Great thread, very interesting stories. It was 1975 at secondary school and in the cloakroom at the end of the corridor was a crowd of boys watching something. I got closer to see three 5th year lads doing spins, backdrops and everything in between to the sound of soul coming from a cassette player. I asked a kid, "what's this?" To which he replied, "it's northern soul you div, dow yow know nuffink?" I was mesmerized and tried to learn and hear more and found out about soul nights in nearby Wolverhampton and other black country venues but my parents wouldn't let me go. So until I was old enough I had to suffer hearing my dad's god-awful modern jazz and my sister's toe curling pop charts sh*te around the house. In 1979 I started technical college and met another apprentice electrician in class who went to Wigan once a month...and the rest is history! I still try to crowbar in a soul night once a month now, despite arthritis and everything else. KTF.