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.

There is a 4th category I think....a newer one. Emanating from lessons provided by an individual who has never been on the scene and still doesn't feel any need to go to venues despite declaring themselves as a former World Champion and purveyor on Northern Soul Dancing. At aa cost of course. This next summary is of course just my personal opinion: It provides perfect fodder/clients/punters for Goldsoul type companies. They anoint the duff champions and patronise them. One particular champion (some other so called NS dance teachers too) make people believe that you can’t just go to a Northern soul event without knowing some imagined steps and voila !!! A new market of soulless line dancers is born and gaining momentum at a rapid (or rabid) pace, all of whom who have forsaken the route of discovery that provides a solid true in road (listening, meeting people, watching, absorbing, taking time, appreciating the music...a bit of depth). Suddenly it’s just about steps and a total disconnect to the music and scene. In my opinion it robs the scene of 'soul'. $th level.mp4

Yes, on second thoughts its not surprising he's behind it.....

N0, she is neither. Its soul artists being gaslighted by an imagined "Levanna and the Streets of Soul' entity. More disappointing and shocking is the fact that Richard is promoting it.

Yes its a normal run of the mill NS compilation with tracks obviously put forward by Charly. So why are they trying to fool people into thinking she 'made' it? It appears to be deliberately obscuring the fact its just a compilation, but replacing any respect or acknowledgement of the musicians with a manufactured 'celebutante' as a marketing ploy. For a scene built on music and a celebration of those who made it just appears that these people (Charly included) don't give a 'flying duck' about it....just the potential profit margins.

Well, fortunately for the world of 'comedy dancing' it was Kev Roberts who raised her status from YouTube parody/comedy act (One half of Sal & Pops) to "World Champion Northern Soul Dancer". A case of one mega-narcissist emboldening another via a ridiculously named competition thats a part of a Historical re-enactment weekend in Blackpool. She, as i have said before, was not ever a part of the scene, hence winning the divvy Blackpool Competition: it seems to be a requirement. She actually, seriously, believes she is a World Champion Northern Soul Dancer because Kev anointed her, and unfortunately her marketing convinces the poor fools who pay for this stuff to believe they are learning something to do with Northern Soul. It's all a part of the erasure of the complex history of Northern Soul to replace it with a gentrified, clean, drug free, re-imagined, saleable history that these indivvyiduals can sell. Its new cleaned up image suits the BBC of course and the Proms etc. Its the same reason Breaking is in the Olympics, they need new audiences, but not the real historical context: emanating from the Bronx slums: its how gentrification works. Another notable monetising effort by the Blackpool re-enactment society is the meet and greet fiasco they are advertising where Levanna and the Streets of Soul (it sounds like a musical group but is not, which is Charly Records idea I think) are launching 'her album'. A new turn in the NS compilation market, wherein the musicians are not mentioned or invited or celebrated, but instead replaced by a 'celebutante' (as Charly call her) who people are encouraged to celebrate in place of the musicians and the musics origins. Richard had to turn off comments on his post due to backlash. Charly don't appear to offer any of the many NS DJ /collector compilers the same degree of celebrity manufacturing, a meet and greet, even though their knowledge and experience is far worthier. Could it be a 'blonde haired blue eyed female' marketing thing that draws Charly to attempt this cynical shift? It certainly fooled many on the scene at the beginning, but now only the historical-re-enactment scene seem to accept such silly-ness. Can anyone explain who Levanna and the streets of Soul are? Is it a musical group? A marketing bureau? A manufactured title to make people think they made the music?

It was related to the topic of line-dancing....and the origins of this new trend.

video-1715412243-1.MP4 Just everything the scene was never about. Plus a load of totally inaccurate rubbish, co-opting and re-writing history. Not ever on the scene, just arrogant enough to believe their own drivel. (only my opinion of course and i'm sure many will say "we welcome all new blood").

Another great summary.

I really miss Fran, her sudden passing was a shock, and I cant believe its been 10 years already! I didn't really know her back in the day, though our paths crossed. I first go to know her properly when I invited her up to Manchester in 2002 to share her personal experience of the scene and dancing, with the actors in 'Once Upon A Time in Wigan': she was very generous and inspiring. A truly genuine, humble, kind, funny, soulful person, and a really fantastic dancer whose soulful energy and love of the music was something you felt viscerally if you danced near her. She always brought a smile to my face when I saw her. A true one off!

Yes indeed.