was playing a set, and may have imbibbed a jar or two of ale. A group of young lads (About my age) kept asking him for requests, but not dancing.

one lad went up, and Jerry did a whats now known as a 'Trouble'.

He grabbed the mic and shouted - If you want Tainted Love and Out on the floor go to the Ace of Clubs. This is a ##### Northern Soul night.

[Ian Dewhirst]

This thread is going very slowly.

Behaviours are obviously not as bizarre as I thought!!!

Well obviously not as bizarre as yours Steve!

Ian D

[Martint]

I have seen some very strange things happening at gigs mentioned in posts in the last few weeks.

- a venue with no paying public at all

PMSL

[Guest Byrney]

Don't think its just recent, although it may have got stranger over the last few years.

Someone was stupid enough to book me for some spots at local soul nights and the odd small dayer late 80s / early 90s before I flogged my collection. I noticed a change in the audience reaction to lesser played stuff around 93 - 94 onwards, where it also became increasingly common for strange requests. Once I was playing the Majestics and was asked by an angry tash to play some oldies This kind of thing happened a few times but I can't recall it happening before 93 / 94.

Edited October 2, 2008 by Byrney

[Simon M]

I blame Chrissie and Bearsy

[Guest mel brat]

Obviously hoards and hoards of completely non-soulful divs have infiltrated the "Northern Scene" over the years (shock horror).... Now, I wonder how that could have happened!?

Edited October 3, 2008 by mel brat

[Kjw]

I always said i never met a bunch of wierdos like i have on this scene Steve, your goodself excluded of course

You're right Bearsy. I was in Val Shivley's shop once and he told me that all record collectors are a bunch of eccentrics or if they weren't they would become one someday.

About 5 minutes later in comes this guy looking like Santa Claus (and dressed and acted like him) looking for rare soul records - Val didn't bat an eyelid, to him it was just a regular punter.

Edited October 3, 2008 by kjw

[Guest vinylvixen]

I always said i never met a bunch of wierdos like i have on this scene Steve, your goodself excluded of course

I resemble that remark x

[jazzyjas]

That guy that came into Val Shively's...WAS IT "THE COUNT"?

anybody with me, here?

-J.

[Kjw]

That guy that came into Val Shively's...WAS IT "THE COUNT"?

anybody with me, here?

-J.

Don't know who it was - kept well out of his way

[Guest KEN-SOUL]

one of the wierdest things i ever witnessed at an all-nighter, was a gang of leather clad bikers at a venue in west lothian, scotland. this was late 70's. the bikers just sat in a group watching us dance! that was wierd...