Column
The Andy Davies soul column (JUNE)
The Southport Weekender took place recently at its new home Butlins in Minehead. Weekender number 47 was another resounding success!! It was all a new experience for everyone but as soon as I got used to the new venue it was really exciting. A much larger place than the Pontins site in Southport but all the music venues were fantastic & the facilities much better...
SOUTHPORT 47
The room theme's were kept the same as before The Beat Bar, Powerhouse, Funkbase & Connosseurs Corner all continuing to showcase each genre of music perfectly. Live act wise, Raphael Saadiq & Avery Sunshine did it for me on the Friday night!! Avery had the Connoisseurs Corner in the palm of her hand & worked the crowd perfectly. Saturday night saw Alice Russell, N'dambi, Beverley Knight & Rasmus Faber all complete great performances. Great to see the technical skills of Grandmaster Flash too!! DJ Spinna also provided a class set in the CC on the Saturday night & credit also must go to the resident DJ's in that room including Gary Dennis, Bob Jeffries & Mike Stephens for putting in quality solid sets as usual. The Saturday Afternoon Soul Session in the Connoisseurs Corner included live performances from Marilyn Ashford Brown & Dexter Wansel. The afternoon built up nicely & I loved seeing Al Johnson again doing I've Got My Second Wind & the classic Back for More. Dexter stole the show with Life On Mars, Sweetest Pain & Nights Over Egypt and he also did versions of some other Philly tunes he had been involved with. It was a stunning performance & some people have cited it as one of the best live acts they had seen at Southport!! Suffice to say Terry Jones & myself absolutely loved it & the last 2 hours spinning tunes in there was an great experience! 6500 people attending this event and i'm sure the next one will sell out very quickly too. For your interest, next year's event takes place over the weekend of May 11-13 2012 & my advice as always is to secure your place fast as these weekenders are not to be missed. You can call 0844 879 7210 or visit southportweekender.co.uk
STREETSOUL RELEASE NEWS
On the new release front, my label Streetsoul Records has another 45 out at the moment from T.K Murray. This is the second 45 I have pulled from his 1977 CAT album on Magnaglide and this time it's Where's There True Love as the A side & My Love, True Love as the B Side. T.K has been great to work with and we have exclusively licensed both tracks from him. You can listen & purchase from streetsoulrecords.com
BOBBY WOMACK LIVE
MASSIVE news indeed...
 Bobby Womack and his full American entourage (inc Altrina Grayson) will be playing a concert prior to the next 3-roomed Soul Night Out at the King Georges Hall in Blackburn on SATURDAY JUNE 25th
. As the concert ends the 3 rooms of music start up and as usual runs until 3am.
 As this is Bobby's only appearance outside London it seems fitting to bring him to the UKs number one soul night - tickets will fly so please contact 0844 847 1664 They are priced at £30 & £35.Dj's on the night are Andy Davies, Mike Stephens, Barry Maleedy, Bigger, Mark Grice, Richard Searling, Colin Curtis, Ian Bad Vibes & more!!
CLEETHORPES SOUL WEEKENDER
The 19th Cleethorpes Soul Weekender takes place over the weekend of June 10th-12th at the Beachconber Holiday Park in Cleethorpes & features live performances from Noel Mckoy, Sandi Sheldon & Derek Martin. There are 2 rooms at this event with a host of Northern Soul DJ's including Ady Croasdell, Butch, Mick Smith, Roger Banks & many others. The Modern Soul Room includes DJ's Andy Davies, Terry Jones, Mark Randle, Ivor Jones, Soul Sam, Fish, Cliff Steele plus a guest set on the Saturday night from Andy "Tats" Taylor & Shaun Hampsey. Weekend passes are £59.00 & you can call 0207 636 2622 for info. Unfortunately there is no spare accommodation on site but Thorpe Park caravan park (next door to the Beachcomber) is always a good option. For reservations call Tel 01472 813395 (ideally for parties of four or more) or try the Cleethorpes Tourist Board 01472 323222 for alternative bed and breakfast / hotel accommodation.
VINTAGE FESTIVAL @SOUTHBANK
I will be DJ'ing at The Vintage Festival in London on Saturday July 30th playing all things soulful in the Queen Elizabeth Hall from 3.30pm - 5.00pm.The festival is running from Fri 29th until Sun 31st & is being held at London's South Bank Centre. Details can be found at vintagebyhemingway.co.uk
Next time I will be reviewing the Luxury Soul Weekender featuring Eric Benet Live so look out for that!!
Below is a general top ten of Tunes that were heard at the recent Southport Weekender in the Connoisseurs Corner.
Big Brooklyn Red - Taking It Too Far
Kelly Price - And You Don't Stop
Jill Scott & Anthony Hamilton - So In Love
Ziggy Funk feat Taliwa - Everyday
Kenny Bobien - About Love (Groove Assassins mix)
Alex Millet feat SuSu Bobien - Reach
Montana & Stewart feat Dawn Tallman - Find Strength
Loleatta Holloway - We're Getting Stronger (DJ Meme Mix)
Vicky Martin - I Can Wait
Elements Of Life - Into My Life
Til next time!!
Andy Davies
If you have any product you wish to be included in the reviews in this column please contact me on the email addresses below:
andydaviesccl@hotmail.com or mail@streetsoulrecords.com Thank you!
