From Twisted Wheel to Wigan Casino: How Northern Soul found a new home in Greater Manchester and when the next event is.

Rochelle Antley
Jun 11
5 min read

Northern Soul, what a name, what a community, what a bloody hard dance to master if you haven’t an ounce of rhythm, like me.

Let me take you back to the swinging 60’s, to Whitworth Street in central Manchester and Station Road in Wigan. Seemingly ordinary looking buildings from the outside, but within those walls, a movement was building. Something distinctly Northern, with Motown and American Soul providing the soundtrack!

Now, as we know, I’m honest and open on these blogs, we didn’t technically start the “Northern Soul” movement here in Greater Manchester, nor were we the only ones doing it, Blackpool, Stoke and even Warrington were in on the action but we created and nurtured two powerhouses that attracted young people from all across the country. The Casino Club in Wigan and Twisted Wheel in Manchester. Those two names became synonymous with Northern Soul, sadly, they no longer exist, but let’s go back, let’s dive feet first into their stories and explore how two small clubs in the North West of England, in our little county, spearheaded a musical revolution!

Sweet Soul Music.

The origins of "Northern Soul", as a descriptive term, technically began in Manchester, when Music journalist and promoter, Dave Godin, visited the Twisted Wheel club in 1970 and coined the term after being blown away by the unique musical culture he encountered. However, roughly 20 miles North West of Twisted Wheel, sat another club, playing the same music, doing the same dance, The Casino Club in Wigan, known colloquially as "Wigan Casino".

The thing that I, as a 30 year old millennial, find bizarre, yet beautiful, about the patrons of both these clubs, they didn't really drink. For these guys, it was all about the music, about the collective experience, about being part of something, it's as if they knew what it would become and they were all just happy to be a part of it. The DJ's intentionally played music that wasn't being heard in mainstream venues, they introduced a generation to the sounds of Frank Wilson, The Tams and The Four Tops. They played other soul and Motown artists too, but they pushed the lesser played and lesser appreciated songs of the time, setting a precedent for future club DJ's and Radio hosts, sometimes you don't have to follow the mainstream order, be a little different and the crowd will follow.

Sadly though, the soulful sounds quietened in Central Manchester, when 1971 rolled around and new bylaws introduced in the city centre, limiting late night operations, caused Twisted Wheel to unexpectedly close, leaving Mancunian soul lovers to find a new venue. They had two choices, The Golden Torch in Stoke, which had taken over most of Twisted Wheel's collections, or The Casino Club in nearby Wigan. Many initially made the journey down to Stoke, until 2 years later, The Golden Torch's closure paved way for the first All-Nighter in Wigan, not a new type of night, Twisted Wheel and Golden Torch had hosted their own versions, but Wigan created one that would grab National Attention and turn the countries eyes towards them.

In the Midnight Hour.

It was 1973, the country was on it's backside, miners were on strike, working weeks were shorter and the US had just left Vietnam. In Wigan though, Northern Soul had the town hooked, the Golden Torch in Stoke hadn't been able to renew their licence in the April, forcing yet another venue closure. Yet again, Soul fans had to find a new home, and their prayers were answered on the 23rd September 1973, when club manager Mike Walker and DJ Russ Winstanley created the first All-Nighter at the Casino Club in Wigan. Young people from across the country flocked to the borough, queuing for hours, with their 75p entry fee.

Northern Soul had found a new home.

It wasn't just the general public who realised this former ballroom had become a Mecca for the younger crowd, the artists themselves began to notice and before long they appeared there themselves, to perform to the crowd in person, artists such as Jackie Wilson, Edwin Starr and Frankie Valli all graced the stage, performing their iconic songs to the shuffling masses.

Dance, Dance, Dance.

As time progressed, and popularity increased, the dancing evolved. More acrobatic moves became a feature, a signature almost, of Northern Soul dancing. Moves like the backdrop, the spin and the shuffle were highlights of the dance and the bigger, the better. There's never been a set routine with Northern Soul, it's more about moving to the music, although, you would turn heads if you shuffled into a highkick and ended with a backdrop and spin, let me tell you!

Every year, on the anniversary of the first all-nighter, the Casino held a dance competition, where people could show off their best moves for the chance to win the coveted trophy and, correct me if i'm wrong but, the prize money of £100, which if I convert to 'New money' is about £1,300, so as you can imagine, stakes were HIGH. Kinda like the kicks.

Goodbye (Nothing to say).

After 8 fantastic years providing entertainment and purpose to young Brits, Wigan Casino held one last all-nighter on 6th December 1981 before closing its doors for good. Another victim of a refused licence renewal. In the 8 years, it's reported over 1,000,000 people passed through its doors and onto it's talc-y floors, cementing itself in our history and our hearts. Russ Winstanley DJ'd the final night, playing the infamous '3 before 8' (The last 3 songs of the night), 3 times before the crowd refused to leave, resulting in him picking a random 7" single from his collection to encourage the crowd to let go. Making Frank Wilson's "Do I love you (Indeed I do)", the last song to ever be played at the Wigan Casino, and establishing itself as the most iconic and recognisable tracks of the genre.

Do I love you (Indeed I do)

Despite the closure of the Casino, Northern Soul lives on, with regular meets and dance competitions across the country, but as we are a platform focusing solely on Greater Manchester, here's what I could find coming up over the next couple of weeks in the region for any fans of Northern Soul. Whether you're an ex Casino go-er, a recent fan, or you'd never heard of it until you've read my blog and now you're off to buy some flares, a Fred Perry t-shirt and a bottle of talc, everyone's welcome.

22nd June - Twisted Wheel Club @ Basement 66 - M1 3WF - £6 - 3pm

29th June - Northern Soul & Motown Dayer - Brinnington Labour Club, SK5 8EP £4 - 3pm

26th - 27th July - Charity Weekender - Worsley Mesnes Social Club WN3 5HL - Varied Prices and times

Drop a Comment if there's a Northern Soul event near you.

Keep the Faith.