Blackpool Mecca - Northern Soul at The Highland Room

Northern Soul At The Highland Room

The Highland Room was used as a rare soul venue from 1971 to 1979 and it became one of the most popular venues on the Northern soul scene. Unlike similar clubs such as the Wigan Casino and the Golden Torch, these events were not all-nighters and ran from 8pm until 2pm on Saturday evenings.

The two main DJs for the Highland Room soul nights were Ian Levine and Colin Curtis. Several classic 1960s Northern soul records were discovered and broken by the aforementioned DJs at the venue, including Tony Clarke's Landslide, Morris Chesnut's Too Darn Soulful, Frankie Beverly & the Butlers's If That's What You Wanted and R. Dean Taylor's There's A Ghost In My House.

Later in the 1970s, the Highland Room became synonymous with a more contemporary and less frenetic style of Northern soul music, typified by records such as the Carstairs' It Really Hurts Me Girl, Voices Of East Harlem's Cashin' In and the Charisma Band's Ain't Nothing Like Your Love. Because of the change in tempo, a slightly different shuffling dance style developed at the venue. This newer sound and dance style caused some controversy and led to the formation of the parallel Modern soul sub-genre, which still exists today within and alongside the mainstream Northern soul movement.

Read more about this topic:  Blackpool Mecca

Famous quotes containing the words northern, soul, highland and/or room:

    ‘What is the world, O soldiers?
    It is I,
    I, this incessant snow,
    This northern sky;
    Walter De La Mare (1873–1956)

    The light by which we see in this world comes out from the soul of the observer. Wherever any noble sentiment dwelt, it made the faces and houses around to shine. Nay, the powers of this busy brain are miraculous and illimitable.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    If you would feel the full force of a tempest, take up your residence on the top of Mount Washington, or at the Highland Light, in Truro.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    In this world there’s room for everyone, and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goosestepped us into misery and bloodshed.
    Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)