Northern Soul the film

In a previous post, we promised we were going to go and see Northern Soul the film as soon as it came out, and as luck would have it, it was showing at Glasgow Film Theatre on 23rd October, the same date we had arranged to attend an equally 70s John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett gig at the Ferry (more about that later!)

The theatre was full to capacity and there were reports of queues around the block for cinemas across the country. Quite an achievement for a wee indie film, and the Glasgow audience was certainly not disappointed. We were transported straight back to 70s northern England by Elaine Constantine, who grew up in Bury, Lancashire, and like our own Johnny Frocker, frequented the all nighters at Wigan Casino as a teenager.

Elaine's film, which has been described as "an exuberant love letter to a bygone time" and "a northern Saturday Night Fever" is a must watch. The clothes are authentically bad, but in a good way, and the music and dancing are awesome. The film is a triumph.

For those interested in the scene, this BBC2 documentary Northern Soul: Keeping The Faith, shown on the Culture Show in September 2013, is an excellent introduction to the 70s phenomenon.