Northern Soul and Mod!!

[John Paterson]

I have been a mod for quite a time,BTW i expect or demand no admiration! over the last few years theres seems to be a mixed up view of the thing we call Mod! Folks from outside the home of mod seem to think that NS and the mod movement are 1 in the same? For those who are fresh to the scene well its an easy mistake to make!! But we are talking about scenes that can live on there own merits! We the older mods have a duty to carry the torch and its mod values for there true meaning! The only reason i can see for linking the two totally adverse scenes is a profit based raeson! Why you may ask? Why have the expense of putting a nite on for 100 mods when u can have 300 of everyone!! And the answer is in the whole fabric of mod itself. Not like everybody else, well im afraid its lost its Kudos!! We the modern day torch bearers have sold ourselves down the bloody river!! Norhtern soul does not need Mod and vice versa,in fact northern soul was an opposite reaction to mod! Scooter riding people of the Revival period followed there peers of the day into the scootrboy scene,with its anything goes culture. recession was given as a reason. Coz it became too expensive and elitist to live beyond your means! But the true essence of being mod was never about how much dosh you hsd. It was about thinking outside the box, and making the best about your situation! We are carrying a legacy forward and we are making an arse of it for the new generation, we are making it so complicated for the new blood. Who's to blame, the profiteers...... bending and shaping to please everyone! Mod was never about that,in fact it was the very opposite!! its caused rifts in the past for the very same reasons......people should hang there heads in shame!!

[Chris Newport]

XD

[John Paterson]

Was speaking to a Northern DJ at Rhythm A GoGo in Carlisle on saturday night who has been on the scene since its Origin, whilst discussing this Northern/Mod thing i wasnt shocked that he was in agreement with my stance! And i wasnt shocked for one simple reason,coz someone who was there fine well knows tht its too diffo scenes and always has been. Big respect to the true Northern Soulies of which Tony definately is one. Our parting line was Northern Soul aint Mohair suits and ties!! Couldnt have put it better myself!!

[Chris Newport]

Yep , in a nut shell !

I spose ide say - I love a sweat out , but I hate dry cleaning bills !

Im doing Modstock if youre there mate ? Praps see you there ?

[John Paterson]

hopefully see you there chris!!

[Chris Newport]

Nice 1 mate !

[James Thomas]

I don't get out to mod nights as much as I'd like to these days, but I too often thought about the relationship between northern soul and mod 'scenes'. Firstly, what seems to me beyond dispute is that some of the music that comes under the umbrella term 'northern soul' is also 'mod' music, in that certain songs and styles would have been danced to in London in 1965 and then in Wigan or Stoke in 1973 or whenever and then much later on. Also, some of the discoveries on the northern scene (particularly Latin soul or boogaloo tunes) are definitely in the style that original mods would have liked even if the records themselves were not in the UK during the 60s. So, in a nutshell, there is no point disputing the links between both scenes.

Aesthetically, of course, it's hard to equate the string vests and baggy trousers with the mod image, but then I don't think many people would do so. These days, though, I can't see the problem with people from both scenes mixing together on or around the dance floor, as long as everyone's respectful. No one owns mod or northern, and sometimes a mod will be more mod if she or he is standing out around people who aren't mods, as their individual modness will come to the fore. Remember folks, friendliness is close to Modliness!

[John Paterson]

The DJ i was talking to raised the very point you speak of above. Northern Soul 'borrowed' a lot of 60's soul music that was defined as being mod in that era. But here's the whole point about the misleading link in todays scene. If you play Northern Soul at a mod event and tout it as Northern,whether in 1 room or on a main stage; 1/ You will no doubt get the non mod types attending who quite rightly love there 'Northern'. 2/ When the soulies start attending then you'll have the 'Scooterboys' who in there mind adopted the Northern Music in the 80's. The above points are becoming more relevant at Brighton MOD Weekender as every year passes, the non mods who drive the non mod scooters and have a more casual dress sense feel they are more than welcome. Watch out this year @ brighton when its public knowledge that there is going to be a Scooterist boycott of the IOW. Where will they go....well wait and see. And can we blame them? After all there's a Northern room @ komedia.!! Maybe we can put a flyer out saying ''Northern Soul''  smart dress only! And thats not what northern was ever about. Do you start to realise the Conundrum??

[John Paterson]

Here's all the mods watching some northern soul dancing!!!???

[John Paterson]

Another fine bunch of Northern Soul Mods!!??#'#

[James Thomas]

Until I saw the Stevie Wonder LP, I thought it was Showaddywaddy at a Doctor Who convention, c. 1977.

[John Paterson]

That Oldschool mod look sure had you fooled  :-)   NOT

[John Paterson]

Remember the people in the above pictures didnt know they were mods?? But the money making rule changers have rewrote history!!!