The Northern Soul Podcast

The Northern Soul 60s: Rare, Obscure & ForgottenTonight, we go back to the 1960s — the decade when the foundations of Northern Soul were being laid.This episode is all about the rare records, obscure artists, forgotten releases and incredible sounds that helped shape the Northern Soul story. From unknown gems to records that slipped under the radar at the time, we explore the music, the artists and the stories behind the sounds.No Wigan Casino, no big anthems — just the original soul, the discoveries and the records that would eventually find a new life on dance floors across Britain.This is where the Northern Soul story begins.

Wigan Casino: The Final Dance
Tonight, we step inside one of the most famous venues in the history of Northern Soul.We begin on the final all-nighter in December 1981, when the lights are about to come on for the last time. Then we go back to September 1973, when just 652 people walked through the doors of the old Empress Ballroom for the very first Northern Soul all-nighter.From its humble beginnings to packed dancefloors, rare American records, legendary DJs, the Three Before Eight and the obsessive culture that grew around the Casino, we follow eight extraordinary years.But there is another question.By 1981, music had changed. Funk, disco, jazz-funk, punk and new wave were transforming the British music scene. So if Wigan Casino hadn't closed, would it still have been packed?Or did its closure at that moment turn it from a nightclub into something much bigger — a legend?The building has gone.The dancefloor has gone.But the records, the memories and the mythology remain.This is the story of Wigan Casino — from the first beat to the final dance.

What was it really like to be born in 1955?
You were a child of post-war Britain, a teenager during the explosion of youth culture and twenty years old when Northern Soul was reaching its incredible peak.In this episode, we follow the journey of a Baby Boomer from childhood to the dance floor — through rock ’n’ roll, the Beatles, Motown, Ready Steady Go!, Top of the Pops, record shops, scooters, soul clubs and all-nighters.From the Twisted Wheel and the Golden Torch to Wigan Casino, this is the story of a generation discovering music, freedom and a world their parents simply didn't understand.And before Baby Boomers became the target and the generation blamed for everything from house prices to global warming, they were just young people trying to find a great record, stay out all night and have a bloody good time.

It’s nineteen seventy-five, and Northern Soul is at its absolute height. The scene is exploding, the records are getting faster, the nights are getting longer, and for three lads from Manchester, there’s only one thing that matters: soul.Then comes the crazy idea.Jump into an ageing Mini Cooper and drive roughly three hundred miles south to Newquay, the surf capital of Britain and, in nineteen seventy-five, one of the places to be. Sun, surf, beaches, nightlife and the promise of adventure.There’s just one problem. The Mini is old, the journey is long, and there’s no sat-nav, no mobile phone and no guarantee the car is even going to make it.What they do have is soul. Lots of it.Tapes packed with Northern Soul provide the soundtrack as three Manchester mates head south, leaving behind the clubs, the dance floors and the familiar streets of home for an unforgettable road trip into Cornwall.This is more than a journey from Manchester to Newquay. It’s a snapshot of nineteen seventy-five, when Northern Soul was at its peak and anything seemed possible.Three lads. One ageing Mini. Three hundred miles of road.And enough soul music to get them there.
Packed with the sounds of Northern 45rpms

Northern Soul: Iconic Memories
Tonight, we revisit some of the legendary clubs that helped shape the Northern Soul story — from the Twisted Wheel and Golden Torch to Wigan Casino, Blackpool Mecca, Cleethorpes, the Catacombs, Stafford, Samantha’s, the 100 Club and the Ritz in Manchester.But this isn’t about the obvious anthems. We’re going underground, digging out rare, obscure and lesser-known records that helped give each venue its own musical identity.These are the records that may not have topped the charts or appeared in the usual Northern Soul Top 20, but for those who heard them on the right night, they became unforgettable.The clubs may be gone, but the music — and the memories — live on.