BazM

CULCHETH, as was LOWTON, a tale of two rooms and while the main room is dedicted to rare and underplayed, the second room is most definitely, the 'Do within a Do' bringing you all things 'Modern' The brand new releases from Pete Ratcliffe, soulful 70's and more from Steve Plumb, 80's album trackin' from Bill Wildman and a great mix of boogie 12's thru to rare dancers from Nick McKinnon, all topped off with the rarest of the rare dusties from Charlie Smith! Make It a Date...

Speaking of HOT!

The weather may not be great but be assured the music will be HOT! Two rooms of ‘sizzling’ tuneage is guaranteed for the next night at CULCHETH on SATURDAY 3rd AUGUST, when rare, underplayed and down-right great, 60’s and 70’s is served by our resident DJ’s KEV MURPHY, SIMON INGHAM and BAZ MALEEDY, along with SPECIAL GUEST GINGER TAYLOR in the main room and the best in modern soul from the last four decades is the word from DJ’s STEVE PLUMB, CHARLIE SMITH, NICK McKINNON, BILL WILDMAN and PETE RATCLIFFE in the modern room!

Piercebridge NYSD Soul Weekender July 12th – 13th 2024 Every so often an event comes along that’s for whatever reason is just a little under the radar to the masses, Piercebridge NYSD Weekender last weekend was such event. A relatively quiet lead-up to the Friday start, meant me and my compadre for the weekend, Ged Lunt, were fairly cautious about how it was all going to go. As it turns out, caution was very quickly thrown to the wind…as soon as we arrived; mid Friday afternoon, we were greeted by the promoters and hosts for the weekender, Karl ‘Chalky’ White, Gary Prescott and local lad and original instigator of the weekender, Harry Brigg. From then on it was a case of meeting face, after familiar face, including Simon Ingham, who had brought the ‘Sure-Truth’ microbus with our drinking partners for the weekend, and oh how we drank Once settled in to the hotel, which is quaint but at the same time perfect for this event, the right number of rooms, the right number of bars, welcoming staff, and reasonable bar prices, spot on, (check out the piccies!) So, the right people were here, what about the music? Well that was spot-on too, the afternoon collectors, ‘chill out’ sessions on both Friday and Saturday were brilliant, just check out the playlists on Facebook and Soul Source to testify to that. Eleven DJ’s in all, diggin’ and featuring records from their collections to the delight of a truly appreciative audience. The sun nearly came out, but didn’t quite make it, but the barbie on Saturday afternoon, definitely did And so to the ‘Main Events’! Well what can say, Friday night was a cracker and Saturday night with weekender later arrivals, was even better…From Dale Byers starting proceedings on Friday evening, all the way through to Gary Prescott finishing off at 2:30 am on Sunday morning, it was tune after tune, much to the delight of the near-enough, full house on Saturday! Gotta give a special mention to Sweden’s CARL HEDBERG who travelled over, just for Saturday night, he joined the festivities, drank lots, danced lots and to top it off, played an absolutely brilliant set! Soooo, if you missed it, don’t miss it next time, cause it’s a bloody great weekend and needs to be on your bucket list. Here’s a few tunes I played on Saturday afternoon in the Chill Out lounge Lou Pride Bringing Me Back Home I’m So Happy The Dupremes Loves Gonna Do You In The Autographs Change in My Life 2001 Black Essence Baby I Love You Jimmie Ellis Sweet Temptation Sunday Jordan Why Can’t It Be The Compacts Crying Clown Billy Sha-Rae Somebody Stole My Love Frankie Zhivago Young You Mean Everything To Me Sweet Pearl I Never Found a Girl ‘Sammy’ Put Me in the Mood Art Jerry Miller I’ll Never Change The La’ Dellics Whatcha Gonna Do Sandra Feva I’ll Come Running Back Eddie Hinton Didn’t You Know It One Way You Lift Me Tee Gee Where Could I Go The Michigan Soul Searchers

Looking forward to what was a brilliant weekender, last New Year and by all accounts even better in Summer! It's a great venue, with superb facilities, set in a lovely little village (not that we'll see much of it ) Two fantastic function rooms hosting the Friday and Saturday sessions and the Saturday afternoon 'Chill out' session, all of which, at the last one were brilliant! Great mix of 60's and 70's tunes will be the mainstay for the masses, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure Definitely a great way to spend your weekend!

Gotta thank everyone who came to CULCHETH on Saturday, to be honest I thought we would really struggle with the England game being on and peeps partaking of the amber nectar then deciding to continue to partake in more amber nectar BUT we didn’t, so there was a good crowd in the club on Saturday for both the Northern room and the Modern room. Crackin’ sets from the DJ’s in both rooms. First got to mention CHARLIE SMITH, for opening proceedings with his first main room set at CULCHETH and dropping some fantastic records from his lavish box, Bob and Fred, Bobby Rich, Oliver Christian, Johnnie Mae Matthews, Andrea Henry, Delegates of Soul, Constellations, Chuck Cockerham, Bill Bush, The Trends, True Image, and Carol Anderson, to name a few. Charlie was followed by SIMON INGHAM, who never fails and as always played a superb selection of sounds and really set the tone of the night, Blue Jays, Trends, Adventures, Tony Clarke, Nat Hall, Ernie Washington sounding mighty fine to these ears. Next up was our special guest for the night, MR JOHN VINCENT. Now Johns’ sets at the Casino were always an education for me and I’ve always loved the fact that he’d go out on a limb to break tunes he had faith in and he still does that to this day, which fits with the CULCHETH ethos. So, on that basis we heard tracks from Jack Dupree, Johnnie Mae Matthews, Hayes Cotton, Joe Matthews, Oliver Joy, Anetta Archibald, Gloria Edwards, Tranells, Sammy Campbell, Appointments, Judy Stokes, Gail Nevels, Emory & the Dynamics, Combinations and the Kings of Soul to name but a few. Once John finished wowing us, all that was left was KEV MURPHY to dig in to his fabulous box of tunes and send everyone home happy with favourites from Stanley Mitchell, Al Williams, The Midnighters, Four Voices, Deltours, Damon Fox, Capitols, Professionals Del Larks and one of my al-time favourites Cont the Days by The Magnetics. A good night was had and already looking forward to the next night on AUGUST 3rd when we welcome GINGER TAYLOR

Looking forward to welcoming TOP Rare Soul DJ JOHN VINCENT to CULCHETH SOUL CLUB this Saturday, JULY 6th…John has been a part of the scene for 50+ years and when it comes to the music has always ‘pushed the boundaries’ whether it was at the Casino, through to his current sets at venues like the Soul Shack, so expect the unexpected, this Saturday!

Never let it be said that we are not ‘On the Ball’ Utilising all the facilities at the superb CULCHETH VILLAGE CLUB, we are pleased to tell you that we will be having at THREE ROOM – SOUL n SOCCER SPECIAL on SATURDAY 6th JULY to encompass the England – Switzerland Euros match by inviting you to the venue ‘FAN ZONE’ in the bar! Enjoy the atmosphere as England move to the next stage of the competition between 5 and 7(ish)and then on to the soul night in the Rare Soul and Modern Soul rooms from 8pm till 1am… Can’t say much about the England team but the ‘Soul Team’ on the night will be made up of Special Guest JOHN VINCENT, KEV MURPHY, SIMON INGHAM and CHARLIE SMITH in the main room and STEVE PLUMB, BAZ MALEEDY, NICK McKINNON and PETE RATCLIFFE in the Modern Room, a winning combination and a TOP RESULT GUARANTEED! See You, This Saturday!...

This is really getting some 'traction' in the venues, great 'Northern Soul', (or is it just 'Rare Soul'?) to these ears and just shows there's sooo many sounds away from the tried and tested to come through and keep many of us wanting more...

INCOMMING! One for July 6th... sounding just right

Dunno for sure Mick but agree much missed, great dj and supplier of tasty tunes for my collection back in the day

So, here I am goin' through the racks at a well known record shop in Blackpool, I look up and waddya know!

CULCHTH MODERN ROOM ' So Soulful Saturdays' The MODERN ROOM itself, hosted by STEVE PLUMB has become known in its own right for the brilliant ‘So Soulful Saturdays’ sessions as the ‘Do within a Do’, Completely self-contained in its own room with its own dancefloor, own bar, own sound system and own music from its own DJ’s. the aforementioned STEVE PLUMB, being joined by BAZ MALEEDY, NICK McKINNON and PETE RATCLIFE, spinning everything from the latest brand new vinyl releases, through to the crème of crossover, soulful 70’s, funk and soul from back in the day and a selection of quality ‘steppers’, mean something for everyone and anyone with a liking for more Modern sounds. Every month new faces join loyal regulars at CULCHETH, so why not come along on JULY 6th and take a look for yourself; we’d love to see you…

Worth going just to hear this IMHO... see you Saturday!

Well, summer is here so getting out and about should be a little easier, and more of an attraction on these pleasant evenings…..OK that’s the pleasantries’ over with so let’s get down to business, and what ‘business’ we have for you! After pausing for a short intake of breath, we are pleased to announce the next instalment of the CULCHETH TWO ROOM SOUL NIGHTS on SATURDAY 6th JULY. The brilliant night in June with Ted and Taz was always going to be a challenge to follow, BUT we think we’ve done it! with a real cracker lined up for you… So, without further ado, we are pleased to announce our Special Guest DJ for the night is none other than Mr. JOHN VINCENT! Now, if you’ve been part of our wonderful scene during the past five decades you may just know the name JOHN VINCENT! If not, let us enlighten you…John has been DJing on the Northern scene since around 1970 pushing the boundaries musically and, because of his reputation, playing at some of the most iconic venues in the North of England and beyond including Samantha’s, Wigan Casino, Cleethorpes Pier, Notts Palais, Tiffany’s, Ashton, Whitchurch Civic Centre, Central Hall, Kettering, Peterborough’s Wirrina’, St. Ives (Cambs), Morcambe Pier, Ritz (Manchester), Leeds Central, 100 Club, Crossfire, Tiffanies, Coalville, Blackhearts (Nottingham), Lowton (Wigan), Swinton (Manchester), Boat Club (Nottingham), Keele, Wigan Empire, Skegness Weekender, Bridlington Weekender, Scarborough and more recently, the Soul Shack ‘nighters and soul nights! So, you can see why it’s an absolute pleasure to welcome such an iconic DJ to grace the decks at CULCHETH on July 6 th . John will be joined in the main room by CULCHETH residents KEV MURPHY and back off his hols SIMON INGHAM. All this plus one of our favourite Modern Room DJ’s, CHARLIE SMITH will be putting the finishing touch to the main room lineup, playing an ‘across the board’ set of Northern and super rare Modern! Don’t Miss This Great Night Out! Watch This Space For More Info…

So, where to start? Well first with BIG THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who came along to CULCHETH TWO ROOM SOUL NIGHT on Saturday, and a special thank you to the DJ’s in both the main room and modern room for their commitment and choices of music. It’s obvious that the CULCHETH Soul Night is definitely ‘carving a niche’ with the North-West soul crowd as a place where you can hear and dance to some of the best music being played today, in the true spirit of our scene, a spirit that has always encompassed everything good about the music we love and the ethos that has kept many of us engaged over the years. Nothing was more evident than that on Saturday, with everyone loving the music being played in their room of choice, whether that was the rarer side of 60’s and 70’s soul in the main room or Modern from the past four decades, in the Modern Room, with some folks spending time in both rooms and enjoying the sounds being featured in each. Which brings me to the DJ’s and the music featured on Saturday. Overall, it was quite frankly, a top mix with something for everyone. In the ‘Northern’ room, I heard everything from the Dynamics wonderful, mid-tempo ‘You Make Me Feel Good’ to the stomping, mega rare Mello Souls ‘We Can Make It’ and everything in between, with all having a real, floor-filling effect. (See Video) The Modern Room was the same, straight from the off on Saturday, with Pete Ratcliffe showcasing all the latest new, vinyl releases, which is something that people are now travelling to hear, cause in many cases CULCHETH is the ONLY place you’ll hear these records being played in a venue environment, something that really brings these records to ‘life’. Then, carry on into the night and you’ll hear quality steppers like Memphis ‘Inside My Love’, dancefloor favourites, such as Keni Burke ‘Let Somebody Love You’, right through to mega rare 70’s 45’s from the likes of Joseph Webster, Richard Caiton and Fluorescent Smogg ! So, once again thanks to everyone for making CULCHETH a soul lovers ‘must visit’, monthly event… NEXT NIGHT JULY 6th with SPECIAL GUEST DJ JOHN VINCENT <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftsopsoul%2Fvideos%2F1606532149891004%2F%3Fidorvanity%3D316483758485723&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe> 20240601_232614.mp4

Out from the shadows of its big brother, 'I'm Gonna Get To You', this could well fit the bill for Saturday...

Rare, underplayed or just great... Voice Your Choice! Post yours here...

One week to go and looking forward to the return to CULCHETH of Ted Massey along with one of the busiest guys on the scene, Taz Robathan. great to se some of the choices that's going to be on offer on Saturday... Here's a MONSTER from Teds' box

Be rude not to Mate, total floorfiller, and one of my fave twofurs

The Modern Room @ CULCHETH really is ‘The Do within a Do’. As part of the CULCHETH SOUL NIGHTS, the modern room is self-contained with its own bar, dancefloor, excellent sound system and resident DJ’s. The DJ’s at CULCHETH give the night its own flavour, with residents STEVE PLUMB, NICK McKINNON, CHARLIE SMITH, BILL WILDMAN and PETE RATCLIFFE, providing a base for showcasing quality Modern Soul to an appreciative crowd. PETE RATCLIFFE normally starts he night at 8pm with an hour of all the latest brand new vinyl 45 soul releases, and CULCHETH is probably one of the only places in the UK where you will hear these tracks featured and played out collectively in a club environment. Pete is followed by Steve Plumb, normally with the first of two sets in the night as Steve like to ‘test the water’, early doors, with a selection of recent purchases, selections from the crates and latest promos. ‘Can You Dig It’ resident, NICK Mc KINNON likes to go back to the 70’s and 80’s to showcase some great forgotten tracks as well as a selection of classics from the likes of Parkers Manchester, the Ritz and many other top Modern venues of the era. NICK is complimented by BILL WILDMAN, a DJ from much loved, North West clubs, such as CASSINELLIS and NEWTON CRICKET CLUB, so Bill’s choices reflect the dancefloor winners from that era. CHARLIE SMITH is building a loyal following of Soul lovers who like their Modern tunes to be on the 'rarer side of the tracks', as anyone visiting the CULCHETH Modern room and listening and most definitely, dancing to CHARLIE’S platters, will certainly know. Join us for a great night of quality, across the decades Modern Soul on June 1st and find out for yourselves…

Well received last month, so why not, fits with the Culcheth 'Vibe' Here's another starting to get the recognition it deserves...

An old LOWTON fave, back on the decks up and around coutesey of Taz, GREAT TWFUR