Seductive Soul @ Nags Head Saturday 15th March 2008
Review - T2 Bad
I was looking forward to the 2nd session of Seductive Soul which has now moved back to its spiritual home at the Nags Head deep in the heartland of Cheshire. My night started frustratingly enough because of road works on the M56 which is the main artery linking Manchester to Cheshire. To say the diversion notices were abysmal is being too kind. If I had paid attention to the temporary road signs, I would have ended up in Runcorn instead of Millington, so it was lucky for me that I’m relatively familiar with the area!!! Anyway on arriving at The Nags Head 30 minutes behind schedule, the first thing that struck me was that the venue was infinitely
fuller than last months event, well either that or everyone was upstairs in the bar or outside singeing their lungs!!! Not to worry though as when I got to the main room, it was comfortably full and I would estimate that there were approximately 200-250 revellers present at the venue as a whole and possibly more. There seemed to be a freshness about the March offering which had something to do with the change of venue but more to do with a new influx of Seductive Soul devotees.
There were faces there that I’d never seen there before which is a positive thing and even more positively, they were the right kind of people that you’d want to mix with too. As reported last month the newly refurbished function room at the Nags head is more akin to a swanky City Centre bar but one which is in Cheshire and not too far out of reach for a night out. The music was better than the last event and it flowed a lot better too. DJ Andy Davies certainly kept the Seductive Soul masses entertained with a mixture of the usual, with quite a few well known classics thrown in which are not generally played anywhere else.
Jim Hargreaves kept the vibe alive when he took to the turntables with a set that comprised more of what we have come to expect from Seductive Soul and which blended nicely with what Andy was playing before him. As a testament to this, the dance-floor was kept busy through the majority of the night as opposed to last month where the crowd ebbed and flowed as the music was going up and down. It was also nice to see the Manchester based Soul singer Gary Menzies and his missus Jackie there. They came with a group of friends who had never been to Seductive Soul before and they were all mightily impressed with what was on offer. Gary commented to me that he’d all but given up finding somewhere to his liking to go to, but he learned about the event from the Soul Control website and when I introduced him to the main man Chris Priestley, he and a friend promised they would definitely be back!!!
Gary and his entourage didn’t arrive until late because like many others who I spoke to, he got lost because of the road works. I spoke to my good friend Suzy who commented that on the way there, she knew something was seriously wrong when they passed Ikea in Warrington!!! Not to worry though, I don’t think anyone minded too much once they arrived.
Don’t expect any musical surprises at Seductive Soul but this can be said for most Soul events nowadays. Seductive Soul is an intimate family affair that is an enjoyable, steady and stress-free night out in the sticks and one which comes with a; “It does what it says on the tin” recommendation.
Soul Control Verdict:
Seductive Soul has quickly found its feet at it spiritual home and the future looks bright for the connoisseur’s choice. Its spring and it seems that the Manchester Soul scene is beginning to come to life just like a bed of roses. If March’s Soul Out offering at the Mint Lounge and TSOP, which whilst still down on numbers but felt like it has started to turn the corner, is anything to go by, then we are hopefully all in for a Soulful treat throughout 2008.
Soul Control Rating:
