THIS IS NORTHERN SOUL
The phrase “Northern Soul” wasn’t coined until around 1970 by Soul City record shop owner and journalist, Dave Godin. He noticed that music fans visiting London from the North of England would seek out funkier, bigger sounding records from the smaller and lesser-known record labels. Clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester emerged from the early mod scene and spawned a host of all-nigh soul venues across the north of the country. From King Mojo in Sheffield to the Wigan Casino in Wigan, club-goers sought to slip on their dancing shoes and get on down to a fast paced soul beat. Back in the 60s and 70s sharp dressed young men and women would travel all over the UK to dance all night to rare records imported from the USA. The soul scene was especially big in the North of England, where towns and cities like Manchester, Wigan, Blackpool, and Stoke-onTrent played host to legendary soul clubs. Manchester’s famous Twisted Wheel and then Blackpool Mecca and the Torch,were three of the hottest places for soul music in the early 70s, and soul fans would come from all over the country to dance to the best tunes, show off their sharpest clothes, and go looking for romance. And the Mecca’s Highland Room was where some of the best action took place, to the sound of legendary DJ, Ian Levine. Many of the original soul fans are now well into their middle-ages, but they’ve kept the spirit of the scene alive, and are reliving their youth at soul revival nights all over the country.
CONCEPT My concept was to explore how Northern Soul has continued to be portrayed within the 21st century in Sheffield. To allow me to do this, I will explore various Sheffield locations linked to the growth of Northern Soul in the 60’s as well as more popular locations today for the various subcultures and styles influenced by North Soul today.
Rationale Whilst Northern Soul was more popular in the late 60’s and early 70’s, I’ve found it really interesting looking at how it has been able to influence the later generations and sub cultures of society. Whilst Northern Soul began as a dance movement in the north of England, the culture surrounding it grew far beyond just the music. This allowed me to look into the brands that have continued to rock the Northern Soul style in 2019 and the impact they have had on the youth of today.
Models When choosing my models, I was fairly particular on the image I wanted them to portray. In an ideal world, I would have had 3 models from various subcultures today all with a unique look. Luckily, I was able to show Northern Soul through the eyes of two people who’s styles have been heavily influenced by their parents who grew up with Northern Soul. One of the main reasons I chose Shannon as one of my models was because of her tattoos. Tattoos give off an alternative look which fits in with what Northern Soul was, something different. Matty grew up loving Fred Perry and the culture that came with it, but has always tried to blend the casual 21st century look along with it. This was perfect for my concept as it really shows how students today are still influenced by styles from over half a decade ago.
Styling There are various brands in the 21st century that are heavily influenced by Northern Soul. Fred Perry and Ben Sherman are just two of them along with brands that were worn in the 60’s and 70’s such as Doc Martens. I felt due to them being so popular in the 21st century, that it would be vital to include brands such as these in my work. I have also included items I have found in various charity shops and high street stores such as Topshop such as tennis skirts and buttoned cardigans where were frequently seen on girls in the late 60’s.
MUAH Northern Soul make-up was very natural due to the energy needed for dance and to enable it doesn’t sweat off. For my models, I decided to keep it very simple and just darken her eyebrows with a slight bit of eyeliner and dark blended eyeshadow with a tint of white to bring out her eyes. After researching northern soul hair, I found men to either have quite long hair with a fringe or a shaved head. Women tended to have fairly dark wavey hair or a short bob with a fringe.
Location & Photography I decided to base my Location mainly in Sheffield Central. After researching into the history of Sheffield Northern Soul, I found that the majority of locations had either been knocked down or turned into modern buildings which I felt wouldn’t give the same effect for my project. So my next option was to go to The Leadmill. A classic indie club in Sheffield. I also used day to day locations such as a library and alleyways which contributed to showing the daily lifestyle from the 60’s and 70’s culture.
Promotional Materials Promotional materials are vital to make sure that word gets out about the exhibition. I decided to use classic song lyrics as a main backdrop to my main promotional material as this will draw people in and remind them of their past. Using the colours black, white and red – the event posters will be easily recognisable.
Visual Exhibition For my exhibition, I wanted to make it seem like people were walking into a Northern Soul disco. With my photography pieces on both sides of the room all the way to the back, this left the middle clear for a dance floor and a few rows of chairs. The refreshments would be at the back next to the chairs and directly at the front of the room would be a stage with a projector playing my video. Next to this would be a DJ