Kathryn Magson

Well said Mark - couldn't have put it better myself! I didn't watch any of it - it's all a "thanks but no thanks" from me.

Back in the 1960s my mate's Mum was on dexedrine capsules (brown & clears) - we tried nicking a few from the bottle (no such thing as blister packs back in those days...) It only worked once - her Mum sussed it out very quickly, so after that we split the capsules in half...poured out some of the granules & then we went to great efforts trying to put all the capsules back into the bottle with the clear side facing downwards (very tricky lol), so it was less obvious that they were only half full........it didn't work for very long - her Mum soon worked out that the meds weren't working & she wasn't losing any weight so then she hid her bottle of goodies somewhere safe.

I wouldn't have got through the nighters that I used to go to when I was a teenager without a bit of chemical assistance! I have a few friends who still like a dabble, but I'm far too old, boring & sensible nowadays....but then I don't do the nighters any more either....... Green & clears were my favourites back in the day.

He'd probably been to one of these "Northern Soul dance Classes" & learned how to do it properly Martin..........

Think I'm glad I missed that one!

I'll second that one Solidsoul - it's all way too cheesy for me!

Found it on you tube - it's bloody awful!

I only go to local soul nights now & even then it's only about once a month or so nowadays.

One night I remember being at The Wheel & as usual I'd thrown my handbag into a corner along with a few other bags & then hit floor (off my head as always lol). After a while I needed a drink, so went to get my purse out - only to find it had been nicked, along with all my make-up! At the time it felt like a disaster to me - there I was - 40 miles from home - penniless & no money at all to get home or to see me through the week until payday........It felt like a really bad night. Then word got round that I was in a bit of a tight spot & people kept coming to me with whatever spare cash they had. Friends from all over the UK were handing me the odd shilling or two - whatever they had spare. A shilling might not sound very much now, but at least if I had 5 shillings for my bus fare it would have got me back to Bradford & I could worry about the rest of the week later! In the end I had enough money to go to the Top 20 on the Sunday, plus just about enough to scrape through the week till payday. What had felt like a bad night turned into a really good one - made me realize just how many good mates I had! I can also recall spending most of one Saturday night being questioned in that "shop" across the road to The Wheel in Whitworth Street - I eventually made it to the Wheel but very late - around 2am I think.......

Feeling a bit nostalgic now looking at all the old flyers, so I thought I'd have a bit of a dig around online & see what I could find in the way of photos from those heady nights at The Wheel. I have to say I don't recall ever seeing anyone with a camera - think a lot would have been freaked out by it - but someone obviously managed to take a few pics. Here's a selection of some of the photos that I found - I just can't resist scanning the faces to see if I can spot anyone familiar! lol I think the only face I really recognize for sure is Ivor Abadi standing outside the entrance......

Ok - blame Bunderthollox for this one! I was there for around 95% of these nighters - I tried a few other venues but none lived up to The Wheel. I was there most weekends from 1966-70 - off my head & bouncing around the floor!

I'm surprised I can remember as much as I do Julian - it's all a bit of a jumble though.........

I got into it all before it was even known as Northern Soul - I started going to The Wheel in 1966 (aged 15) & there was just no looking back - I was absolutely sold on it all! Used to tell my parents that I would be sleeping at a mate's house - she told her parents that she was staying at mine. It all worked just fine until her mum came to my house one Sunday afternoon looking for her daughter......I was grounded for weeks! Eventually I got thrown out of home & ended up in a bedsit, so then I could please myself - Twisted Wheel every single weekend for me! Come Saturday evening, my overnight bag would be packed & ready to go....I used to catch the bus from Bradford to Manchester - usually along with a few others - but often on my own & then I would meet up with mates from other areas when I got to Manchester. After the Wheel, I usually spent Sundays at The Top 20, but a couple of times went to The Blue Note - music was good but I found the atmosphere there a bit oppressive, so The Top 20 was always favourite. I was always skint - I would pay my rent & after that every penny of my wage would be saved for the weekend. Luckily for me, the place I worked at had a very cheap canteen so I didn't need to spend money on food! Weekends didn't really involve eating did they? I went to The Wheel pretty much every weekend for 4 years & had a great time - I saw so many brilliant bands there - way too many to list. Here's a few off the top of my head -- Jr Walker; Flamingoes; Band Wagon; Ike & Tina; Root & Jenny Jackson; Joe Tex; J.J. Jackson; Geno Washinton; Edwin Starr............I could go on forever & bore you all to tears! Would I turn back the clock & do it all again??? You bet I would - in a bloody heartbeat! (Maybe go a bit easier on the whizz this time though........)

My thoughts exactly! It would be SO good if we could stuff that genie back into his bottle.........

Thanks for an interesting read! Oh how I wish I'd kept all my old flyers.............

When we looked round The Ritz a couple of weeks ago, I think the person that showed us around was the owner (or co-owner). She told us that they had tried absolutely everything they could think of - the local council to see if any help was available - reduced rates etc - heritage funding had also been tried & refused - listed building status - but nothing was forthcoming. She seemed really frustrated & disappointed at the lack of response from the authorities - it must have cost the current owners a small fortune in rates & insurance alone to keep things going while they tried for help with funding & that they had now run out of options. It was costing too much to keep on flogging the proverbial "dead horse" & now - sadly - demolition seems to be the only option. The place is in such a sad, sorry state that I reckon the cost of restoration would be prohibitive anyway.