** Please note that since this piece was posted it has been announced that Dean Parrish will not be appearing at this event as he is not fit enough to travel following an operation. Hopefully he’ll make a quick and full recovery and there are still some great performers on the bill to dance the night away to. **

Northern Soul seems to knock on the door of mainstream culture every few years, most successfully recently with 2014’s excellent feature film and accompanying soundtrack. There are numerous viral videos of dancers and songs are now being used in TV adverts but all around the country there are club nights celebrating this music that have been running for decades.

To celebrate the music’s longevity and the seemingly bottomless pit of unreleased master tapes, this year’s Mod weekender kicks off in style with a rare chance to see some original stars of the scene performing live, with Wigan Casino legend Russ Winstanley keeping the faithful dancing from behind the decks.

Edwin Starr’s career encompassed Motown, Northern Soul, Blaxploitation funk and Disco and he was a stalwart of the 1980s scooterist scene. He lived in Nottinghamshire from 1973 until his death in 2003 and since then his brother Angelo has fronted Edwin’s band The Team to keep the flame burning.  

Dean Parrish’s ‘I’m On My Way’ has the honour of being the last of the famous ‘3 before 8‘ records that Russ Winstanley closed his Casino sets with. His career has seen him rub shoulders with The Sopranos and Jimi Hendrix among others and he released a well-received comeback single on Acid Jazz with a cover of Paul Weller’s ‘Left, Right and Centre‘.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqtKvUm9x0M

Tommy Hunt’s career began in the late 1950s with doo wop stars The Flamingos and he had chart success in the UK during the 70s and early 80s. Expect to hear ‘Crackin’ Up‘ and ‘Loving On The Losing Side’.

Last but not least is a rarity, British Northern Soul star Lorraine Silver who’s ‘Lost Summer Love’ is a much-loved standard on the scene.

Practise your drops and spins and head down to the Concorde 2 for a night of pure soul music.

Concorde 2, Friday 26th August 2016. 7:00pm – 3:00am