It's always been a mod thing for me definitely, as the whole Northern Soul "scene" is something that I just never felt any affinity with. I have no interest in Wigan Casino, Blackpool Mecca or the clubs that inspired the term, there are obviously immense parallels - soul and R&B music, but there's obviously plenty of room for both.
Please don't take this as a direct or implied criticism as I know that plenty enjoy the 70's take on this, but it's not for me. As an aside, I have a sister who is 15 years older than I (she's now 67) who was a mod in the sixties, and she absolutely hates the term "Northern Soul" with a vengeance. Her passion has always been for John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Booker T and Stax records, The Impressions, The Miracles and Ike & Tina, with loads of others in between, too.
This was great for me as I inherited her entire record collection from the period some 30 years ago, and I can tell you there was some fantastic stuff in there with shed loads of Sue, Oriole, London, Chess amongst around 300 singles, EP's and albums...
Thanks, Sis!