GULF WEEKLY-
Nostalgic sounds and groovy beats aim to keep people on their dancing feet tomorrow night (October 19) at one of the popular social clubs on the island with Radio Bahrain host Shannon Crockett bringing back a touch of soul.
SPINNING TUNES: Shannon
The 44-year-old Australian RJ, who also operates Stand Out Events, is staging a Northern Soul Night starting at 8pm at The Dilmun Club’s Candles which he says ‘looks a lot like the dancehalls of that era’ making it ‘the perfect setting’.
“About 14 years ago I was running an Irish venue in Abu Dhabi where we had a large group of regulars over the age of 50 who were big fans of the music but had nowhere to enjoy it,” said Shannon who has worked and lived in the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, Maldives, UAE and Bahrain.
“So I was happy to put together a night for them and it was a big success, to the point where we hosted a further two to three times over that year.
“It created such a good vibe and I felt it was time to try to recreate it here in Bahrain. I wanted to introduce that style of music, which is unique, to what is currently on offer. I love the music and I will enjoy spinning these tunes as much as everyone is dancing to them.”
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in the late 1960s across the Midlands and North of England. It developed from the British mod scene and based on a particular style of American soul music with a heavy beat and fast tempo.
Groovy beats: A throwback image of a dancer busting a move
“It began in northern England where teenagers revolted against chart music and resorted to underground clubs,” he explained. “The music and dance movement was a combination of American soul and Motown music with distinctive dance styles.”
The best venues were big, old dancehalls with large, polished wooden dance floors, designed for ballroom dancing, and the DJs were the stars, finding rare songs; failures that rarely charted but had a beat that would suit the dancers.
The Saturday night Northern Soul events were all-nighters, not ending until long after sun-up on Sunday morning. These nights attracted coaches full of dancers from all over England and Scotland.
GOOD VIBE: Behind the scenes video of a photo shoot by photographer Simon Plant capturing the passion and intensity of Northern Soul dancing
“Ballrooms and halls hosted these nights up until the 70s when it was at its peak,” he added. “The DJ’s were the biggest influences, as they wanted the rarest and hardest to find records to make their nights more popular. If the music they played was too commercial, they would lose their following.
“The artists that were popular in Northern Soul scene did not even know at first as it was an ‘underground’ following. And, some were artistes who never even made the charts in the US where the music was from.”
One of the most popular Northern Soul songs of all time is Frankie Valli’s The Night along with favourites from The Pointer Sisters such as Send Him Back and Gloria Jones’ Tainted Love.
BIG FOLLOWING: The movement was huge in Japan in 2018
“Northern Soul has a big following today too with the new generation of music lovers,” added Shannon who lives in soul suburbs of Sanabis. “Some Northern Soul style music occasionally makes the charts. John Newman’s Love Me Again?, for example, featured a music video paying homage to the Northern Soul dancehalls. Radio listeners may know the music style well, without even realising it.
“I love the idea of recreating a night like this for an expatriate generation that grew up on Northern Soul although this does not mean it is only for the oldies. If you love the sound of vintage soul and Motown music from the 60s and 70s, you will love the night, no matter what age you are! And, if people love it, this will be the first of many nights to come!”
For more details, follow @sirshannoncrockett on Instagram.