Young people are high-kicking to vintage US soul tunes again, but this time London and Bristol are leading the charge. Is the scene losing its working-class heritage?
Tom found northern soul by mistake. Despite living in Salford, Greater Manchester his entire life, the 24-year-old had never heard of the movement that began in the north and Midlands – known for its bombastic dancing and devotion to obscure black American soul music. He remembers how he felt on the fateful evening, watching people his age at a northern soul club night ditch their phones for the dancefloor.
Captivated, Tom took it upon himself to learn the signature dance style: spinning, high air-kicking, and falling to the ground backwards before launching back upright. Now Tom can regularly be seen keeping the faith on talc-covered, friction-reducing floors. The evening in central Manchester was an awakening for Tom and he’s not the only one.
Northern soul is back. So say the many, many articles documenting gen-Z’s love for the subculture. “[…] across the country there’s a surge of youth-led northern soul scenes that are not only surviving – but thriving”, read a piece in youth culture magazine, Dazed. Videos of young dancers frequently go viral. Photo features dazzle us with images of twentysomethings keeping the faith during new all-nighters.
