Film brings Northern Soul back to Edinburgh

Dancers give it their all, showing off their acrobatic moves

SPINNING, kicking, shuffling. Dropping, diving, whirling. Sweating, stripping, dancing.

Half-naked male bodies kung-fu kicking for space on the dance floor as girls in ankle-length dirndle skirts swept their legs into the air along with the talcum spread on the floor to make their movements seamless.

And all to an insistent, hypnotic, euphoric soul sound, a vinyl soundtrack of little-known black American music - the rarer the disc the better.

This was – is – Northern Soul. A music scene which gripped a generation of white working class kids in the 1970s, from Wigan to Aberdeen, Southport to Edinburgh – and which still has many of them in its clutches despite their advancing years.

It’s also now attracting a whole new generation, whose numbers could be further swelled after the new movie – simply titled Northern Soul, which is said to capture the spirit and emotion of the early days of the scene – hit cinemas.

It is made by photographer Elaine Constantine, who fell in love with the sounds and the dance moves in 1976. The film is set two years earlier and traces the story of two boys whose horizons are widened by the discovery of soul music and their aim to become the best DJs on the scene, but rivalry, violence and drug abuse tests their friendship to the limit.

It might well spark a whole new interest in Northern Soul, but as Edinburgh DJ and organiser of SSW (Scottish Soulful Weekender), Yogi Haughton, says, the “scene” has never gone away.

“It never disappeared,” he says. “It was never mainstream in the first place, which could be why it’s managed to just keep going, but I can’t think of any other scene which was so big that is still around. The loyalty among fans means there will always be a demand for clubs or all-nighters so people can hear the music and dance. It’s an enduring thing.”

He says the reason is simple – “it’s the music”. “It’s an incredible form of music which crosses all age barriers. Right now it’s huge with young people in Japan and Germany,” he adds. “And there is always new music being discovered and new records released, so it’s not just about music which has been around for 50 years.

“The whole scene has thrived on people going to the States and finding old tapes, reel to reels, tracking down artists, and finding stuff that was never released. And there are current musicians, like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and The Soul Investigators who have a very authentic soul sound. People still want to hear new music, that drives it too.”

One of last year’s biggest chart hits, Happy by Pharrell Williams, also seemed to tap into the Northern Soul vibe. But Yogi says: “That was only because of Northern Soul Girl’s YouTube video of herself dancing to it which also included Velvet Hammer’s Happy, which was a different song, a real Northern Soul song. And then of course she appeared with him at the Brits.”

Yogi, who also runs Soul Satisfaction at The Cask and Still on Leith Walk, which focuses on Northern Soul and Motown every second Saturday, adds: “I was DJing in Manchester last year and was amazed at how many young people were on the scene. They’ve found it and they bring a new energy. In Edinburgh, it’s all a bit more fragmented but there are weekenders in Peebles and the Gilmerton Soul Club is one of the most authentic Northern Soul nights in Edinburgh. There’s a vibe about it that really reminds me of the old days in Wigan, Blackpool, Morecambe. I went to them all and made a lot of friends. There are a lot of friendships