Music / Bristol Northern Soul Club
The Northern soul club taking Bristol by storm
Levanna McLean went viral when she uploaded a video of herself dancing to Happy by Pharrell Williams with her smooth Northern Soul dance moves.
Now, she and fellow DJ and co-founder Eve Burgsoul are celebrating the second anniversary of the Bristol Northern Soul Club, a collective which hopes to preserve the historic subculture.
What is Northern Soul?
is needed now More than ever
“Northern Soul is a youth subculture which started in the sixties and had its golden age in the seventies, based on mainly Black American Soul music. It was centred in the north of England, where a different taste for music developed into a scene based on collecting and dancing to obscure vinyl records.
“The term was coined by London Record store owner and music journalist Dave Godin, which he applied to a box of records with the style of music he saw Northerners wanted, a generally faster-paced Motown-style beat they could dance to. Although it’s mainly retro music, it’s always been progressive, and even now there are still new tunes being discovered. It’s very much alive!”
Why is it important to keep this history alive?
“From the first club in Manchester, the Twisted Wheel, Northern Soul has stood the test of time and didn’t happen anywhere else in the world, and as an underground scene, it survived all the trends. The shared love of soul music creates a real bond with others, particularly the joy of dancing. Its enduring legacy has allowed it to evolve. It’s rich in history, culture, vinyl, style, fun and so much more.
“Seeing young people take up the mantle and get obsessed about the music and dancing has given a lot of the original Soulies great joy, to see them adopting the way of life they led. This new era of Northern Soul is very exciting.”
Levanna and Eve say the club has launched a whole new scene of young Northern Soul fans in Bristol
What inspired you to launch Bristol Northern Soul Club?
“We were both DJing a lot of gigs in Bristol and began getting a lot of requests for Northern Soul. It felt like there was this change in taste for Bristol kids wanting a more wholesome night out, with real dancing and songs that they could relate to. When the Old Market Assembly approached us to put on a night in November 2021, we gave it a try, and the first one completely sold out.
The response since then has been amazing with lots of Bristol kids now wanting to immerse themselves in the culture, buying records, dressing in Northern Soul clothing styles, and becoming obsessed with the dancing.”
Levanna has made a name for herself in Bristol, how did that start?
“Levanna is the front person and host of the club night. She’s been involved in Northern Soul for over ten years, and in that time she has made huge waves in taking it into the modern day. When we filmed (Levanna dancing to Pharell’s Happy video in a Northern Soul style) in an unsuspecting street in Bristol, it blew up online and garnered a lot of publicity.
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“Over the last ten years, she’s worked on projects in the music, TV and fashion industry including on the BRITS, Strictly, BBC Proms, Show Studio and iD Magazine. Her work with Universal Music resulted in one of their albums reaching the number-one spot, and she continues to DJ at major events.
“Levanna’s love of dancing and music and her ability to connect with people about Soul music is undoubtedly one of the reasons behind the success of the club.”
It’s your second anniversary coming up – how has the club changed since you started two years ago?
“The club is growing so fast right now, with a lot of new people coming all the time. The club now feels like it has entered a new phase where people are starting to see the club as a regular option, and adopting the Northern Soul culture.
“The club has launched a whole new scene of young Northern Soul fans in Bristol. We are seeing kids get into it immediately from coming once, and it’s probably down to the fact that you can really dance, and just have a good time with no fear of being judged. Our club is ‘open-hearted vibes only’ – and our mission from day one has been letting people feel free.
“Over the last two years, we have kept our promise to bring the best Northern Soul DJs to Bristol. We have had a lot of big names from the original scene join us, and we are very honoured and proud they want to come and play at the club.”
Bristol Northern Soul Club’s next event is on January 4 at Mr Wolf’s rooftop.
Main photo: Sophia Stefelle
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