Sunday 22 April 2012

Wigan Casino 1977

I was searching for a song I heard on Radio 2 last night, when I found this is strange, somewhat confused but still wonderful documentary about the Northern Soul scene of the mid-to-late-70s. It's also about working class British youth of the time, and, wider than that, about being part of a scene, any scene. 1977 was closer to the end of WWII than we are to 1977, and looking at the bombed-out, or at least demolished, wasteground in some of these shots, it reminds me of a lot of growing up in west Leeds around that time, not exactly where I lived, but neighbouring Armley and Holbeck. The talking head pieces from the record dealer/lathe operator with the beard are so soaked in melancholy and love for the scene they're bloody heartbreaking, when you realise the casino did close down in 1981. I wish there weren't the folky interludes in this, they take the shine off it for me, but I still recommend watching it. G
 PS The record I was looking for is the Northern Soul killer 'Oh baby don't you weep' by Luther Ingram.

 

6 comments:

rustyli150 said...

Quality tune, was listening to that yesterday afternoon

loveless said...

the folky bit's are the best, that northern soul stuff is shite!

WhitelinePsycho said...

Lovey, a northern soul trgic if there was one, walking bloody encylopaedia too !! Great post for us non Poms, thanks heaps !!

Unknown said...

Tuuune!

LC8awesomeness said...

Remember the soul boy crew from my school in Edinburgh late seventies used to go down to Wigan. Didn't get it then- was a punk + remember agro over records played (Clash/Pistols v N Soul trax) at the tuck shop!! Good folk tho. Dig the moves and early rave mentality now for sure...good stuff!

LC8awesomeness said...

PS Craig Charles, Radio 6 etc was into the N Soul scene in his youth. Great episode when he was on Coronation St a few years back: Liz MacDonald breaking his rare soul 7" and chucking them out the window at him post infidelity.

...(the horror!!)