Robin Salter also came on board replacing Adam and Robin was to further push the boundaries of Modern Soul with some brilliant discoveries alongside some classics and rarities. Dave Thorley was championing music from across the decades, brilliant 60’s alongside new discoveries, whilst Pat Brady had some of the best 60’s discoveries of anyone. Bradford’s George Sharp and Mansfield’s Jimmy Wensiora, both with amazing collections also came on board. All these ingredients added up to make Stafford a legend of the scene, giving Northern Soul a multitude of records, still played today, still highly sought after and many still incredibly rare. The whole period was more about ‘a couldn’t care less attitude’ (to put it politely) and you either got it or you didn’t.
“It was incredibly crowded, and I doubt it would meet today’s safety regulations. The venue’s “100 Club All-Nighter” event garnered national attention, sparking a surge of interest in Northern Soul. I also was on the Big Breakfast with Russ Winstanley dancing back in the day, and Look Northwest showed people some Northern Soul dancing. “I was into soul dancing at the time, and disco, and was just getting into martial arts too.
years ago this weekend, the first Wigan Casino Northern Soul all-nighter took place
Rob also had a successful soul night in Mansfield at Trotters, popular with people prepared to travel from all over. Wigan Casino stood proudly in the building that used to be the Empress Ballroom, making it the perfect venue to spread out and dance all night long. The site now houses the Grand Arcade shopping centre in Wigan town centre, but the club existed from 1973 – 1981, near King Street which still acts as a club strip today. Back in the day, the club was characterised by its all-nighters headed up by resident DJs including Russ Winstanley, Colin Curtis and Keb Darge, playing Northern Soul classics through the night. I think people get too much slack these days, not just in music but life in general. Everyone expects everything for little effort, probably a result of all the reality TV shows.
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Alongside records such as Soul Brothers Inc ‘Pyramid’, Kell Osborne “Law Against A Heartbreaker”, Johnny Gilliam, Bobby Sheen, Gino Washington, Sam Dees and The Ringleaders acetates, the scene was in a very, very healthy state musically. Many of the tracks still played and highly sought after by todays DJ’s – a testament to the quality of the tunes in question. Another all-nighter that was popular during the early to mid 80’s was Morecambe. Promoted under the Soul-Promotions banner by Shaun Gibbons, the club began life in April 1983 and was initially located at the Central Pier. The original line up of DJ’s was Richard Searling, Pat Brady, John Vincent, Russ Winstanley, Brian Rae & Keith Minshull.
SOULCENTRAL
Great atmosphere, some nights reminding me of the atmosphere in the Casino. One Soul night worthy of a mention in the 80’s early 90’s is The Detroit Academicals in Northampton and the surrounding area. Hosted by Cliff Steele with local talent Neil Smith, Trev and Tony Parker ably assisted by the finest DJ’s and collectors of the time, this was one soul night that was worth the effort of travelling. “Much the same with when you might try a spin (I was never much good at this), or a kick or backdrop. This was another key part of the atmosphere, knowing that at certain points in specific records there would be an eruption of bodies twirling andleaping upwards to then drop to the floor, all in various combinations but all timed to perfection. Whether it be a bootleg on your record player, or maybe a track on a tape, you’d put it on and you’d have a go at dancing to it.
Again featuring the very best cutting edge Rare Soul and Northern Soul DJs, Guy, Keb, Butch, Ion Tsakalis, Pat Brady & Dave Evison with quality oldies alongside the best guests from all over the UK – Kitch, Dean Anderson and Colin Law to name but a few. “Sometimes we had odd pieces of trouble off football supporters returning home to the North after away games, but nothing too serious. Often people had tape players on the train, so we played pre-recorded tapes, or live Wigan tapes from previous weeks, the only way we could hear the top sounds in those days. September 23rd 1973 ~ December 6th 1981Russ Winstanley launched the famous Wigan Casino all-nighters on September 1973 at 2.00am, Russ attracted 700 soulies on this 1st occasion, and the admission was a princely 75p. The all nighter’s ran for 8 years until December 6th 1981 and over 4 million people flocked to station road.
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Nick & Dawn Brown were promoting their Scenesville nights at various venues across the City like The Camden Centre, The Phoenix & Notre Dame. Nick was joined by Chris Dale, Alan “Kitch” Kitchener and Andy Rix and the music was probably as upfront as anywhere at the time with the emphasis on the rare and unreleased. They really were great nights and the flyers became collectable in their own right. Soul in the City began life in 2001 and co-promoted by Dave Greenhill, Paul McKay and Alistair McDonald. The nights, which ran until 2007, proved very popular and, like Capitol Soul and Scenesville, had some fantastic guests playing quality Rare Soul. November 2004 would see the Solid Hit Soul Club begin life as a club.
- Back in the day, the club was characterised by its all-nighters headed up by resident DJs including Russ Winstanley, Colin Curtis and Keb Darge, playing Northern Soul classics through the night.
- Stafford, Parr Hall, Hinckley, Oddfellows and other venues of the early 80s were to close, but the scene rose to the challenge with a multitude of venues ready to step in and fill the gaps.
- Robb ended up recording many previously unheard tracks, which eventually ended up in the hands of Rod Shard.
- The original line up of DJ’s was Richard Searling, Pat Brady, John Vincent, Russ Winstanley, Brian Rae & Keith Minshull.
- We’d have sandwiches and milk for breaks, and then we’d change for the second half of the night.
- The rare records spun at Wigan Casino transformed lesser-known artists into stars within this niche subculture.
- He was the DJ at the venue’s now legendary all-nighters between 1973 until the club’s closure in 1981.
The Casino’s enduring influence serves as a testament to the power of music and community to transcend time. Now, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Wigan Casino, its impact on music, dance, and culture remains undeniable. Wigan Casino’s doors closed for the last time on December 6, 1981. “We were part of something very special but didn’t realise it at the time. Wigan Casino wasn’t merely a nightclub; it was a cultural phenomenon that inspired fashion trends, dance styles, and a profound sense of belonging.
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- Such a shame as it had all the right ingredients to make it a huge success and become the next central venue for the scene.
- The promotion began with a team of DJs featuring the best of the Wigan Casino roster and, from over in the West Country, the Yate DJs.
- When I was over recently I was again impressed with the dedication shown at the couple of nights I went to.
- Wigan Casino 40th Anniversary Album celebrates 40 years of the iconic British dance venue, brimming with Northern Soul classics.
- Just shuffling, trying to remember and feel the moment the the entire crowd at Wigan would simultaneously clap to emphasise key timings in the song.
“The less reputable ones would just be bundling up multiple bootlegs, but the best ones normally came from the leading record dealer, Soul Bowl. Some singles that were of no interest back in the heyday of Wigan Casino and wingamb casino so got put into these soul packs of 100 assorted soul imports, costing around £25. As tastes have developed over the past 50 years a wide range of these sounds have become real floor fillers and worth £100’s.
The exhibition, by NME photographer Francesco Mellina, marks 50 years since Wigan Casino nightclub hosted the first of its legendary all-nighters. Great read and I would imagine a real labour of love, much enjoyed thank you for taking the time. Tremendous work here Chalky, great detail and it more than makes the point that you set out to document about life in the scene post-Wigan. It just shows the dedication and passion of the many people involved and the emphasis on quality not compromise. I started a thread a few years back around if a book on the scene post Wigan would be viable.
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