Out On Blue Six: Algiers

Is it too early to call this wonderful Norther Soul evocative tune the track of the summer?

End Transmission

Out On Blue Six : Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

I think I only like two Frankie Valli songs; one is Beggin, and this is the other

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Silent Sunday : Dance, Dance, Dance

Northern Soul (2014)

Nicely evocative of the scene - to the extent that you can almost feel the sweat on your body and smell the stench of the beer in the dance hall - Northern Soul, Elaine Constantine's debut mutually released cinemas and the DVD market this week suffers from being a project that is a something of an authentic style over actual substance piece.

2010's Soul Boy previously attempted to cover this ground and though that was a somewhat cliched depiction/representation of the Northern Soul scene it remains more peppy and enjoyable than this film which seems to want to be more realistic warts and all but ultimately remains less interesting and engaging.

The cameos of Steve Coogan, Lisa Stansfield, Ricky Tomlinson, Ashley Taylor Dawson, Christian McKay, John Thomson and James Lance add weight to the largely novice cast but the script in the main lets them down thanks to flawed or ill considered/confusing narratives that lead to dead ends and fail to add the character they so sorely require. It is perhaps only Coogan, naturally, who holds our interest playing a boorish school teacher.

As someone who lives not far from Wigan and can honestly claim to know several of the true 'Faithful' from this era, it's also saddening and unrealistic to see another depiction of this scene that concentrates itself with drug use. Those that I know who were there say that whilst drugs were spoke of - which suggests they were around at the very least - they were not truly part of the scene for the masses. For those that I know at least the music alone was enough to have them buzzing so energetically on the dancefloor, and kudos to them for that. If Northern Soul as a film does one thing it is to remind us of just how fantastic the music gleaned for that moment in time truly was.

Out On Blue Six : The Third Degree

A cover of Duffy's Mercy, done as it should be, Northern Soul style by The Third Degree

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Out On Blue Six : Dobie Gray - And An Announcement

Just a wonderfully good slab of Northern Soul to kick Saturday off - Dobie Gray and Out On The Floor - but also, a great little number to tide everyone over as I'll be on radio silence for the next week as I'm off on holiday.

So, no blog posts until next weekend from me. Enjoy your week and your start to September and I'll see you all shortly.

End Transmission

SoulBoy

I was pleasantly surprised to see this film crop up on BBC2 on Saturday as I don't think I'd even heard of it before and like a lot of UK films it seems to have had a very limited release in 2010. SoulBoy is a valid effort at trying to capture the vibrant Northern Soul scene that exploded in my region, the North West and principally at the world famous Wigan Casino (just up the road from me) in the 70s. 

The period atmosphere is quite nicely realised; well shot with a sort of long hot summer glow and in the early parts of the film it's helped along with an occasional brassy music signature and humour of the sort of 'unlucky in love/lechery' comedies that were made at the time. In fact the biggest compliment is it actually feels at times like it could have been made in the 70s. It's not all laughs, there's quite a bit of drama along the way as well, with stuff to tug at the heart strings, making it an effective coming of age story.

Martin Compston is engaging enough in the lead whilst Alfie Allen seems to be channelling Robin Askwith! The gorgeous Felicity Jones pops up as the love interest in what is now her third 70s set movie, after Flashbacks Of A Fool and Cemetery Junction. Jones is a great performer and gives the production some real heart and a touch of fragility too. Craig Parkinson is always worth watching, and is rather menacing here. Perhaps less successfully, there's some unusual stunt casting; Fun Loving Criminal and 6Music DJ Huey Morgan appears as a stoned hippie record shop owner with a touch of the Dick Van Dyke's accent wise. Look out too for Corrie's Bruce Jones as The Casino's bouncer. No doubt both were selected for their music credentials and their Northern credentials respectively.

The film ends with a dance off -what else?! - and over the closing credits some vox pops from the real life Soul Boys and Girls, those beautiful Faithful who keep Northern Soul going. 

SoulBoy is a pleasing 80 minute movie that captures a time, moment and culture rather well. If you love the scene and the music then you are in for a treat.