Chris Pitt

UPDATE: TICKETS NOW SOLD We have two tickets available for the 2023 Togetherness Northern Soul Weekender (Fri 10th Nov 2023 - Sun 12th Nov 2023) as we are no longer able to go. Tickets cost £49 each, looking for £70 for the pair (will send by secure post at no extra charge). Please email me at chriswpitt@icloud.com if you are interested. Thank you, Chris

Due to serious illness in the family we are cancelling our trip to Whitby this weekend. We have two full weekender tickets available to transfer through Ticketmaster if anyone wants them. Please email me: chriswpitt@icloud.com if you would like them. Best wishes, Chris

As said before – depends on how you dance. I like to shuffle and move my feet quickly. I’ve tried lots of soles, leather definitely best. With brogues I find it depends on whether it is a dress shoes or an everyday shoe (apologies if my terminology is wrong). By everyday shoes I mean the ones that have two layers of leather and can be resoled – I find these too heavy to dance in at times, especially stomping for hours on end. The dress shoes have just one layer and when they’re gone they’re gone, but these are much lighter and I dance better in them. My girlfriend and I started swing dancing a few years ago (Lindy Hop) and I came across some swing dance shoes by an American company called Aris Allen. I tried a pair (ordered from the US) cost around £90 after paying VAT at customs, so not a bad price – especially as I have danced a hole in the world with this pair and still use them today (though I’m in the process of breaking in a new pair). The Aris Allens are light as a feather (my slippers feel slightly heavier by comparison) but more to the point – they have a suede leather sole that lets me glide on the floor (same as ballroom soles but far less fussy-looking). The suede leather takes a bit of polishing up to get them really fast. It is advised not to wear these outside as they will soon tear to shreds, so I carry mine into events and change. That said, I have worn them outside a few times to begin with as this helps to polish up the suede to create a slick gliding surface. You have to be careful not to get them wet as this slows them right down – I can often be seen at events tiptoeing across the puddles in the gents. If you get them wet I find that buffing my feet on the carpet helps to dry them out though – if you’ve seen a bald-headed guy (though sometimes wearing a paperboy cap) dragging his feet at events and thought he was pretty weird, it was probably me trying to speed my shoes up. It’s also worth mentioning that if you find the shoes too fast for a particular floor you can slow them down by taking a trip to the toilets. Here's a link to their website: https://arisallen.com/collections/mens-dance-shoes I have only tried their canvas shoes, my last order was for two pairs and this came in at just under $200 with shipping and on this particular occasion they slipped in under the Customs radar so there was no import duty (but this is pure luck whether or not you get stuck with duties). So I’m quite pleased at $100 a pair – I’m 60 too, so they may just see me out! There was a place in London selling them at one time but not sure if anyone’s stocking them in the UK at this moment. I’ll post some pics too, of an old pair (right) and new pair (left). You can probably see how the suede leather has become hard and shiny on the older shoes. Hope this is of some help, Chris

Ahh! Yes, the earlier tour. Not a huge fan myself but it was great to hear some Northern live.

That must be why you're called Wicked! I managed to see the gig and saw him a few months earlier too, at Hinckley where they recorded a live album. Managed to go back stage at Colwyn Bay and meet him, along with Frank Allison, Gaynor Mantle and Mark (Chunky) Lawton - happy days! This is me pictured with the Major (courtesy of Chunky) - I'm the one on the right...

Oops, was listening to wrong video!

One Wonderful Moment - The Shakers