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What is Northern Soul?

Tony L said:
I suspect like just about any revival type thing it would have been awful and not at all like being there at the time. Especially as it was such a drug-fuelled scene. You’d need to be young, agile and chemically enhanced to really understand it, much like psychedelia, disco, hardcore, acid house etc. A load of old people attempting to recreate decades later would be pure cringe.
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I didn't dance!😀 just observed!
 
paulfromcamden said:
Nah. I love it that loads of old ravers hitting sixty are still going to hardcore and jungle raves pretending it's 1991. Good for them!
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Few times a year we head up to A Love From Outer Space at Phonox (I'm 61, 'im indoors 57), and have an excellent time raving one right out.
It's not a rave revival though - pretty much all new music; with a clued up largely older crowd.
 
Gerr said:
My experience is of the all nighters at Samantha's in Sheffield....I'd say 1975 ....my friends went to Wigan Casino ..Torch etc all nighters .. I worked away at the time so only made the Sheffield venue...
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If you went there often you would know a couple of my mates who were well into the scene. Not for me though I have to say.
 
I was too young to be there, but growing up I heard the name and started over the years to piece it together I correctly. It did not help that soul music never interested me. I then saw the film by Elaine Constantine, my summary of it until then was, shite north west clubs in the small towns, playing shite music, bopping til the last bus, drinking soft drinks.

I now realise it was the precursor to rave culture and it must have been badass to have been part of it. The thing I still don't get is why they looked backwards for the music, when us kids usually look forwards.

The film:

 
richardg said:
I now realise it was the precursor to rave culture and it must have been badass to have been part of it.
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It was certainly one of the precursors.
I remember being on the dancefloor at Homoelectric (a mainly Gay House night) at Legends on Whitworth St in about 2007 and noticing a bloke my age next to me doing the standard NS moves. I then realised that before it was Legends (before it was The State) it was The Twisted Wheel. He was there because of the venue's past incarnation.
 
richardg said:
The thing I still don't get is why they looked backwards for the music, when us kids usually look forwards.
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I'm guessing they craved the high bpm stuff and that wasn't being made so much. For example Funk came to the fore in the early 70s, but was slower. Was heavily adopted in Liverpool clubs.

The introduction of modern music (Soul and Disco) by Ian Levine and Colin Curtis at the Mecca in Blackpool caused a fissure in the NS scene.
 
I used to buy Blues & Soul magazine. Northern soul was first mentioned as a 'thing' by a london journo around 67/8.

if I could find it easier to post piccies on here I would show the actual article which may help some ignoros on here to get it. I am not over keen on it myself, music or the fashion, but I have a lifelong mucker who is a Northern soul DJ and it is a really strong and caring community.
 
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