All Nighters and Northern Soul

The Scottish referendum turned into a bit of an all-nighter for much of the population. There were some bleary eyed folk making their way to work this morning, many of whom looked in need of matchsticks to keep their eyes open, but we confess to having fallen asleep much earlier than most and are still fully functioning frockers this Friday afternoon.

Talking of staying up all night, a different sort of all-nighter enjoyed by a youthful Johnny Frocker at Wigan Casino in the 1970s (about which we have previously blogged) was undoubtedly a lot more riveting than waiting for referendum results and we are very much looking forward to the release of Northern Soul the film on 17 October.

"This is a story of a youth culture that changed a generation and influenced songwriters, producers, DJs and designers for decades to come. This is the story of Northern Soul."

"Northern Soul was phenomenally popular with British youths in the 1970s, taking the North of the country by storm. Northern Soul the film intends to appeal to those generations of fans while attracting a modern audience who can relate to youth culture from another era. If you were there, you’ll know. If you weren’t there, you’ll wish you had been."

Specialist dance clubs were set up four years ago in Bolton and London to prepare 500 young people for participation in the film's energetic dance scenes and the Bolton club will remain open for business, continuing to offer the Northern Soul experience as a legacy to future generations.

Judging by the original footage of scenes from Wigan Casino all-nighters, faithfully recreated by the film, Northern Soul will hopefully not only engage and invigorate the interest of today's young people in the 'scene', but will also bring back many happy memories for those of us who danced the night away in the 70s when our waist sizes were significantly smaller and our fashion sense distinctly dodgy!