Bob, it comes down to something you'll often see quoted on here, there are two scenes.
The first one, and by far the largest is the casual 'soulie' one, this one isn't too bothered whether there's an OVO policy or not. Criteria is a bit of a dance, chat and a laugh, and crucially a taxi home, because as someone else said beer has become very important. Loads of small soul nights sprung up to cater for this scene, and the odd weekender.
The second scene is completely different, much smaller and retaining what is seen by some as the original 'northern' ethic. Original vinyl is a must, as is progressing the scene via reactivating underplayed records and where possible, new discoveries. All nighters are the preferred choice, along with the odd quality soul night, and travelling isn't a problem.
Each week as the number of events increases, the two scenes get further apart, my experience is that the second scene is far more vocal than the first, hence this argument coming up time and time again. For me personally, my mood dictates what I want to hear, but the more I go out, the more I gravitate to the second scene, because in all honesty, whilst I like seeing my mates, I get a bit bored with the music on the first one. That's not to detract from the first scene, it's still great music, but it's very much, in my mind anyway, a historical pilgrimage into the past, but when you're getting the same lesson week on week, it can get a little tedious.
Winnie