ABSTRACT
This historical ethnography stems from, and is informed by, my involvement in the 1970s’ Northern Soul Scene. While the Scene had much in common with other club cultures where activity centred on music, dancing and the consumption of stimulants, there are also key differences; the most notable one being its longevity. The history of the Scene can be traced back to the Mods of the mid1960s and thereafter via the continuation of Mod all-nighters in the North, particularly the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, and the Torch in Stoke-on-Trent, to Wigan Casino in the 1970s and to the current (2006) Northern Scene. Some people, including one person in this study, have participated in the Scene for some 40 years, although it has attracted younger participants throughout its forty-year history. The current Scene, however, is markedly different from the Soul Scene that evolved from the mid-1960s’ Mods, which in turn was different from the mid-1970s’ Scene dominated by Wigan Casino – an image that came to epitomise Northern Soul.
