Northern Soul

Two young men meet at a youth club in the north of England during the mid 1970s. One is a social butterfly and the other music lover but both feel that they are alien to everyone else. Neither knew that they would end up being part of one of England’s most famous musically movement. That movement of course was Northern soul! They fall in love with the music, the lifestyle and the people until they decide the next step is too visit the land of soul, America.

I have to start by saying I am too young to actually remember Northern soul music scene but I can remember the dance music craze and this film relates as much too that as anything else. What we have here is a tale of youth wanting to find something to give them hope and in some respects, finding it. When films are made about social movements they sometimes miss the point of why so many people reacted to music or art as they did. This film hits the nail on the head but not in the way of excess. It hits the nail on the head by sticking to the main attraction and that is the great music. Where films like ‘This is England’ was bleak in their outlook and focused on the horrific conditions people lived through, this film plays on the reverse. It wants us to look at the time with a little bit of humour and a lot of reminiscence.

It wins us over in many respects with great music from American soul. The comedy of youthful ambition and the DJ dreams that last forever (for some). We also have the way young people rebel in little ways and how they feel outside of society and want to fit in to something. Now the film has a rather small problem, it is horrifically disgusting in a few scenes and these did turn my stomach (spitting is a pet peev!) and even though these were typically of teenage boys and are funny, they do however leave you a little irritated. Apart from this the film works as a mainstream piece of British film that is nostalgically nodding back to a bye gone past!