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DANCING ACROSS GENERATIONS: The Community Driving the Northern Soul Revival in Bristol
DANCING ACROSS GENERATIONS: The Community Driving the Northern Soul Revival in Bristol
Reviving the Northern scene has to be done well, and Bristol Northern Soul Club make sure they pay respect to how it all began by curating nights that honour the roots of Northern Soul while opening the doors to a new generation of dancers. From rare vinyl classics to wooden dancefloors and shared joy, it’s a space where the city’s love for soulful grooves comes alive.
I really got into Bristol Northern Soul club in 2022 when I found the nights at Old Market Assembly, and I’d say it's probably where I learned to dance. Not quite Northern Soul style, but just in general.
It was the first place I found aside from clubs (which I didn’t enjoy in a city I’d only just returned to) and suddenly I was listening to music I love on big speakers, dancing in a room of all ages.
Bristol Northern Soul club is run by Streets Of Soul founders Levanna Mclean a.k.a Northern Soul Girl and Eve Burgsoul (DJ Jackie Brown). Their first Northern Soul event was held at Old Market Assembly in November 2021– a sell-out success. Since then, the club has only expanded, becoming one of the most joyful spaces in Bristol – running evening events, day events and workshops.
In recent times, the club has been featured in a Fred Perry campaign and on the BBC, highlighting the wider reach and recognition the night has achieved.
Northern Soul originated as a youth subculture in the sixties and experienced a golden age in the seventies, proliferating in many different forms over the years as it adopted different dance styles like break dancing.
Beginning with the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, Northern DJs began collecting and mixing obscure Black American soul, funk, and Motown records from labels like Brunswick Records, Shout Records and Golden World Records.
The subculture grew out of mod culture, hence the heavy presence of Fred Perry and Lambretta that you still see today. The latest incarnation is occurring now, with a whole Bristol scene falling feverishly in love with the compelling grooves of Northern Soul.
Tunes, moves, style: it has it all. And it’s not hard to see why we are so obsessed. I mean, what could be better than boogying ecstatically to soulful Motown in a Fred Perry polo?
Reviving the Northern scene has to be done well, and Levanna and Eve both make sure they pay respect to what it all began by curating nights that honour the roots of Northern Soul while opening the doors to a new generation of dancers. From the earliest listeners who first fell in love with the rare soul records of the 60s and 70s, to Bristol’s student and younger crowd discovering the scene for the first time, the club’s nights welcome everyone. This intergenerational mix creates a truly inclusive atmosphere.
Bristol Northern Soul club’s all-nighter on the 6th December did not disappoint. Mixing classics, and in true Northern Soul style, showcasing rare vinyl with a line-up of DJs with one agenda – movement. From feet shufflers in the corner to the back-bending, karate-kicking professionals, no two feet were on the floor at the same time that night.
Truly it was a joy to see all ages and generations on the dancefloor together, and it felt like a breath of fresh air from other aspects of the Bristol music scene in 2025.
Instead of having to get your elbows in to secure a space by the soundsystem, and with a no-drinks policy on the dancefloor, all generations of Northern Soul lovers stood together to enjoy and groove, with music coming first above all else.
The Trinity Centre was a great venue too, and provided a spacious, dynamic space for chatting, dancing and swaying, complete with a wooden dancefloor crucial to any acceptable Northern Soul dancing space!
Trinity is one of my favourite venues in Bristol without a doubt, but I began feeling apathetic, having been maybe too frequently for other events. I think it’s fair to say that the atmosphere Bristol Northern Soul Club brought that night really refreshed my love of the space. It felt as though everyone in that room was subsumed into a new world for a night and the joy, energy, and love were palpable.
The all-nighter genuinely restored my energy levels; it's hard to see how anybody could feel lethargic after that. Being included in a joyful, intergenerational space truly works wonders for the soul, and arguably sets a new paradigm for fun nightlife in Bristol (and elsewhere!).
Obviously, the Bristol Northern Soul club is inherently about the music; the event’s driven out of a collective need to dance, but clearly it means so much more than that to people. It transforms a simple space with loving people and stomping grooves into infectious energy and joy. More than just a fun night, the all-nighter represented something truly precious and unique.
Bristol is lucky to be experiencing such a forceful return of the Northern Soul scene and such success, after a whirlwind four years in the making. It makes us optimistic about what's to come, and I feel excited to be witnessing the Northern Soul revolution of the 21st century.
You can find club nights at The Old Market Assembly on the first Saturday of every month, regularly at The Exchange, The Jam Jar, and even workshops at the Crown Tavern spreading to all corners of the city.
A huge thanks to Bristol Northern Soul Club for putting on these special nights and reviving the Northern Soul scene here in Bristol.
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