Feature
SOULFUL DANCE @ THE ORWELL: 22/03/08
Five hours after battling through Easter traffic we found our hotel.... The Orwell is situated at Wigan Pier which is a bit of a misdemeanour as it sits by the side of a canal.
As you enter the front door of the Orwell there’s a pub downstairs, climbing up a flight of stairs you enter the first room, opening the door you are hit with a wall of sound that is uniquely Modern Soul. The Orwell has a prominent place in the UK Modern Soul scene and so it should have, its great to hear music savvy DJ’s who know their stuff.
After being relieved of a wad of notes at the record fair I went to the bar for some liquid refreshment, the crowd were just getting into the swing of things and it was still only 10.30pm. This was turning into a proper pure and unadulterated bespoke connoisseur’s night. The roll call for the musical mischief makers in the modern room were Steve Plumb, Soul Sam, Baz Maleady, Flanny, Steve Connor, Guest DJ’s Shaun Robbins & Bob Smith all playing well thought out sets.
Taking a wander up to the second room which was to be the surprise of the night, with Steve Naylor, Andy Lett, Pete Haigh through from Soulful house beats right through to Latin Jazz, by this time the crown were certainly going for it, the dominant genre here was Samba and Latin tinged Jazz cuts. Pete Haigh was really pulling out some excellent tracks, you sometimes forget how long Mr Haigh has been playing out and what a superb underground DJ he is, he had the crown right behind him from start to finish.
When speaking to an old mate of mine Baz Maleady he also confirmed that he was going to be putting on some jazzier nights with the one and only Colin Curtis now that will be a night not to be missed maybe we will get the now legendary Paul Murphy dusting down his crates, I always find Baz funny, smart and refreshingly candid and the boy knows a good tune as well.
All in all both rooms were a definitive musical journey the vibe was brilliant with a well attended crowd, a night you should be putting into your diary with “Must go” next to it. The Orwell is fast becoming a very prominent home-grown and superb collective soul night finishing off at a respectable 3am.
Words KENNY MAC
