Paul-s

First time I have looked at that site. Amazing how many brilliant underplayed tunes are on there at OK prices, but not touched by punters.

It was full of nighters and nights in the 80's. The wheat and chaff tourists had gone and it was down to a dedicated group of soulies to keep it going: and GO it did. In addition to the ones you mention, I remember Warrington, Rotherham, KGB, Cleethorpes, Bradford, Blackburn, Morecambe, and loads of nights like the Tracky in Barnsley. It was a great period as far as I experienced. Went a bit dark and quiet after 'Operation Crossbow' (I think that was its name), but bounced back.

Ursula von der Leyen

https://www.solatio.co.uk/browse-shop/

Very sad news. I had some great chats with Carl over the years and always enjoyed his spots. A lovely man.

Thanks mate.

Yes, but he's a nasty bit of (highly lobbied) work...

Hi Gary, I do have Manchester Contact and a London show on DVD, but the writer (who was commissioned and paid by myself) and at that time was a long time friend, used an agent that totally screwed me in terms of sharing any footage with dialogue in it. I was naive in terms of contracts and just signed it, based on him being a friend. They did this because they thought they could cut me out and make money on re-stagings, but, minus the soul of the project, all of them were a bit feeble and the script was cleaned up and it was even staged with the Flying Pickets singing live... It's interesting that no-one has ever thought to interview me about this entire period. Many like to make assumptions that i made loads of money etc. I actually lost my flat in Manchester and was bankrupted by the third tour due to different entities, like the marketing manager, not doing their jobs. It grew massively really fast and it was hard to keep up. I was offered a West End staging but they wanted to use 'live' singers and it was not a play about that. It was about 'vinyl obsession', working class politics, Thatcher, apprenticeships, shit housing, love, loss, drugs, escape, my life. Ultimately it was only meant to be a (short run) tribute to the music and musicians, and people, and scene that enabled me to have moments of pure soulful joy in my teens. But, on the first night as the audience cheered, cried, danced and re-united with old friends, we knew we had a phenomenon on our hands. At that time NO ONE wanted to help...Wigan Council distanced themselves from the image (now they embrace it) and I was ripped off by quite a few well known people on the scene trying to profit from the play. Anyway, one day maybe ill get down to writing about this. It would be nice to hare the DVD but unfortunately I cant. Best Paul

Of course. we are all entitled to our views based on our attendance throughout the decades with no break. Underground, Overground as the Womble's might say.

Everyone being literally everyone? Im confused... No. Thats a very simplistic reply.

Made me really nostalgic mentioning those venues.....what times and full of real out there characters...just finding Sheridan's was a rite of passage...

spot on mate...

Its not just about replicating physical moves taught by someone whose never been on the scene. So creating exact copies of a YouTuber...who dances like a cod Morris dancers impression of Northern Soul dancing. Its never, on the scene i've been on for decades, been about just the way you move to music. Maybe Im alone in this experience...it was always deeper and more connected than that...more complex in an unsaid way.