Irish and exclusive

Like most of the people that have put tales on Mick's page I also got into the Northern Soul scene in the early 70's. I loved the music then, love it now and always will. I went to the Casino, I bought records at silly prices and I danced all night. Sounds very much like the other stories so far I hear you say.
But this is where the similarity ends. You see I rarely went to clubs like the Casino. In my opinion they where completely over rated. My first trip to Blackpool Mecca was a real anti climax. It consisted of record collectors, posers, trendies (Northern Soul had become fashionable by then) and a slack handful of true devotees. Wigan was about the same, but so packed out I felt like a sardine. To be honest I never really enjoyed those places.
I preferred the smaller club, or venues that were put together by true Soulies. Probably the same type of person that is organising get togethers today. We once hired the upstairs of an Irish club for a Northern night and it was a total success. The manager approached us later that evening. He was so impressed with the "behavior of these youngsters" he invited us to join him in a lock in. A lock in is the practice of extending the drinking hours without the permission of the authorities. Everyone turned a blind eye, including the police, as long as the crowd was ok. We were. Just imagine it. All the pleasure of the bigger clubs without the crowds, plus beer on tap. Eat your heart out Wiganites. We often left that place at 6 am, usually leaving the Irish blokes still supping their Guinness and we thought we had invented all-nighters!!
Rare soul music was usually played at small exclusive clubs. The big clubs of the 70's changed that. Sad thing is most people believed that the music died when those clubs closed their doors for the final time, WRONG.
Northern Soul has many years left in it. I believe it's future lies in it's past. That is small clubs with the occasional large get together. Like it was and like it is today. The scene today is is thriving because of true Soulies who remind me so much of the people who hired that Irish Club all them years ago.
Soul today, soul to stay...Darren