TheBigO

Just found out via Ceefax that Arthur Conley died of a heart attack yesterday. Sweet Soul Music was the first soul record I can remember hearing as a mere lad of 13 and thinking what a blinding record it was. Feel as part of my youth has just gone. Sad news indeed.

Just to confirm that Sam and Mick are both at the Plinston tonight (14th Nov) and I have spoken with them so there you have it. Come along and sample the collective soulfulness of them both, along with other very special guest Terry Jones and The Usual Suspects: Hammie, Taffy, Nathan, TheBigO, Ab, Leon and The OHaras. Mr Mischief will also be gracing our decks between 9-10pm so please come along and heckle him :-) Going to be another 400 packer!

Ive had a load of e-mails through this morning from very confused soul lovers re: the fact that it seems that both Lowton and the Plinston both have the same DJs on, namely Soul Sam and Mick H, despite both venues being at opposite ends of the UK. All I can tell you is that I spoke with Sam on Tuesday and arranged his breakfast for the Saturday morning so he is DEFO on at the Plinston this Friday (as always) and Mick H has been booked for ages so I expect him to be gracing our decks as well. I have e-mailed him to confirm but this still leaves me scratching my head as to why they were both listed. More info as and when I get it but for now as far as the North Herts 6Ts Mafia is concerned both guys are DJing at the Plinston tomorrow. Hope this helps to ease the head scratching and save another 35 e-mails landing on our electronic door mat! TheBigO

Friday approaches and the tickets are starting to fly out the door so if your travelling any distance to join us at North Herts No 1 Rare Soul venue (ok, the only rare soul venue in North Herts!!!) then make sure youve either reserved or brought a ticket beforehand to ensure you get in! The last one was a 420 packer so call the box office on 01462-672003 or drop us a line at nh6tsmafia@aol.com. Tickets for our January 16th event will also be on sale from Friday when we are joined by the Gods that are Mick Smith (his sense of direction permitting!) and Butch, spinning not only Northern in the Main Hall but also, for the first time ever, Modern/Crossover upstairs in The Ghetto! with Soul Sam, Taffy and Nathan. An event not to be missed. Lastly, all those who have been asking about The Honey Monster on the poster can make themselves known to him this Friday where he will more than likely Stomp in the name of love. See ya on the night for a quality soul bash. TheBigO

Ah, its that time once again to remind you of the forthcoming Northern Soul @ The Plinston! event being held on the 14th November from 8pm-2am and for which tickets are now available, or can be reserved on the door by calling the number below or emailing us directly. Our guests are the lovely Terry Jones upstairs in The Ghetto!, joining Soul Sam, Taffy and Nathan and the slightly less hair-on-his-head Mick H in the Main Room with the Usual Suspects. The Mojo Room will feature the regular band of R&B/RnS devotees in there and back in its new home of the SG6 room. Also available on the night will be the January 16th tickets when our very special guests will be Butch and Mick Smith (with Mick doing his first ever Modern Soul set upstairs) and we expect this to be a sell-out very quickly so get them whilst they are there!!!! The January flyer and the trading card will be posted on this fair site any day now, just as soon as Mike can pull his finger out :-) (On the subject of Mike has anyone else noticed his resemblence to The Master from Dr Who????? Could explain a few things...hmmmmm) Right more later. If you need to buy your tickets then call the box office on 01462-672003 or reserve them on the door by mailing us at nh6tsmafia@aol.com (tell them TheBigO sent ya.) Until then......to the Batmobile Robin............

All 3 rooms saw heavy dance floor action, with an enthusiastic up-for-it crowd from the start dripping sweat and an electric atmosphere that filled the building. Even the fact that the Main Bar was shut due to refurbishment, resulting in the SG6 Bar being used as the main bar and a temporary bar set up in the Mojo Room, didn't dampen the spirits. Everyone received a free woven anniversary patch and a raffle ticket as they walked through the door and the usual warm greeting from the Sinister Sisters. The mix of sounds was well balanced and all the DJ's, the Usual Suspects and guests alike, did a blinding job. Current Monsters, Forgotten Oldies, New Discoveries and Complete One-Off Exclusives (Soul Sam had stopped off at Manship's on the way down and visited Butch earlier) mixed with those Plinston anthems which had many dancing for the full 6 hrs. The Main Hall was rammed, the Mojo Room saw it's busiest night ever (so much so that at one stage when Big Daddy Bicknell was on you couldn't even get into the room!) and the Ghetto! lived up to Sam's declaration that it was certainly one of the best Modern rooms in the country. Praise indeed. On a lighter note, the best moment of the night came for me in The Ghetto! when I needed to get to the decks. The room was jammed solid with people getting down (even Mr Flynn was seen up there at one stage) and I had to raise my arms above my head to squeeze through. Halfway down the hall I look behind and everyone was now dancing with their arms high in the air, quickly becoming the whole room! My pleas that I wasn't getting them to dance like me fell on deaf ears as I was carried along on a tide of arm waving, grooving people. It was a special moment - NUTTERS!!! Our thanks go to Mark Bicknell, Soul Sam and Dave 'Morten' Flynn who between them all played truly excellent sets, perhaps the best I've heard them play all year. They went down a storm with the appreciate crowd and truly deserved the thunderous applause they received. The Usual Suspects were also on top form and thanks go to them for their support to the club and for spinning those rare platters over the past 12 months. The dance competition lived up to our promise of being one with a distinct 6T's Mafia twist, which saw the dancers dancing to Mr Day 'Soul On Wax' and The Coasters 'Crazy Baby' for the first round. The sea of dancers was then whittled down to 6 to dance in the final and this is where we retained our Mafia vibe as they were then forced to dance to win to the cheesy Latin dancer that is Al Escobar&His Swinging Camels 'I Watched You Slowly Slip Away'. The looks on their faces and the laughter and smiles from the crowd that filled the hall made it a MasterCard moment - priceless! The winners of the cash were Carol in 1st place, Trixster in 2nd and the lovely Dave Hill from Slade (Reg) in 3rd. Roll on next year's comp and you have been warned! The raffle draw saw many winning CD's, DVD (Standing In The Shadows Of Motown), baseball caps, record vouchers and for one lucky winner free entry as a 'Made Man' to the Plinston for a year. Thanks go to Beatin' Rhythm Records in Manchester, Turntable Record Lists and Keith Hammond for their kind donations. 2am came around too soon and we ended the night with the Plinston anthem 'We're having a Friday Night Get-Together' by Eddy Jacobs and the place erupted with cheers, calls for more and one or two tears for what had been a brilliant night. Our thanks go to all who supported us, not only on the night but also throughout the year. The Plinston is only successful and as popular as it is because of your support and we truly appreciate it. Thanks are also due to the Sinister Sisters of Jane, Kay, Sarah and Jenny for their tireless work on the door, taking both the praise, chat-up lines and abuse as well as the money. Roll on Friday 14th November when we kick start our 2nd year with Mick H and Terry Jones - Remember, there is a reason why we say 'HERTS - FULL OF SOUL!' TheBigO * Footnote: As that grand old wizard of Modern/Crossover Soul, the legend that is Soul Sam, snuggled up in our spare room bed at the end of what had been a great night for him, how I longed for a camera to record his sleepy little frame tucked up soundly in bed with the Harry Potter bedsheets pulled tight around and Harry himself perched on the shelf above looking down on him! Sleep well SoulfulSam, sleep well. * We have had extra patches made for those that wish to have them at £5 each, available at the next night or by post. Interested? Drop us a line at nh6tsmafia@aol.com

Ok, things have now gone MAD!!!!! Tickets are flying out the door at an alarming rate as everyone seems to have woken up to the idea that this Fridays Anniversary looks set to be a sell-out. So, once again, if you are travelling distance to be with us on this unique night (unique in the respect that its an anniversary in September that doesnt mention the word Wigan or Casino!) make sure you either get a ticket from the box office at £8 (01462-672003) or from me (01462-731543 or email at nh6tsmafia@aol.com) otherwise you are running the risk of having to do a Martha - namely dancing in the streets. See you there Friday with the other 400+ for the usual debauchery and fun and games. TheBigO

Havent seen it myself but have had mails saying that the latest ECHOES has managed to not mention our 1st anniversary at all and have also managed to put all our details under another venues event????? If this is the case can you lovely people spread the word that we are on and that we will not be djing at the stated venue. Confused? Not as much as me!!!! Cheers...TheBigO

Afternoon all and time for a shameless plug for our forthcoming event (At least Im honest) at North Herts No 1 Rare Soul club - The Plinston Hall, Letchworth. Read more for very important news! Ive had a couple of mails asking if they can turn up on the night travelling from Manchester and I said yes they can but chances are they wont get in as we expect this to be a sell-out, much along the lines of the opening night last year. Sooooooooo, PLEASE, if you are travelling to the event either reserve your tickets at the box office (01462-672003) or drop me (TheBigO) a line at nh6tsmafia@aol.com and we will hold them with the Sinister Sisters on the door. As the lovely Kay Seabrook is on the door on the night wed suggest you heed our words as she may want to kill you if you travel distance without a ticket and then have a moan that you cant get in....... Weve confirmed Mick H and Terry Jones for the Nov 14th event and the Godlike Butch for our Jan event so make notes in your diaries. Ill be posting the latest Trading Cards and flyers over the weekend and a list of some of the tip top toons weve spun at the venue in all 3 rooms. Right, spread the word and come along and check out one of the most talked about venues in the South. TheBigO * Dave Flynn has agreed NOT to be spinning his rare A-Ha acetates on the night for those that have been concerned after reading his Trading Card!

:-D Just a quickie to let those who are coming to the Plinston Hall in Letchworth tomorrow that we will be selling the anniversary tickets on the door as well priced at £8. Dave Flynn, Mark Bicknell and Soul Sam join the Usual Suspects. Details nest week. Also we will be passing the collection bucket around for the final time for the Royal Marsden so bring extra cash please :-) Lastly Taffy and I would like to pass on our gratitude for all the messages of support and thanks we have recieved following the Soulgate Alldayer. It was a pleasure to be involved with and we are hoping to organise a memorial event in Randys honour/memory every year. See ya soon TheBigO

SOULGATE N14 OH HAPPY DAY! - THE REVIEW Jane and I arrived at the ‘Rising Sun’ for 11.30am to be greeted by the collective mugging of the rest of Letchworth’s 6T’s Mafia, bedecked in the memorial T-shirts, and more than a little banter of a very dubious nature! 12pm and the doors opened and Trickster and his new lovely wife, Etsu graced the decks for the first set, spinning some stomping Northern monsters from across the eras. The standard had been set with a cracking start. Many of us were quite concerned about Tricksters memory problem. He obviously has one as he can’t seem to remember who he is and what he looks like, judging by the number of flyers, stickers and magazines that adorned his record box with his face and fine dancing moves plastered all over it!!!!!!! Remember if you see him, remind him who he is as he may be a little confused. ? From here on the numbers started to rise and the DJ’s began to gather (although as usual it was the normal scrum, fighting for prime times etc). The list of DJ’s for the early sessions up to 8pm included the lovely Jo Wallace (who spun a great West Hampstead memories set that saw me trying for my first cardiac arrest of the day); Ivor Jones, Steve Gaunori, Teff, Buey (a man with mad facial hair and an even madder sense of dancing style), Mike Ritson amongst others. (apologises for anyone I’ve left out but my youngest has chewed the list!) The sets ranged from classic 6T’s to current Modern Soul movers that kept the crowd shuffling away throughout the day. This being Soulgate there was a fantastic atmosphere as usual with the accent not only on the quality soul being spun but also on the social side, with many new friendships being forged and many old ones being saluted over many many MANY drinks at the packed bar (can someone tell my wife Jane as she can’t remember a thing past 3pm-hmmmmm). This to me is one of the reasons why Randys alldayers have always been a ‘Must’ on the London calendar. He never lost sight of the fact that ‘This Thing Of Ours’ should be about, not only great music, but also having fun with great mates and building what can only be described as a ‘Soulful Family’. Those that attend will understand completely what I mean, those that have never been can only imagine what it is like to be stood in the middle of a jam packed room, singing at the top of your lungs to Annette Snell, Teddy Pendergrass or the Soul Brothers Six ‘I’ll Be Loving You’ (all Southgate anthems), arm in arm with people who before this day were complete strangers to you but who now, at this time and in this place, were your brothers and sisters. This is the magic of Soulgate, this is Randy’s legacy. The sun shone all day and the numbers started to get bigger by 5pm. A special mention to Paul from Dublin who made the journey for the event and who came up to the decks to express just how good he thought it was. Top bunny. Many people chose to sit outside, watching the world go by to a soundtrack supplied by some of Detroit’s, Philadelphia’s and New York’s finest. The atmosphere was building and many commented that they felt the evening was going to be one to remember. The shout of ‘Free Food’s Up!!’ put that anticipation on hold as the need for nourishment of an unsoulful kind took over. The raffle tickets were going fast and many a loving look was passed over the table stacked full of prizes and auction items donated by Richard Searling, Dave Rimmer, Bee Cool Publishing, Keith Hammond, KRL Promotions, Dave Godin, Scenesvile, Drunken Monkey, Kolla, Ady Croasdell and both myself and Taffy. (Our eternal thanks and gratitude to you all for your support.) The evening came and saw the Rising Sun packed to the rafters with an atmosphere to die for. Mick Smith, Roger Stewart, Ion The Greek (not Colin The Greek as Seabrook called him), Tony Smith and Terry Jones all had the honour of getting the crowd moving and boy did they do a great job! Stomping Soul mixed with upfront Modern and a generous dollop of West Hampstead Rhythm ‘n’ Soul, Deep Soul and mid-tempo gems that Randy had introduced to the scene first (including Bobby Kline, Soul Brothers 6, Jerry Ganey, Theola Kilgore, Lou Johnson…the list is endless.) I admit that there were more than a few of us with tears in our eyes when these were being played. Terry’s set was fantastic and there were many comments saying the same. Top man-top set! The raffle draw took place at 9pm with yours truly behind the mike and being heckled at every stage by not only the bunch of reprobate girlies down the front (hi ladies) but also my wife! Taffy, who was still able to stand upright at this stage quite surprisingly, did his best to keep things moving along but kept getting engaged in deep chat with just about every winner — Muppet! Next was the auction and Taffy took over for this. I feel that he may not have quite grasped the job description of what is required for an auctioneer as on the very first item, the rather wonderful James Brown Rubber Duck (I kid you not!!!) donated by me and that he said wouldn’t raise 10p, we had an opening bid of £5 on. Taffy’s jaw dropped as he uttered those memorable words ‘WHAT! For this piece of shit!!!!???’ His jaw was positively Bob Cratchett like when the final price of £26 was reached. I of course gloated at every opportunity at my superior ability to know what will raise money and what will not. (Note: It transpires that the lady who won was actually using a friend’s wallet and money that had fallen asleep I believe. Top woman!) The other items included a set of Stax UK picture cards that went for £55, signed copies of Casino’ (by Maxine Brown & Dean Parrish) and Dennis Coffey’s book (signed by him obviously — DOH!) £50, a James Brown doll that was donated by Darcy I think and who won it back in the raffle and then asked for it to be auctioned off that raised £55, a picture of Ady looking more dodgy than usual that Kolla paid £30 for and our star item….Dave Godin’s own copy of the ‘Greetings to the UK Motown Appreciation Society..’ 45, complete with Dave’s ‘The Detroit Report’ booklet that raised £150. However, I feel I should point out here that Toby was winning the bids at £120 but sadly was outbid by someone else in the room at £150. His face dropped, his heart sank, a tear made it’s lonely way down his ashen cheek….but not as much as it did 30 seconds later when he realised that the person who had outbid him was none other than his wife who hadn’t realised he was the winning bidder at that stage when she placed her bid on his behalf! There are some things that money can’t buy — for everything else there is Toby’s missus. Priceless. I have to say the whole auction was a good laugh and everyone there entered into the spirit of the event. Even Ian Seabrook who was happily bidding on a few items and who it was pointed out over the mike was obviously there without his wife Kay as he was bidding quite openly and without a hint of fear that we have come to associate with him when out with the lovely Mrs Seabrook. It was then a return to the music right up to the close. Mick Smith and Roger Stewart did the honours playing a mainly West Hampstead memories set mixed with 100 Club toons that really set the seal on what had been an already fantastic night up to then. The place was dripping sweat and every available space was utilised for dancing, including the wall outside (and I hope someone got a photo of the little girl and her dad giving it some soulful welly on it.) Taff and I were doing the last hour but sadly the Noise Police moved in at 12.15am and shut us down an hour early, allowing us only the chance to spin Flame N King ‘Oh Happy Day’, Ann Sexton’s ‘You’ve Been Gone Too Long’ and the Tyrell Corporation’s ‘6,O, Clock’. Then it was all over, the end of an era and the close of what had been a very emotional day for everyone. Over £1400 had been raised (with Johnny T and all at the Valatone adding another £400+ the following day from their door sales that night) and the end saw many hugs and emotional goodbyes. I think all that were there would agree that it was a memorable day and a fitting farewell to one of London’s TOP Faces. The scene is never going to be the same again and he will be missed by all his friends but we know that somewhere out there, at a dancehall ‘up there’, he’s stood at the bar, tape in hand, complete with his usual comments on each track, waiting for us to arrive and kick of his latest event: Soul(heaven)gate. You know it! God bless you mate. Your gonna be missed more than words can say. TheBigO - Best line of the day has to go to Jon Buck commenting on our money raising ideas: Oi! Having heard you were holding a raffle, auction, collection and charity T-shirts and posters I was half expecting to see a Northern Soul Charity Car Wash being held outside the pub!!!! If only we’d have thought of that sooner! Embarrassing moment (Jesus there were loads throughout the day so I’ll go with mine): Me running up to Mick on the decks and raving over the Motown record he just played that sounded absolutely brilliant, obviously some rare acetate he’d just got from Mr Anderson in Kings Lynn I was thinking. Then having to suffer Mick’s gloating grin under that ‘Saddam’ tash of his as he gleefully pointed out it was ‘Anit no mountain high enough’ by Marvin & Tammi — a record that I own just to compound my misery! SHAME! SHAME! OH THE SHAMEEEEEEEEEEE! The Big O (Neil O)