Southport's soulful weekend option
SOUTHPORT Soul Weekender was revered around the world as a place where soul fans would gather twice a year to hear their favourite sounds, buy and sell rare records and generally cut loose in a rather well-dressed style in rather less than well-dressed surroundings. Well, Pontins, to be precise.A logical extension of the northern soul scene started in places like Wigan Casino, it was a purist's dream, where legendary DJs with record collections worth tens of thousands of pounds would play sets alongside soul legends in a three-day environment described by fans as one of the friendliest festivals in the country.
With the advent of housier sounds and festivals such as Creamfields and Homelands coming into existence, the Southport Weekender found itself increasingly out on a limb.
Reborn
Then, gradually, house music fans discovered that their music had roots of its own that went back into soul and disco history and suddenly Southport Weekender was reborn for a whole new generation.
Now in its 38th incarnation, the first Southport Weekender of 2006 sees new and old artists joining forces for what looks to be a great party this weekend. Our own Mr Scruff and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez play alongside more tradition Southport staples such as Dr Bob Jones and Norman Jay.
But there's also the inclusion of people such as Carl Craig and Rainer Truby into the line-up, meaning that in 2006 the Southport Weekender is just as much at the cutting edge of dance music culture as any number of bigger outdoor events.
Southport Weekender takes place at Pontins Holiday Centre, Shore Road, Ainsdale, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2PZ until Sunday, May 7. For more info visit http://www.southportweekender.co.uk/
Published: Fri, 05 May, 2006
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