Bit of Northern Soul Literature

Just discovered this on Radio Four a trio of short stories about Northern Soul at Wigan Casino; I enjoyed listening to them and hope you enjoy it too. Have a listen:

They say the floor at the Casino is amazing - a sprung wood floor! And they can fit 1200 people in the ballroom there. Twelve hundred people dancing!'

David's mate Batty converted him to Northern Soul: lending him obscure records, teaching him dance moves and describing the legendary club. The plan is to hitch-hike to Wigan to experience the Casino for themselves.

Between 1973 and 1981 Wigan Casino was arguably the ultimate venue for Northern Soul music. Young people from all over the UK regularly made the trek to Wigan to dance to the latest Northern Soul artists. Queues to get in were sometimes five or six people deep, and stretched quite a way up the road.

The highlight was the weekly all-nighter, with Russ Winstanley as DJ, which traditionally ended with three songs that became known as the Three Before Eight: "Time Will Pass You By" by Tobi Legend, "Long After Tonight Is Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe and "I'm On My Way" by Dean Parrish.

These three specially-commissioned stories by Laura Barton (herself from Wigan) hark back to a time when the town threw off the image created by George Orwell and the Casino was voted 'Best Disco In the World' by American Billboard Magazine.

Laura Barton was born in Lancashire in 1977. She is a freelance writer of features and music columns, notably 'Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll' for the Guardian. Her first story for radio, The Carpenter, was broadcast in 2009 as part of Sweet Talk's We Are Stardust, We Are Golden series for BBC Radio 4. Twenty-One Locks, her debut novel, was published in 2010. Laura lives in London.

Written by Laura Barton. Read by Bryan Dick.

Producer: Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.

Afternoon Reading - Tales from the Casino, 1. Ten Miles High

Rita works in the cloakroom of the Casino, and hasn't been on the ballroom floor since the days when it was called the Wigan Empress. But then Frank starts calling.

Between 1973 and 1981 Wigan Casino was arguably the ultimate venue for Northern Soul music. Young people from all over the UK regularly made the trek to Wigan to dance to the latest Northern Soul artists. Queues to get in were sometimes five or six people deep, and stretched quite a way up the road. The highlight was the weekly all-nighter, with Russ Winstanley as DJ, which traditionally ended with three songs that became known as the Three Before Eight: "Time Will Pass You By" by Tobi Legend, "Long After Tonight Is Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe and "I'm On My Way" by Dean Parrish.

These three specially-commissioned stories by Laura Barton (herself from Wigan) hark back to a time when the town threw off the image created by George Orwell and the Casino was voted 'Best Disco In the World' by American Billboard Magazine.

Laura Barton was born in Lancashire in 1977. She is a freelance writer of features and music columns, notably 'Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll' for the Guardian. Her first story for radio, The Carpenter, was broadcast in 2009 as part of Sweet Talk's We Are Stardust, We Are Golden series for BBC Radio 4. Twenty-One Locks, her debut novel, was published in 2010. Laura lives in London.

Written by Laura Barton. Read by Melanie Kilburn.

Producer: Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.

Afternoon Reading - Tales from the Casino, 2. What Shall I Do?

It is all about ritual. Saturday comes and Rob, a seasoned DJ at the Casino, is sorting through and packing his records for the night.

Between 1973 and 1981 Wigan Casino was arguably the ultimate venue for Northern Soul music. Young people from all over the UK regularly made the trek to Wigan to dance to the latest Northern Soul artists. Queues to get in were sometimes five or six people deep, and stretched quite a way up the road. The highlight was the weekly all-nighter, with Russ Winstanley as DJ, which traditionally ended with three songs that became known as the Three Before Eight: "Time Will Pass You By" by Tobi Legend, "Long After Tonight Is Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe and "I'm On My Way" by Dean Parrish.

These three specially-commissioned stories by Laura Barton (herself from Wigan) hark back to a time when the town threw off the image created by George Orwell and the Casino was voted 'Best Disco In the World' by American Billboard Magazine.

Laura Barton was born in Lancashire in 1977. She is a freelance writer of features and music columns, notably 'Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll' for the Guardian. Her first story for radio, The Carpenter, was broadcast in 2009 as part of Sweet Talk's We Are Stardust, We Are Golden series for BBC Radio 4. Twenty-One Locks, her debut novel, was published in 2010. Laura lives in London.

Written by Laura Barton. Read by Daniel Rigby.

Producer: Jeremy Osborne A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.

Afternoon Reading - Tales from the Casino, 3. Three Before Eight

Northern Soul life in literature, not sure how much longer these will be available for but have a listen if you can, I enjoyed the stories and think they may trigger a few memories for some of you.

ciaio

The stylists

Despite Albion's titanic ego I often get bored of blogging with myself as the central feature, Albion at club Albion buys this blah blah. And so for a couple of weeks Ive been plotting to do a splash on the stylists of the grid. So I decided I'd blog a few of you instead of me, don't be upset if you're in don't be upset if you're not, after all there's only a couple of us bothering to read this drivel, self deprecation nah its a symptom of profound Englishness.

There are some great virtual mod stylists on the grid who find some awesome mod style clothing and give the clubs a really authentic feel. Its not easy finding cool mod fashions and hats off to them for finding their items and helping the club look mod and not just another leather and tattoo fest. Therefore I have decided to slap up a few snapshots of some of my favourites. You all know them, know they dress great and unlike me have other talents too. I'm the only one trick pony around here, and that trick aint that great. So, yes I have been secretly snapping you; that sidling up to you is not to get a whiff off your deodorant its been to try and get a half decent snapshot. So, here are a few of the great dressers in the world of virtual mod.

First up is DJ and uber stylist Lupo, he always looks cool and introduced me to the fabulous Unknown Boutique. A stylist supreme rooted in the authentic mod look Lupo is one of the best dressed mods in the virtual metaverse. Next is Eden who always looks the business, having the ability to design your own clothes helps. Eden too is authentic sixties mod, with a bit of eighties revivalism tossed into the mix. Another great DJ she dresses sharp and is 100% sixties virtual icon.

Claie is next in line, she follows sixties trends and generally has vibrant dazzling colours and classic kinky boots... Another DJ she hosts the sixties night at the AAi. Gemma is the ska fashion monster she wears her skin.suede head styles or classic sixties styles at Soul Mods and often looks better than I do in stuff I've blogged she adds her own accessories to stuff and sadly still continues to look better than me, she is small and sneaky*, and stylish.

Its impossible to discuss virtual mod without mentioning Slate, he is the Kevin Cosner of the virtual mod scene. What? He built it and they came! When at Soul Mods Slate likes to dress the part and is assisted in achieving this by having the ability to make stuff, clever git. Slate is followed by his own army of Jimmy's [Ruths but cooler] sop don't mess with the king of the mods. Finally, lets not forget Kim another uber cool virtual mod whose dress sense is so sharp it'll slice your arm off. DJ and designer, along with Eden Kim runs Mod Squad Design, Kim wears so cool sixties clothes made by herself and Eden, fledgling modettes these girls are your route into mod fashion on the grid.

I could go on and on listing people but these have caught my eye with their dedication to maintain virtual mod style on the grid, there are others I could mention and probably will but am saving them up for a future blog post. So if you see me sliding up next to you its probably because I'm looking to get a sneak snapshot, or girls I could be camming up your skirt, although as is well known I mostly spend time camming myself.

ciao.

*of course she is not really sneaky, I'm English she is English we like sarcastic irony now bog off, have a nice day y'all.

Whats with the YouTube-fest

Why all the YouTube stuff and other fillers? You may be asking yourself that question more likely you're not. Anyway, I think a conversation with myself is often the most entertaining of the day and so I'll keep tapping the keys and explain to myself, if nobody else, why I keep stuffing up tunes from the vaults of YouTube. Primarily I want to keep the blog ticking over with fresh posts every now and again, but my dilema is that the virtual scene has gone into hibernation. This hibernating state means I am often repeating myself, indeed I think I am doing that right now as I'm sure I blogged this before, when I waffle about club nights. Therefore if I wish to keep a current posting schedule alive I have to come up with something and I decided that sticking up tunes or interesting real life mod news or trivia is an option thats both easy and effective and doesnt lead the blog away from its virtual mod brief. Well not too much anyway. So, the lack of posts for club nights and fashion too is the primary reason.

Its getting harder to locate decent mod style fashion items in Second Life, sure there's plenty of suits and a few dozen T-Shirts out there but distinct mod items are getting harder and harder to find, plus in the current economic climate I'm getting more reticent about spending real money on virtual clothing. I have plenty of stuff in my wardrobe and so am buying merely to give myself something to waffle about ... true vanity projects. So I have got choosy and therefore the purchasing, and thus blogging has slowed down.

However, there is a secondary less cynical reason for sticking tunes up on the blog. It too is wrapped up in vanity, like most of the blog,,,I mean must be a degree of vanity to believe anyone wants to read this rubbish. Not exactly Booker prize literature is it, more like bog door scrawl. Anyway, meandering and losing the plot.... Yes, the secondary reason is to throw out the kinds of tunes and music I would play at Soul Mods if:

• I had the software
• I had the brains to understand how any of it works
• I had the drive to get my arse into gear and do something

On that basis I'll keep flicking yup the odd YouTube gem, in my role as virtual virtual DJ, wow thatrs complicated, have fun and see everyone later at the AAi for some cool sixties tunes.

Cinematic Groove

Get down to the Odeon to relive your youth! '74 bit early for me but wont stop me enjoying myself, expecting lots of chat on the floor about the upcoming film, here's hoping it will do the music and scene justice.

Modernist Musings

 So who are these NeoMods of whom I seem endlessly to speak of, to be frank I am unsure if the term NeoMods exist beyond the cloistered warblings of this blog. Maybe it does and I accedentally stumbled upon it but I've never really heard it said anywhere else. Obviously there were mods in the late fifties [the modernists] and the early sixties [the mods of pop culture infamy] who faded as the decade progressed to re-emerge as Suedeheads and skinheads at the dawning of the seventies, with a full scale mod revial occuring at the end of that decade to flourish for a couple of years in the eighties before fading beneath a morass of New Romanticism. Another modernist fashion the casuals, football hooligans in sportwear and golf sweaters, seemed to fill a mod void for some but this was more concerned with the look than the music, but its sharp dress become absorbed into later mod fashion. All the while the soul boys travelling a parallel path where sometimes the paths merged and others the followed similar routes just taking different directions. After the heady revival of the eighties the nineties saw the birth of Britpop, British musician inspired by earlier British bands some of which were heavily influenced by mod.

In my need to place all of these various mod fashion and music factions under a single umbrella I coined the phrase NeoMods. I doubt such a thing exists today as a movement but individuals of note that I would call NeoMods would be Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller et al; musicians of that uilk who have taken classic mod fashion and added a twenty first century twist, utilising all the phases of mod to create a distinct look that is simultaneously mod, suedehead, casual, and indie Britpop with soul and the driving rhythm. I do not view NeoMod as a musical genre but as a fashion genre; NeoMods dress in a certain style but listen to old style mod music, heavily influenced by sixties US soul, British beat bands, Caribean ska and the revivalist ska and mod bands of the eighties. Less retro in their fashion NeoMods like classic cuts but have moved away from sharp suits into a more casual but still classic look. Sharp tailored high collared leather jackets are a classic NeoMod fashion item, The rest an amalgamation of the modernist fashion decades:, a touch of skin, a dash of the casualsL plus a smattering of BritPop to culminate in a sharply defined fashion statement.

Another factor in my definition of the virtual NeoMod is  its application to the fashion metaverse. Strict mod fashion is extremely difficult to find across the grid; authentic skinhead/suedehead fashion sufferes similarly. There are a plethora of track top and sweater accomadating a strict casuals look and the indie Britpop T-Shirt look is well catered for. But, twenty first century mod fashion needs to adapt and a restricted virtual environment seemed ideal for harnessing that need to change, to accomodate and to adapt. Unable to create my own fashions it was necessary to take items that felt mod, whilst not always necessarily being mod,. uif they had the correct modernist vibe I would adopt them into my own NeoMod fashionista bible. This is clearly illustrated throughout the blog, agree or disagree its all open to debate but this is how I opt to define my NeoMod stylings. Feel free to reinterpret it at will.

Are there NeoMods in the real world who label themselves as such I doubt it, afterall its an effective hangar to fling a variety of fashionable virtual items on in a vain attempt to give me something to waffle about when the virtual club scene is quiet. I define myself as a virtual NeoMod, who possesses modernist tendencies in the real world but no longer clings to modernist fashion rituals outside of his Second Life metaverse. The rise of the NeoMods has yet to take place I'm not entirely certain it ever will. The accompanying snaps in this piece explain bettter my vision of NeoMod fashion, sharp tailored trousers, smart loafers and exquiste high collared designed leather jacket, cool hair and chilled shades ... thats NeoMod.

ciao.

Modernist Fashion in SL

These awesome mod trainers can be found in the Ordinary store, stylistically they are rather a seventies bulky design rather than a classical Adidas eighties design as worn by casuals and later NeoMods, but its the excelent use of the iconic mod target that propels them into the foreefront of mod fashion. I love my pair they look great with either jeans or trousers and that cool piece of modernist popart elevates them to amongst the prime mod fashion pieces available. Seek them out and get yourself a pair.

Ordinary

Modette Fashion in SL

Obviously I'm a geezer, and I like to waffle about geezer things but I have decided to shelve my predjudices and flag up the ideal store for the aspirant virtual modette. I dont think there's many modette's who has not bought at least one item from this store, and I'd urge any geezers to check it out too .. our stuffs in the cupboard on the right. Classic retro items, popart inspired prints, two-tone sharpness its all here so if your heading out for a night of retro soul or sixties beat check in grab some stuff and look the business, far superior to a leather clad biker chick ... honest, would a geezer lie to you?

ModSquad Design

You can check out the stores nearby too, get a great scooter, or other items from Slates Scooters; whilst Lady Chelsea also stocks sixties inspired gurly outfits.

Modernist Fashion in SL

HellBop Trousers

HellBop specializes in Fifties Americana fashion, but fortunately some of the trousers in these fifties collections can be applied to your sixties mod look. Its possible to take the bright colourful techno popart fabric designs and slide them seamlessly into a retro mod fashion brief.

These black/ white striped trousers are a classic example of how easily the fabric design can be swallowed up into a mod look. Paired with the correct shirt, sweater or jacket combination you can create an intrinsically mod mid sixties style with a minimum of effiort. In this instance a stark black roll neck sweater from Artilleri with complimentary sixties styled shades confirms the trousers are architypal sixties fashion designs, of the bolder more daring mid sixties era .. at which point the mods had discovered colour and were on the verge of sliding away from rhythm and blues and into psechedeklia. I would say there is a claim to mod fashion on the cusp of this shift but thereafter the mods descend into hippiedom and the style is lost until it re-emerges in its more severe skinhead form in the late sixties early seventies.

The paisley fabric of this second pair probably has more of an attachment to the sixties than to the fifties and so is even easier to absorb into your mod fashion stable. Once again matched with the simple Artilleri sweater and sixties shades this is an utterly modernist retro look that declares your mod affiliations to all who know what to look for. These sets come in several colour variations, and there are other fabric designs available that are suitable for a sixties fashion look. With prim cuffs, and options on belt colouring included they are nicely crafted and look good with a smart pair of shoes and come in at a very reasonable 150L; often clothing of this quality demands twice this price, so they are well worth investigating.

For some time I have been looking for trousers that exude that mid seventies soul boy vibe, I have tried prim cuffed flared jeans which almost provide what I am looking for; but, these high wasted trousers from HellBop are one step closer to my ideal. Still not utterly correct, they need to be flared but the high wasted styling is very reminscent of what I remember the older soul boys of the period wearing. The textured braces [jacket layer] add to the look of athletic soul boy dancer, and can be worn bare chested or with a suitably small tight vest, which also seemed to be a standard item for the best of the Northern Soul dance heroes. Nicely textured, with prim cuffs the trousers look great with my Jeepers Creepers Oxford shoes, all I need is some talc on the virtual dance floor and I'm set to do my spins and back drops. If you want that seventies look but are tired of wearing jeans I recommend you grab the SLURL and get over to grab a pair of these trousers which come in a range of colours and are also marked at 150l, a soul boys bargain. Get on it! ciao.

Hell Bop

Monday...

SOUL Sensation

 

Casting aside the various lurgies that have afflicted me over the past few weeks I made it out into the virtual world. I headed to the Wheel as they were blasting out some solid '79 revivalist tunes, but sadly the sim went down a couple of times and I reluctantly moved on.

Luckily I got a group message that the Baron was back at the Acroplyse and so grabbing a tp I headed over there. I opted to go vest and trousers in a classic northern style. So polished up my brogues, grabbed my talc, stuck on some beautiful high waisted trousers from HellBop and vest and braces and there I was iconically dressed for a night at the casino, looking far better than I ever did as a fourteen/fifthteen year old back in the day. Looking suitably sharp I ready to hit the dancefloor. At the club it started off with a small crowd but as the night progressed the group notices had an effect and more soul lovers drifted in. Keeping us well entertained with another fantastic Northern Soul setthe soul movers began drifting through the doors.

Baron built the set up slowly with some fine tunes that had the floor moving before moving into a creshendo of classics, with my own own favourite Turning My Heartbeat Up featuring in his classics section, that had everyone  filling the floor and hopefully having a wee twirl at home too. Such a great set deserved my full attention but sadly with nearly an hour left I had to depart to get an early night, such is the reality of virtuality, we cant always do ecverything we'd like too, even in a virtual world.

Catch you on the rebound!

Youtube Classic

So whats all the fuss about then, if you have a spare half hour indulge yourself:

Its a great documentary that defines a period in northern history, and places Northern Soul in its British urban industrialised context. Its not music for contemplating or chilling too, its music to set your heart aflame, raise you out of the grime and set your feet on fire! And after a forty hour slog or more all you want to do is get out there and dance.

Soul Mods oop North

Yes Dugi finally got his man and the Soul Mods hosted top Northern Soulie Baron Ansome to play a Northern Soul set at the club; it was a low key event not really hyped until Friday and yet a good crowd still tp'd in for a fantastic night, one of the best we've had, thats no mean achievement as we have had many, many blinding nights there.

So donning my best seventies flares and uber tight vest I headed over to the club, to be bamboozled while Eden, Dugi and Baron talked streams [?*#@!!] and land [*^+@!!!}] all something to do with playing music I think but way too complex for me. Baron was scheduled for two hours, but we left the pumpkin hour way behind and I think it was closer to four than two, but four blissful hours that left me groovin'. singing and mellowing out [yes it is feasible to mellow out to soul] inbetween bouts of raucously funny chat which had me laughing my socks off.

Were there stand out tunes, you bet there were. Were there blindin' moments, damn right there was. Northern classics interspersed with some of Barons Northern favourites kept the dance floor busy, we discussed wieghty topics such as ,,fish and chips, agreeing the Fylde Coast was best,,,I am sure we reached that conclusion didnt we? Squirrel cooked kentucky style was another and the third world debt crisis, okay I lied we never discussed third world debt, we wondered if the Barons plummer would turn up instead, but that was pretty wieghty stuff too. Why do we talk such rubbish, because caught up in the music anything anfd everything has a funny vibe to it, so full of fun you'll laugh out loud at anything and everything, a quintesentially Britsh thing to do. How do you overcome obstacles, laugh and mock them until they crumble, Who defeated the Berlin wall Margaret Thatcher's tories and their political ilk across the globe or Benny Hills angels and other intercontinental jokers who inspired folk to just say feck it enough is enough,,place your bets now! Whats any of this to do with a virtual Northern Soul night, absolutely bollox but see how easy it is to spiral off on a ludicrous conversation of your own creation. Thats what soul nights at the Soul Mods is about, real people having real fun in a virtual environment, Dugi's got it down pat, man and we love it there and elsewhere too, the club is irrelevant so long as the people are buzzing; thats the crucial feauture getting the right people. The virtual mod scene is lucky its brimming with crucial people, giving their best to entertain us all: by building cool clubs, playing awesome music or just sharing time with us all and having fun, its a virtual commune with music at the heart of it!. Its these invaluable real people behind the pixels that make the nights what they are, its crucial to get the right ones involved in the scene, no drama queens need apply And on mod or soul nights they always are, its blindin' mate get on yer scooter and be there for the next one!

The main men strutting out

Northern Soul: Ying and Yang

Its often said in life that you cannot have the good without the bad, the essence of ying and yang,,black and white, positive or negative. And so it is with Northern Soul. yes shockingly Northern Soul has a downside. Sacriledge i hear you all cry, burn him at the stake. But I remember it distinctly, check any YouTube video and you'll see the classic Ying and Yang in all its multi-coloured glory.

The music will waft gloriously over your senses and the dancing will be astounding, the Ying...but the Yang, will be the..flares, the tight T-Shirts, the vests the huge shirt collars..yes seventies fashion is the ball and chain that tugs at the majesty of Northern Soul tunes. Seventies fashion its indefensible despite what geezers in their midfifties say, it was bloody awful I remember it as a kid and it haunts me still.

However, in the virtual world even seventies fashion has potential, just sidestep the flares and lose yourself in the tunes.

 

 

Yeah Albion can even make flares look cool