TSOP @ Longfield Suite, Prestwich Friday 2nd May 2008

Soul Control - TSOP

TSOP @ Longfield Suite, Prestwich Friday 2nd May 2008
Review - Neil

It’s the first Friday of the month and yes that means it’s TSOP in my hometown of Prestwich!! This was only our second TSOP ever, but we had such a brilliant time last time that me, my sister and my friend Lauren just had to go again, but could the May event match the last one???

It was a mild evening, just enough not to wear a jacket, so on getting to The Longfield Suite we headed straight to the bar in the Northern Soul hall and got our first round in. We then went into the Soul arena and to our surprise, it was busier than the last time we were there in April with the numbers around 120-130-ish.

Soul Control - TSOP

The numbers had definitely picked up, I don’t know if was because of the warmer weather, but the people there were looking slicker than the last time I was here!! We arrived about 11.15pm and Bob Hinsley was on the decks. His set was excellent and he played classics from Teddy Pendergrass, Ann Nesbit et al and he managed to get the dance floor not only flowing but swaying in unison. It was a great sight!! Also I must apologise because in my last TSOP review, I referred to Bob Hinsley as DJ Baz M!!  

The next DJ who took the decks was some guy called Colin Curtis. I Didn’t know who this DJ was and I never comment on any DJ’s appearance but this chap looked like he came from Glastonbury!!!  We thought shit, what’s he gonna play; Folk music? We didn’t have much confidence in him judging by his looks so we decided to go get some drinks back in the main hall. Whilst in the Northern soul room, we stood and watched the Northern Soul dancers strut their funky stuff; man these guys can rock it. The set being played in this arena was soulful Motown and very very good!!!

We went back into Soul arena again and to my astonishment DJ Colin Curtis was killing the dance-floor with an amazing set full of new and old tracks!!! What I particularly liked about this Colin fella is that he told you what track he was playing which was a nice touch as a lot of his set was new or underground (to me anyway). The last track from his set was a crazy samba beat, Soul ‘n’ House inspired. A seriously hot track!!!! You could hardly get a spot on dance floor at this point and for me the addition of Colin Curtis was definitely an added a touch of class to TSOP.

The last DJ on rotation was Mike Stephens. I was fretting for him and wondering how could he top Colin’s performance? To be fair he dropped some solid 90’s classics and kept the red-hot atmosphere flowing through to the end. Once again I met the Soul Control supremo Mr T2 Bad. He was busy doing his paparazzi ting with the camera and drinking his Krystal!!!  Even though TSOP was proving to be a top night, we couldn’t stay until the very end and left about 1.30am.

One thing I’ve got to say about Prestwich is that the place is full of crazy characters, some of them with the funkiest gear and craziest moves you’ve ever seen. This goes mainly for the Northern Soul room. One chap looked like Gandalf out of Lord of the Rings! He was wearing some 1920’s black and white brogue shoes, braces and a white t-shirt…… a proper Northern Soul Pimp!!

The only criticism of this great night is probably that the speakers sometimes don’t seem to cope well with some of the heavy bass tunes. I’ve said this before; this night is a hidden gem!! Okay the venue is not classy or sassy, but I say put away your pride and come and listen to some class act DJ’s. The drinks are cheap as well which is always a bonus for you stingy boys out there and there’s a friendly environment with no attitudes.

Soul Control Verdict:
I do feel young in this place and I keep thinking someone’s gonna come up to me and ask where’s your mum!! But I say to the younger Barca and Mint Lounge masses, don’t miss out and give TSOP a go, your Soul appetite with be truly fulfilled!!! TSOP in May was definitely one of best nights of year so far and was better than the April event which I didn’t think they could achieve.

Soul Control Rating:

Soul Control - 4 Star Review