THIS NORTHERN SOUL ;
TIME WILL PASS YOU BY

BY : LDMan ©

CHAPTER 5 At The Club

(backing track: The Drifters - Down At The Club)

Hall & Country Club; Sunday Evening Entering into the club via the outer front door, Tony sits to take the entrance fee off non members. Along the corridor, through the main inner door, the room opens up into large area mainly consisting of tables and seating, most of which is occupied allready. To the right, back corner is the bar; a busy hive of activity. To the left and across the (smallish) dance-floor the Disco is set up snugly in the corner of the room with PHIL spinning the disks. ADY arrives through the crowd, zigzagging his way across a busy disco floor (with (mostly) girls dancing around their handbags) doing his best to get noticed by any of the girls, nodding and smiling as he tries to catch the eye of any of the young lovelies, whilst supplying the umpteenth beer to his ‘big’ bro’. Lights are flashing, projectors whirring, record boxes are full to overflowing. Most of the lads (including our posse, dressed to the nines in freshly ironed Ben Shermans, Stay-Pressed ‘strides’ and baggies, pleated to perfection, Brogues polished with a mirror like finish, Brut applied to levels of being mildly over powering) lining the bar, standing around the edges of the seating area, grouping in many of the spaces in between, eyeing up the talent and slurping copious amounts of lager and other alcoholic beverages. Parents and over thirty's seated and shouting complaints about the volume to each other whilst they jostle for positions closer to the rear of the main hall struggling with their bingo tickets, crisps and drinks. PHIL Cheers bruv How did you get in this evening? I kept the back door open as long as I could ADY Dad got me a membership form I’m legal...ish now PHIL No way! ADY YEAH way! and it’s costing me a ruddy fortune He must have hollow legs the amount he’s sinking I’m keeping out of his way for the rest of the night or I’ll be bleedin’ skint PHIL Do us a favour, come ‘round here a while so’s I can pop for a slash ADY Yeah, no probs Can I put some Northern on? PHIL Yeah! … but try and keep it popular though None of your rare and mysterious Especialy if DJ's got his brother's Torch stuff ADY No worries matey boy PHIL I’ll be back in two shakes ADY Trust me mate, take your time, it’s early yet Phil disappears off ‘to the loo’ as ADY dives into the record boxes searching for the vinyl gold stash of Northern Soul that he knows is there in abundance. Nervous anticipation makes way for arrogant bravado as the posse make their way over (as if any encouragement where needed to put their favourite tunes on the decks) and before you know it the floor is filled with the acrobatic gyrations of young enthusiastic male dancers with little or no respect for the handbag brigade. The young pretender sits up right on the DJ seat, pushing away the microphone that he’s yet to utilise. Nodding his head to the 4-4 beat and mouthing most of the words to each and every record he manages to ‘slip in’.

Chapter 4       Chapter 5a