Mod/beat legends The Creation are back together for a gig - at London's 100 Club.
The date for your diary is 24th July 2008, running from 7:30pm until 11pm, with DJ support from Gary Crowley and Dave Edwards.
Tickets are a fairly hefty £20 and available from the link below. Or find out more at the 100 Club website.
Order tickets for the gig online
The ever-excellent London mod night Hard As Nails has just announced its summer dates.
The across-the-board musical policy comes from a number of resident DJs - Andy Brazil, Macke, Clanger, Jim Cox, and Kerry Foster - meaning they won't all be DJing at each event, allowing more time for the guests to show their musical wares.
- Saturday June 7th DJs Rob Messer, Southern Sam, Jim Cox, Clanger, Macke
- Saturday July 26th DJs Mik Parry, Andy Pollard, Jim Cox, Clanger, Andy Brazil
- Saturday August 30th DJs Mark Thomas, Warren Boogaloo, Kerry Foster, Macke, Andy Brazil
UPSTAIRS @ CLOCKWORK
96-98 PENTONVILLE RD, LONDON N1 9JB
9pm-4am, £8 entry
Visit the club's Myspace page here.
Bournemouth has a new late-night soul event in the form of S.O.S.
Having begun promoting nights locally in 2006, the S.O.S. team have secured a regular slot at the 500-capacity Opera House in the town, with the next event scheduled for Saturday 31st May. On that occasion soul band DC Fontana are playing live, while guest DJs manning the decks will be Rowly, Warren Boogaloo, Steve Lyons, and Emma Cox.
S.O.S., Saturday 31st May
@ The Opera House, 570 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH1 4BH
8pm-4am, £10 entry
Future dates: 6th September, 1st November
For more info visit the S.O.S website here. To buy tickets visit the venue, or ring 07934 483756.
Another night in Stockton, this time a newly-launched night going by the name of Monkey Train.
The music mix is ska, 60s R&B, soul & reggae, with DJs Paddy M (Tighten Up, Set the Tone), Johnny and guests. It kicks off on Saturday 7th June at the Georgian Theatre, running from 8pm until late. Tickets are £3 in advance, £4 on the door.
For more information check out the clubs MySpace site or if you have any questions or fancy a guest DJ spot contact monkeytrain@hotmail.co.uk.
We have mentioned the Magic Bus night before - and if you've not been down, here's an added incentive for you. You could win a Savile Row suit.
How? Well, Magic Bus at the Cock Tavern on Friday 13th June will feature special guest DJ William Hunt of Savile Row alongside Eddie Piller, Ivor Jones, Johnny Valatone and Dean Rudland. And there's a dancing competition with the prize of a bespoke Savile Row suit from William Hunt - male or female suit.
Flyer above, but if you can't see it, the address is The Cock Tavern, East Poultry, Smithfield Market, London EC1 (20 yards from Fabric), running from 9pm until 2am, £5 on the door.
Modern Life is returning to its soulful home, bigger and better than ever on Friday 23rd May.
Shake and fingerpop to the sounds of Tamla Motown, Atlantic, freakbeat blue eyed soul, ye ye, Hammond mod, 60s britpop and Northern. Dress neat and be ready for sharp beats as DJ Grant Schofield and his team (guest DJs include Chris Arthur).
There's a live band too - Edinburgh-based five-piece combo Modus, recently signed to Hammondbeat Records. The night takes place at the Stockton Arc, running from 9pm til late, with admission £8 (£6 concessions).
Arc website
An '80s mod revival club has started up in Belfast.
Bought to you by members of the Solid Bond Scooter Club (who formed last year), '80s Mod Revival Club is a monthly affair starting on June 7th and then runs every first Saturday. DJ Paul Williams brings you the best of mod revival, ska, northern soul, new wave, and Motown. Admission is £5 entry.
'80s Mod Revival Club
1st Saturdays from June 7th, £5 entry
@ The Pavilion Bar, Ormeua Road, Belfast
For more on the night and the scooter club visit the Sold Bond website here.
Check out the flyer above for the next Boiler in Barcelona, which takes place on May 10th 2008.
Gues DJs are Jo Wallace, Roberta and Moonwolf, with the night running from 11:30pm until 5am and admission 10 Euros.
If you want to know more, contact the organisers via the Boiler website.
First held at the Dublin Castle in Camden in 1990, Phil Otto & Dom Strickland (ex of The Clique ) return with the Black Cat Club on Saturday 10th May.
It takes place every second Saturday of the month at The Poll Hill Arms, between Orpington and Sevenoaks Kent, running from 8pm – 12.30 and playing soul/R&B, British beat/R&B, Mod, and Hammond by a mix of (to be confirmed) guests and resident DJs.
The Poll Hill Arms is an old-style pub, with the club in the back room, extending outside - and the drinks are obviously pub prices. If you want to know more, contact iangrinham@hotmail.com.
If you're at a loose end on a Sunday in Glasgow, Sunday Service looks like it's worth checking out.
Every Sunday at The Venue, Oran Mor (Top of Byres Road), Glasgow, Mark Robb & Craig Loosejoints (Ecurie Weegie) plus guest bands & djs will spin soul, r&b, jazz, psych, funk, reggae and more. The night runs from 11pm - 3am, entry is £4.
Some interesting forthcoming guests too, including:
Sun 4 May Bank Holiday - DJ Snowboy
Sun 25 May Bank Holiday - DJ Keb Darge
Sun 22 June - DJ Terry Hall (Yes, the bloke from The Specials)
Here is a round-up of events happening this coming May bank holiday weekend.
Blackpool on Friday the 2nd sees a great line-up of mod bands at Riffs (Station Road) -Yeh Yeh, The 5 O'Clock Heroes and The Wrong Box. Tickets are £6 in advance from andy@sheana.freeserve.co.uk. The party starts at 8pm and finishes at 2am.
Staffordshire hosts Modrophenia on Sunday the 4th, a party with DJ Louca spinning northern soul and ska, plus live music. The venue is The Palace in Tamworth, times are 7pm-1.30am. Tickets available from the venue website here.
Over in Wales from the 2nd to the 4th is the National Scooter Rally in Llandudno. You can expect all the usual scooter rally activities: live bands, DJs, custom show and parts fair. For more info visit vfmscoot.com.
In Leicester on the Saturday (3rd) The Buzz gang continue their recent hosting of the second room at Brighton Beach at Leicester University, playing a mixed bag of 1960s sounds. Doors are 10pm-2am, entry is £5. See more at the Brighton Beach website here.
Another Saturday event is the Cambridge Soul Collective do at the Fulbourn Sports and Social Club in the city. Resident DJs Max and David spin northern, modern soul, and R&B alongside guests Big Jon and Dave Halsall. Times are 8pm-1am, and its £5 entry.
London can expect another dose of the Tune Up allnighter @ The Cellars, Newington Green Road. After the success of the first installment Smart Phil and Giordano once again spin plenty of 'maximum strength boilers' of the soul and Jamaican variety, with guests Dave Edwards, Dom Cater, Mischief and Paul Leney joining in the fun. 10pm-6am, £8 entry.
And finally in Brighton on the Sunday is the Ska Jamboree at The Barfly (Gloucester Place). Live music comes from Crunch (featuring members of Madness), 80s girl-group The Dance Parade, and King Fu. Special guest DJ is Preston of The Ordinary Boys, and photographer Gavin Watson will be doing a book signing. Doors are 7pm-3am; tickets are £8/10 From Ticketweb.co.uk and the usual outlets.
If you've never been to Oslo, you could take the opportunity on September 5th & 6th for the Oslo Mod Weekender.
Friday night is hosted by Oslo's top Mod club Klubb Magnus playing 60s soul, rhythm & blues, latin and boogaloo in an authentic 60s venue, then following a daytime event on Saturday, the Saturday night will offer more mod sounds, courtesy of Pow Wow's Mik Parry, Carole F and Callum from Shoutin' the Blues, Mark Raison, Mr. No More Doggin's Kev C and from The Alley Club, Big Jon.
We'll have a flyer and full details in our events section nearer the time.
Find out more at the MySpace website
A band-based club has taken off in the capital recently, looking to provide a monthly dose of mod/scooterist-shaped action in the heart of Camden.
In The City is every third or fourth Saturday of the month at The Fiddler's Elbow, and billed as a 'back to basics' night of thrills and spills without it hurting your wallet. DJ Bioux provides the sounds alongside two live bands. Future live attractions include The Petty Hoodlums (April) and Long Tall Shorty (May). The organisers are planning to set up a local In The City scooter club off the back of the night.
In The City
@ The Fiddler's Elbow, Camden, NW5
Saturday 19th April, 17th May, 21st June, 26th July
8pm-1am, £6 entry.
Myspace page
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Basics R&B club in Edinburgh is to help bring back 1980s The Clique club for one night only.
The Clique Club was run by Liam Patterson and friends in the 1980s as an Edinburgh rhythm'n'soul club, to fill the gap between the few UK northern soul allnighters and the more populist mod/scooter nights in Scotland. The music policy of classics alongside the '6Ts newies' coming out of Stafford or the 100 Club was considered unusual at the time, as clubs often played mod revival bands or the more obvious UK groups like The Who and the Small Faces. This 'pursit' policy obviously fits in nicely with what Basics does (missing of course some raw 1950s R&B currently in vogue), so Kevin Conn and Davie Hudson has invited them to man the decks as part of the May edition. Put simply, it looks like being one of those 'must-attend' nights for old and new faces alike.
Basics Presents...The Clique Club
Saturday May 17th, 11pm-3am
Henry's Cellar Bar, Morrison Street, Edinburgh
£5 entry; free CD for first 25 in.
For more on the Basics club visit the Myspace page here.
Northampton’s long-running '60s-based club The Buzz says its goodbyes to The Soundhaus next month, as the venue is to close. 
The Buzz has been providing the Midlands with "mod soul and rock'n'roll" at the Soundhaus for the last nine years. However the venue owner is not renewing the lease as new property developments on its doorstep threatens its' ability to continue as a late-night music venue (sadly very much a trend in the UK right now). So on Friday 9th May The Buzz team will have a farewell party, with Smart Phil (Sweet but Deadly) as guest DJ on the night providing the r'n'b, soul and ska dancers. The Buzz hopes to continue in the near future at The New Roadmender. As always check The Buzz Myspace and website for updates.
The Buzz
Friday 9th May
Great Russell St, Northampton
10pm-2am. £4 b4 11pm, £5.50 after
I'm sure I am not alone in being impressed with The Bees' recording output - so it should be interesting to see what they are like as DJs.
You can find out this Saturday (19th April) at London's Rock 'n' Roll Soul, where they will be guest DJs alongside Boogaloo Stu Kirkham and Emma Sunley.
Rock 'n' Roll Soul is at the Cock Tavern, East Poultry Avenue, Smithfield Markets, EC1 from 9pm-3am, £6 admission.
A special Hideaway Club in April - it is resident DJ Neil Henderson's 40th birthday and there's a special DJ line-up to celebrate.
The night is on Saturday 26th April 2008 upstairs @ The Waldorf Pub, Gore Street, (opp Malmaison Hotel) city centre Manchester, running from 9pm - 2am. And to celebrate 1968 admission is just £1.
Joining Neil, Mike Warburton & Paul Welsby are Carl Willingham, Barry Tasker, David Byrne, Cally, Damien Hewitt, John Kelly, Stan Evans and Paul Kamczyk - all spinning a half hour of their finest each. Get there early - it should be busy.
A couple of months of yet, but here's advance notice on the June 13th Liar Liar Club.
The night promises a cross section of 60s underground sounds - from soul and ska to garage and psych - along with three live bands (who seem to be on the psych side, so make sure that's your thing).
All that for £3 at the New Cross Inn on New Cross Road, London.
Find out more at the Liar Liar MySpace page
Here is a splendid way to spend a Thursday night in Manchester, at
the Here Come The Girls club.
The free weekly shindig is devoted to sixties femme pop and is bought to you by David Jackson. This Thursday the 24th of April the club hosts a 'mod special', as Martin The Mod brings a plethora of female-fronted northern soul and Jamaican 45s for your listening pleasure. Expect future guest spinners in upcoming weeks.
Here Comes The Girls
Thursdays @ Tiger Lounge, 5 Cooper Street, Manchester
9pm til late, free entry
For more details on the club see the Myspace page here.
A new night in Wigan, promising 60s soul and R&B - Mustard Greens.
It opens on Saturday 19th April at the Cotton Club, then every third Saturday of the month from 10pm until 3am, with free entry.
Guest DJs in the first night are Liam Quinn and Paul Walker from Manchester's Beat Boutique night. See above for details or check out the club's MySpace night below.
After the success of the Dex parties, the organisers are launching Mango Landin' in Brixton on Saturday 10th May.
Expect a nice space, beer garden, friendly crowd and good music from Tim Keenoy and guests until 2:30pm. If all goes well, it should become a monthly event. For more details contact:
timkeenoy@yahoo.com
London club Brainwashed from now on is to have guest clubs each month, starting this month with Brighton Beach.
The club, 'dedicated to mixing the best music of the last 50 years', is bought to you by the New Untouchables and Pat Long of the NME. It regularly features live bands and guest DJs on the ground floor: on the 19th of April will be Televised Crimewave and The Bacchae, with Jack White on the decks. In the basement room will be the guest club, starting with Gav Needham and the Brighton Beach crew playing a mix of '60s rock'n'roll and current indie.
BRAINWASHED!
@ Epicurean Lounge, 10 Clerkenwell Green, London, EC1
Tube: Farringdon & Thameslink
9pm until 3am
£8 entry (£5 for NUS)
Future dates: 17th May, 21st June
See the Brainwashed Myspace page here for details of future guest clubs and bands.
If you're on the look out for a bit of soul next weekend, you'll find plenty of it at Magic Bus.
Yes, the original Acid Jazz club night is back on Friday April 4th, 18 years after it first started at a new home of The Cock Tavern, East Poultry, Smithfield Market, London EC1.
The night features Acid Jazz’s own Eddie Piller and Dean Rudland as residents alongside top soul DJs Ivor Jones and Johnny Valatone, with special guest Wayne Hemingway - northern soul devotee, creator of Red Or Dead and top telly pundit.
Expect across the board rare soul, with admission £5.
Derby's new ace mod club Bert's Apple Crumble gets set to relaunch in a new improved venue.
The monthly Midlands club, hosted by Craig Simpson and Dom Cater and featuring regular guest spots, will continue to bring the best in funk, soul, ska, and 60s club sounds at a brand new venue The Royal on Victoria Street from Friday 23rd of May. The club will then run every 4th Friday from them on. The new venue will allow the club to open for longer (10pm-3.30am), and all for just £3 before midnight or £5 after.
For more on the club, and to keep updated on future guest DJs, see the Bert's Apple Crumble Myspace page here.
Sunday sessions seem to be getting more popular of late, with the Alternative Sixties Night in Sevenoaks the latest one to launch.
It's the work of ex-Clique man Phil Otto, running at the Polhill Arms in Sevenoaks on the second Sunday of each month - the first night being 13th April 2008. The night runs from 8pm until 11pm, with admission free on the first night.
The playlist promises rare soul, R&B, beat and ska from a strong list of DJs including Dave Edwards (100 Club), Ian G (Scorched), Andy Hynde (Reggae Shack), Smiler (just about everywhere) alongside the local resident jocks.
For more information email Phil at phillip.otto@btinternet.com.
Blow Up! is a new night launching in Wigan on 19th April 2008 - and every 3rd Saturday after.
It's at The Tavern and promises a mixed bag from the best in 60s pop/rock, psychedelia jazz, blues, soul and beat. Entrance is free & drinks promotions will be running for both ales and spirits. The night runs from 10pm until 3am.
For further details about the night, venue etc, see the MySpace page below.
Following the success of the first night Leeds is being treated to a second helping of Absolute Beginners.
On Saturday 29th of March the team welcome all to a night of northern soul, Stax, Two Tone, ska, reggae, Blue Beat, and r'n'b, featuring the Moonstomp Soundsystem and the 25th Hour Collective DJs. Live music is provided by The Uprooters and Kinda Kinks. Dress sharp if you are to attend as Beat Boutique photographer Kellyanne will be there taking photos. The event is also a benefit night for the excellent (and free) Leeds music magazine No Title.
Absolute Beginners
@ TJ's Woodhouse, Woodhouse Street, Leeds
7pm til late, £4 entry
See the Absolute Beginners Myspace page here.
For those seeking a more cerebral Sunday outing in London are in luck as two '50s/'60s nights are just about to begin.
For north Londoners we have Sunday Stomp, bought to us by DJ Michael Jemmeson at the ever popular Cellar Bar at The Constitution in Euston. A monthly outing beginning on Sunday 30th of March, the evening promises a selection of R&B, rock'n'roll, early soul, ska, and instros from original 45s. First guests at the Stomp are Filthy Rich and Louise (Sleep All Day, Drive All Night). The event is 4pm-10pm; free entry before 7pm, and £3 after.
And for south Londoners we have the Ska Bar at The Copperfield in Catford. Every Sunday (beginning this week) from 4pm until closing, the authentic boss sounds of Tiny T and Archive 45 Records together bring you the best in ska, rocksteady, skinhead reggae, and northern soul within an intimate basement bar. Guests lined up include Asher G, The Rocksteady Daddy, Enthucol, Jim Cox, Duke Neville, Gladdy Wax, Lenny Parker, and DJ Marisa. Food and collectors' stalls are promised also.
See more on Sunday Stomp on Myspace here.
The 7th edition of the Rimini Soul Weekender has announced its line-up for 2008.
This year the event, held in north of Italy on the 18th to the 20th of July, heralds a new venue in a new location. But as always expect the best in northern, modern, and crossover soul from your hosts Gambettola Soul City and an international line-up of guest DJs.
Rimini Soul Weekender
@ Ghota Club, Via Regina Margherita 52, Rimini
(5 minutes taxi from Rimini airport)
Programme:
Friday 18th July
4.30pm-8.30pm: bar session
10.30pm-5.00am: allnight dance party
Saturday 19th
4.30pm-8.30pm: bar session
10.30pm-5.00am: allnight dance party
Sunday 20th
5.00pm 'til late: goodbye bar party
Weekend DJs:
Arthur Fenn (UK), Andy Dyson (UK), Kitch (UK), Jorg Bremmer (Germany), Edu Domingo (Spain), Soulful Chris (Italy), Cristian Riviera (Italy), Simone Ceccarelli (Italy).
The bar session features DJ sets, record stalls, beer, wine and that all-important Italian food. A weekend pass costs 30 euros or 15 euros for a single allnighter, payable on the door (no advance tickets).
So for three days of soul, sun and fun you now know where to go. For more on the event, and to see the recommended accommodation, see the Gambettola Soul City website here, or the weekender Myspace page here.
After a brief break since it left the City Hall, Brighton Beach is returning to Sheffield - this time at the Carling Academy.
It launches on Saturday 3rd May 2008, then the first Saturday of each month thereafter. The full address is Carling Academy Sheffield, 37 – 43 Arundel Gate, S1, with the night running from 11pm - 3am, admission £5 in advance.
Music policy is much the same, with two rooms of 60s soul, garage, indie, Northern Soul and Britpop, along with psychedelic visuals and cult 60s films. Most importantly, Gav Needham and guests will still have a separate room for the best mod scene sounds from vintage vinyl.
Vertigo returns to Manchester on Friday 28th March, offering 60s Beat, R'n'B, Early Northern sounds, Ska and Blues on one floor, with Modern 60s influenced Indie, 2 tone, Mod revival and Classic 60s playing downstairs.
It takes place at the The Thirsty Scholar and The Attic, Under the Railway bridge, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M1 5NP, running from 9pm until 3am, with admission absolutely free. An endless number of DJs spinning on the night - and there's even room for you if you want to play a 20-minute set.
If you want to know more about that or the night itself, get in touch with the organisers at allthatjazz_mcr@hotmail.com.
The Northampton Lost Souls and The Buzz have teamed up to create a new monthly club called Yum-Yum.
The Midlands has been lucky enough to host a lot of very good mod/soul clubs in recent times and the Northampton scene has been very much at the heart of it. However there has not been a regular soul night in Northampton for many years, and so the two groups decided it was time to change that. Expect to hear across-the-board vintage black music as well as soul: Yum-Yum promises deep funk, ska, rhythm’n’blues, reggae, Motown, 70s shufflers, and crossover.
The stunningly beautiful venue, Bibliotek, has a 3am license, great PA and good sized dancefloor, large bar and plenty of seating too. There is also plans to complete a roof terrace for the smokers sometime over the summer. This first event is on Saturday 29th of March and is going to be a charity fundraiser for MIND.
They'll be a guest DJ each month alongside the residents, so do check the web for regular updates.
Yum-Yum (monthly)
Address: Bibliotek, 24 Castillion Street, Northampton, NN1 1JX
Northern and rare soul, deep funk, ska, rhythm’n’blues,
reggae, Motown, 70s shufflers, crossover
10pm-3am, £4 before 11pm, £5 after. No entry after midnight.
Next dates: 29th March, 19th April, 31st May, 28th June.
For more on what The Buzz do see their website here.
This Friday and every Friday in Shoreditch (London), you can see out the night at the Love Me Do beat allnighter.
Sounds like it's not just beat - the playlist promises beat, mod, 60s soul, Merseybeat and boogaloo from original vinyl, with guest DJ Bruce Brand (The Milkshakes ) in attendance this week, along with authentic lighting and 60s film classics.
Doors are 12:30 until 6am, admission is £5 and the address is Ye Olde Axe, 69 Hackney Road, Shoreditch, London E2.
Find out more at the Love Me Do MySpace site
Following on from the success of the first night, another night of soul and ska is planned for March 29th at Dex in Brixton.
In room one, you'll find live ska from Soothsayers, along with DJ support from a strong line-up including Jazzman Gerald and Tim Keenoy. In room two, there's a good mix of vintage sounds, including rare groove and dub.
Tickets sold very fast for the last event, so get in early - £5 in advance and you can ifnd out how to get tickets by dropping Tim Keenoy an email.
The Boiler returns to Barcelona on Saturday 8th March at the Jazz Room in the city.
It promises rhythm and soul from guest DJs Damien Hewitt (Manchester), Marco Moretti (Milan) and Albert Petit (Valencia) alongside the residents. The Jazz Room is at Calle Vallmajor nº 33, Plaza d’Adrià (Barcelona), with the night running from 23:30 - 05:00, admission 10 euros (including a drink).
Future dates are May 10th with Jo Wallace (London, UK), Roberta “Underground Blues” (Teramo, Italy) and Moonwolf (Castello), July 11 & 12th - the Boiler’s 5th Anniversary with Barbara Grassi (Genova, Italy), Alan Handscombe (London, UK), Neil Henderson (Manchester, UK), Batman (Paris, France) and a band to be confirmed, September 13th with Warren Boogaloo (UK), Alvaro de Diego (Madrid) and Ivan Muench (Barcelona) and finally, November 8th with Mick Moyland (UK), Merv Parnell (UK) and Paul Bennett (UK).
The Finger Poppin' Time crew are promising the best in Club Soul, R&B, Ska, Latin, Boogaloo on Saturday 1st March at The Cavern in Walthamstow.
DJ's for the nigh are local residents Alice Fowkes, Mark Ellis, Jo Sadler and Tim 'The Mod' Fuller, spinning tunes at a 'great friendly venue' within easy reach of Walthamstow tube (Victoria Line).
Find out more at the Modculture forums or drop Tim a line via email here.
The s.m.a.r.t club in Madrid returns on March 15th 2008 with the usual top-notch selection of guest DJs.
Playing mod and soul sounds are Mary Boogaloo (Rome), Niamh Lynch (London) and Ana Vila (Barcelona), playing with resident Bego Cueto. It takes place ar the Clamores Club, 14 Alburquerque street (metro station: Bilbao).
Time: 01:00 till 05:30
Entrance: 10 Euros (one drink included)
Find out more at the s.m.a.r.t. website
The team behind Glasgow's Friday Street are reviving their Afterglow night after an absence of a couple of years.
It kicks off at The Twisted Wheel in the city on 8th March and admission is free. All the other details are on the flyer above - otherwise, check out the link below for more information.
Friday Street MySpace site
Brighton Beach is returning to the Cockpit in Leeds - offering an Allnighter if the university hours of the regular Leeds Brighton Beach are a bit short.
The first one is on 8th March and monthly afterwards. It's described as an 'aftershow party' and starts at 3am (when the university BB ends), running until 6am - when most trains out of the nearby Leeds station start up. And to differentiate it from the the earlier night, this one will have an all-60s soundtrack - soul, r’n’b, northern, boogaloo, garage & beat, along with a chill out room playing cult 60s films.
The aftershow will cost you £3 on the door. For reference, the earlier Leeds University Brighton Beach is a two-room events, running from 10pm until 3am, costing £5 in advance.
After the sell-out success of the first run of dates (including a stellar New Year's Eve party), east London's Soul Revolution club returns for more regular action this year at The Bedroom in Rivington Street, Shoreditch. 
Set to take place bi-monthly from Friday March 21st, Soul Revolution unashamedly peddles upfront soul sounds for dancers. A northern & rare soul main room is provided to aid this, with resident DJs James Trouble, Val Palmer, and Mick H alongside special guests spinning uptempo soul 45s. First guest up is Karl Heard from the Burnley Allnighters. Meanwhile Manchester's Steve Cato plus guests host the smaller, more intimate Soul or Nothing Suite, playing Jamaican soul, r'n'b, beat ballads, cross over, and experimental '60s sounds. What's more, the venues kitchen will be open on the nights to provide some soul food to accompany the soul music!
On top of the dates already announced we should expect a three room allnighter just before Christmas to really get those soul walls tumbling down.
Tickets are £8 in advance from the Soul Revolution website here. Advance booking is recommended to guarantee entry.
It seems the popularity of the DJ battle royale is still much in evidence, as shortly we see two such mod events happening in the UK.
First up is Basics Vs. Hard As Nails in Edinburgh on Saturday March 15th. The Hard As Nails London team travel up to Scotland to show off their soul and r'n'b sounds against Basics' Kevin Conn and Davie Hudson in whats been dubbed 'The Battle Of Britain'. Up there the folk know how to party so this one should see some whirlwind dancefloor action.
Then three weeks later on Saturday 5th April the Rugby Soul Club allnighter second room will lay witness to the mighty powers of the Shoutin' The Blues team taking on the No More Doggin' crew. Midlands r'n'b mania in excelsis: truly a night to savor for blues enthusiasts.
For the full rundown on The Battle of Britain see the Basics Myspace page here; for more on the Midlands meet see Rugby Soul Club site here. Alternatively check the modculture forum for discussions on both.
Rock 'n' Roll Soul has found a new venue from Saturday March 15th, the clubs brand of 60s soul, punk, psych and funk can be found at the Cock, East Poultry Avenue, Smithfields in London every month from 9pm - 3am.
It's described as a 'pleasantly dishevelled meat traders' pub', but it does have pub prices on the drinks, which has got to be a bonus. And admission is still £4 (for badge-wearing members).
If you want to know more about the club or the night, check out the Rock 'n' Roll Soul website below.
I don't usually need an excuse for a weekend in Paris, but if you do, maybe the Paris R 'N' Soul Allnighter will make it worth a trip.
The date is 15th March 2008, with R&B, Club Soul, Jazz and Boogaloo promised from Alan Handscombe (London), Thierry Steuve (Brussels), Damien Lapeyre (La Rochelle) and Stephane Yver (Paris).
It takes place at Les Coulisses, Place du Tertre, Montmartre, 1 rue du Mont-Cenis 75018 Paris, doors open at 11pm and admission is 9 Euros.
Find out more at the 7 of Clubs MySpace site
Ask any soul fan about the history of soul clubs in the UK during the 1960s and invariably The Golden Torch on Hose Street in Tunstall, Stoke-On-Trents is mentioned. Later to be known simply as 'The Torch', it started as a band venue in 1965 (The Pink Floyd, The Who etc all played there) but by the end of the '60s it was known for its northern soul nights put on by Christ Burton. By the early 1970s its allnighters were attracting attendees from around the country. 
Legendary artists such as The Drifters, Edwin Starr, Jnr Walker, Major Lance, JJ Barnes and the Stylistics all appeared on stage there. The club also helped launch the career of everyone's favourite nightclub owner, Peter Stringfellow.
And now The Torch's historical value has been marked with the erection of a black plaque. Some of the club's heyday regulars, led by Steve Hoskins and John O'Brien, cobbled together the cash to pay for a plaque to be put up on the building in its place (sadly the original building was demolished in the 1990s).
John O’Brien said ‘it has been playing on my mind for a while, and I just decided to do it…it’s full of special memories for not just me but lots of soul fans…it’s a worldwide famous club and it deserves remembering…it was unique, you cannot replicate it’. If you're in the area anytime why not check it out.
If you happen to be in the London area this weekend (Saturday 16th February), it might be worth checking out Soul Sauce, which promises top notch soul sounds for a very good cause.
The DJ line-up includes Eddie Piller, Andy Lewis and Ady Croasdell, with the action taking place at the Cock Tavern, East Poultry Avenue, Smithfield Market, London, running from 8pm until 2am.
Tickets are £8 on the door (or £5 advance), with profits going to Cancer Research UK. For further details, check out the MySpace site or email jimpiddington66@aol.com.
Find out more at the MySpace website
The Blush Organisation are launching a new night in Canterbury on Saturday 23rd February under the name Barefootin'.
The venue has 'lovely, inviting wooden floors' and with a playlist of the best in rare sixties soul and vintage r&b, they should get good use. Full details are:
Barefootin’
Saturday 23rd February
Scribes
King Street, Canterbury
DJs: The Blush Organisation + guests
Sounds: Soul steppin', finger poppin', boog-a-loo beats
7pm – 1am
Admission free
If you are in the York area, make a date in your diary for Friday 14th March, which sees the next Purple Heart Club.
The night promises R&B, 60s beat, hammond, northern, ska, psych, freakbeat, garage and Britpop. Which just about covers everything as far as I can see. Resident DJs are Red Ed (Brighton Beach & VFM), Dan Guest (Brighton Beach & Into Tomorrow) Andy Ingram and Gary Brown.
It's at the City Screen Basement Bar in York, admission is £4 with the night running from 7.30pm - late.
Find out more at the Purple Heart Club website
The Manchester mod scene continues to flourish under the guidance of its Hideaway Club, which this month celebrates its 9th anniversary on the 23rd February. Expect to hear as always the very best in classic sixties club sounds and new breed
R&B courtesy of resident DJs Neil Henderson, Mike Warburton & Paul
Welsby. For the anniversary bash they have invited guest DJs in the form of Barry Tasker, Dave Byrne, plus one further 'special mystery guest'.
And as its their birthday they are pulling out the stops by staying open an extra hour (until 3am), and giving a free CD to all members on the night. Arrive early and be prepared for a busy, dance-filled night!
THE HIDEAWAY CLUB
9th Anniversary special
Saturday 23rd Feb
Upstairs @ the Waldorf Pub,
Gore Street,
(next to Malmaison Hotel)
city centre Manchester
9pm - 3am
£4 members / £5 Guests
See The Hideaway website here, which is where you can join up and receive member discount on club entry.