Not many people know about Northern Soul – but the people who do are dedicated to the cause. If you fall into the former category, this report should give you a little bit of insight into the phenomena behind it, and give you some inspiration if you want to check out some of the music. Don your Ben Sherman shirt, grab your bowling bag and come with us for a trip back many decades ago…
Like Chicken Tikka Masala, the term Northern Soul was devised in the UK. It was coined by Dave Godin in the early 1970’s, although the majority of Northern Soul hits were recorded in the 1960s. In the late 60’s, he found that many Northern men were coming into his London record shop to buy fast-paced American Motown music from the mid-60s. In order to make things easier for his staff, this kind of music became to be dubbed Northern Soul.
Northern Soul hits never fared too well in the popular music charts, but this was the way that Northern Soul fans liked it to be. Most songs were about love, either celebrating or mourning it. Many Motown hits came under the Northern Soul umbrella, although many British artists found their records played in the clubs as well.
Northern Soul clubs such as the Wigan Casino, Twisted Wheel and Blackpool Mecca were very popular in the 1970s – these clubs were fabled for their diehard punters and hectic dancing – many goers took amphetamines so that they could dance non-stop all night. These club nights were well reputed for their playlists – a bad song during the night would mean that people would clear the dance floor en masse. Although these clubs are no longer in existence, the spirit still lives on.
There are plenty of Northern Soul nights about right now – most of them are small and intimate but the people who go there are devoted to the music and are loyal regulars. The biggest national Northern Soul night at the moment is Brighton Beach – true, you’ll find a lot of hipsters there who go because it’s trendy rather than for the music, but all in all it’s a fun night, with a good mix of Northern Soul classics and indie pop. There’s a lot of Northern Soul weekends scattered around the country where the stars of the Northern Soul scene play to thousands of frantic fans.
Not many modern artists have seen fit to revive the Northern Soul sounds, but this is probably a good thing! There are hundreds and hundreds of Northern Soul hits – some rarer than others and most Northern Soul fans still haven’t heard them all yet.
If you are keen to get into Northern Soul, these songs are a good place to get started. Although the original vinyls are expensive and hard to find, you can find many good Northern Soul compilations being sold cheaply on online music sites.
What next?More features? More northern, or soul?