anyone remember wigan casino?

[crisgal]

in the late seventies? any memories you'd like to share?

[Mortartube]

No. But I wish I did. I got interested in Northern Soul long after the Casino closed. I can imagine that it was a great place to be.

[Ethel]

There's loads of stuff on You Tube

[dot.hawkes]

I used to go into Russ Winstanldeys shop in hallgate and buy the imports he'd been plugging on the weekend all nighter and sell them in the shop I worked in, he was amazing, the way he knew what would work, There' a Ghost in My House is down to him you know, and probably Skiing in the Snow too.
With workingin wigan now, i have spoken to so many people i work with who went to the casino pre Northern Soul era, the Beatles played there apparently.

[karatant]

Hey yes, I went quite often, living not far from there. ~I don't live quite so close these days but often get the train in for an afternoon, was in Wallgate just the other week, remember Dawsons music shop? So now there's a big "mall" where Station road and the Casino used to be.
Well fancy that Dot. ! You work in my old home town !
What shop is that I wonder?

[crisgal]

i only went twice - but i'll never forget my two visits.
There is a northern soul competition at tower ballroom every year, but i've never managed to catch it.
OOh, dot! You've brought some memories flooding back with Ghost in my House!

[karatant]

"Seven Days is Too Long", "You're Ready Now", there's so many- every one a gem.

So who can remember The Beachcomber under the Casino? But I'm going back to the mid. 60's now !
"Room at the Top" ? "The Mask Club" just up from Scholes on Wigan Road, "The Court Ballroom" ?
oh no, you've got me started now- happy days 'though.

[factor-fiction]

I loved and bought much of the music and still listen to it, but never went to the Casino. But I've heard stories that it wasn't as popular as legend suggests and didn't it close down because of lack of custom? I've also heard that although the atmosphere and music were great on the busy nights, it was a pretty grim place for some people-- dire toilets with ankle deep urine pools , drugs, lots of sweat , etc.


By the way, I have a great song by the Bats which is described as Northern Soul- does anyone know if that was played at the Casino?

My fave- Dean Parrish. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=19trIMCVtb8

[andy-hughes]

The Casino was a cult venue from '71 - '74, and remains the mecca (sorry!) for Northern fans.

Sadly, I was a dyed-in-the-wool progressive rock fan in those days, and only got into Northern, and soul in general, when that wonderful era had passed.

My home town - Stoke- boats The Torch, another legendary Northern venue, and again, I missed going there as well.

Oh well ...

[crisgal]

andy - i was a prog rock fan too! I saw tangerine dream the night before I went to the casino!!!
I had friends who loved northern soul and agreed to go with them. I loved the music after my first visit, but had to pretend i didn't when we got back! These days it's ok to have an eclectic taste, but when i was a teenager, it was one type or another - if you said you liked different kinds, you weren't considered a serious fan of anything.

factor 30, i have to say, the main thing i remember was, apart from queing for AGEs in the freezing cold, was the stench of sweat as soon as you walked in - stale sweat too, probably from the previous night's dancers!

It struck me as quite funny and sweet that most of the dancers were men, and that they took their dancing outfits and shoes with them in little bags, just as my granny did when she went sequence dancing!

[andy-hughes]

Crisgal - how right you are!

I remember bravely confirmikng to friends that I had ticekts to see Abba - I couldnot go in the end, a deep deep regret - I thought they were fabulous.

Of course, as poeple like you and I know - and modern 'Mama Mia' fans would be amazed to hear - is that in their heyday, Abba were somewhat less cool than Westlife, they were 'pop', and thus spawn of Satan.

I loved them then, and do now - I have no time for this 'guilty pleasures' garbage, fabulous music is fabulous, pop, rock, what ever, and Abba were toppermost of the poppermost, to quote John Lennon.

It;s interesting how time lends rose-coloured nostalgia to everything '70's, when at the time, a glam rocker seeing a metaller would cross the road to avoid abuse, if not physical confrontation.

Ah, young people enjoying themselves ...

[mrs_overall]

Hi crisgal.

I remember my one and only visit in 1972. I had to travel across the country to get there and it involved some pretty serious fibbing to my parents to be out all night.

There is a northern soul event in Whitby each year which is great fun. I'm not 100% certain of the 2009 date but it I think it could be in June

[Disco Fever]

I just wish I was older so I could of gone there myself, ive been into Northern & Motown for about 15 years now and I now do my own mobile disco playing stuff like you've all said above but I also love playing The Originals - Suspicion, R Dean Taylor - Lets Go Somewhere (it's a B side), The Contours - Just a little misunderstanding, Baby hit and run & It's so hard being a loser and not forgetting any Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon.....

[karatant]

What happened was, it burned down.

[Ice.Maiden]

Sorrry, but....what's the difference between northern soul and any other soul?

[karatant]

Northern Soul has certain atributes to make it Northern Soul. A moderately fast and steady beet and somewhere in the mix there is always a xylophone. That's the main flavour of it, I think it's that xylophone that diferenciates it the most. - Do you agree?

[Sachs]

Been to the Twisted wheel. Does that count? xxx

[andy-hughes]

It is that particylar beat that defines Northern Soul. The cult arose from the Wigan - and other DJ's making trips to the US to find seriously obscure singles that supplied the beat, and making them desireable to the fans - sometimes by hiding the labels of singles they spun on their nights to keep the mistique going.

It's 'Northern Soul' because the cult grew up around norhtern venues like Wigan Casino, Blackpool Mecca, The Twisted Wheel in Manchester, and The Torch in Stoke, which is about as far south as you can go and still really be 'Northern.

Now of course venues nationwide play the music to enthusiasts, but it will always be 'Northern Soul' from those halcyon days in the early seventies.

[Sachs]

andy! xxx Respect you! :0)

[tonyav]

i used to go to wigan casino most sat nights / sun mornings between 1974 to 1978 ( aged 18 / 22 ) they where the best years of my life and for nothern soul music. the memories are flooding back to me, a bunch of us waiting outside the nags head in little bloxwich every sat night so we could get on the coach that a local coach company layed on especially. we were the last pick up before the m6 and the journey north to wigan. then having to wait ages in the que,s outside but when we finally it was all worth it. yes it did smell of stale sweat and the gents toilets were'nt the most hygenic that i have used, but we took no notice of this and got on with having a great time. also i would like to mention that wigan casino was not just about the music, it was about alot of things such as clothes and the like minded people who were there ( i made friends with people who were from all over the uk ).
happy times indeed.

[sheilz]

i was one of the many thousands that went to the casino from 78 - 81 was an amazing place, i have so many good memories and the friends i made from all over the country, id love to know what these handful of friends are doing now? Sharon Cutts(brum), wagsy (brum) Mandy(wigan) Alison(lancaster) Karen denwood(lancaster) Shaun Gibbons(lancaster) Franky(preston) my ex Wayne (leigh). Infact anyone who knows me get intouch would love to catch up on old times, everyone knew me as "sheila from lancaster".