Quinceys Revisted – Truth, Preston Friday 31st October 2008
Review - T2 Bad
I was told about this event a few weeks ago and I was also asked if I wanted to go to it by coach!!! I’ve had a few ‘experiences’ involving coach trips in my time so I politely declined, but when I later learned that my old Soul Nation ‘Quality Soul v Street Soul’ sparring partner Daz Bennett was on the bill, I immediately changed my mind about going!!! I opted to drive instead though as the thought seeing rivers of vomit floating down the isle of a coach didn’t fill me with enthusiasm in any way shape or form!!!
Anyway I set off to Preston filled with intrigue as to what lay in store for me with the journey taking about 25 minutes. I know Preston Centre reasonably well as Soul Control have played at various clubs in the Lancashire town many times over the years. Truth nightclub has had many names in the past and it’s a venue that Soul Control the DJ’s played at last year. I like the venue because it’s smart and attracts a varied but Soulful crowd who like to party!!!
Parking can be a bit of a nightmare, but luckily for me there was a spot right outside the club which I thought was great, but it also made me cast my mind back to the last time I was here. I luckily found the same parking spot last year and because it’s right outside the club and the music is really loud from Browns bar which is right next door, it puts you straight in the mood to bend your knees in a vociferous fashion!! Unfortunately for me, during last year’s visit I drew the short straw and had to drive, but in our haste to get inside to the bouncing venue, I left my flippin’ lights on and I suppose you can work out what happened from there on!!!
What I couldn’t understand was why when I called the breakdown service for a flat battery did they have to send a breakdown truck that would normally be used to tow a bus away!!! It was embarrassing!!!
This is when you know who your friends are and I certainly don’t have any in Soul Control because DJ Case and Def D promptly did one and left me on my own and only returned when the drama had died down!!! I was Mr Unpopular that night I can tell you!!!
Anyway that was last year and with this in mind I checked my motor carefully before legging it inside to enjoy the night. I weighed in my pound of flesh on the door and went inside and headed straight over to greet DJ Daz Bennett. It was funny because we hadn’t seen each other for years and I could see he was trying to work out who the nutter was who had come in the DJ booth and was talking to him as if he knew him!!!! J To save him any embarrassment I left him to get on with his work and get on with it he did!!!
The numbers may not have been the best at this time of the night, but the selection of music was excellent!!! Daz was playing back-to-back with Des Grant and together they took us through the ages and up to the present and back again with aplomb!!! Honestly, it was that good!! What I particularly liked was that the tempo and style of the tracks played were the same whether it was old or new and the crowd certainly showed their appreciation.
The ‘Manchester Posse’ were also in fine fettle and looked as if they’d had an very early start to the evening if you catch my drift! *LOL* As the night progressed, more and more people came in and with the admission being only £3 there were no disappointed faces to be seen. Truth is connected to Browns Bar which is downstairs and accessed by a separate entrance. If you didn’t actually know, you wouldn’t associate the two venues as being owned by the same company and it’s an arrangement that works well. Browns is usually seen as the pre-bar to Truth, which is seen as the club side of the operation.
As Browns was emptying around 1am, Truth was beginning to fill and the night seemed to just go from strength to strength. Daz passed me for a second time on his way to the bar when it shockingly dawned on him who I was!!!! He said to me how much I’d ‘changed’ since our Soul Nation days, which kind of explained why it took some time for the face recognition bit of his brain to kick in!!! *LOL* Don’t worry Daz, this happens to me all the time mate and it’s a skill not letting on to people that you haven’t got the foggiest who they are!!!! *LOL* :)
Soul Control Verdict:
What a night!!! Track after track and tune after tune and I seriously can’t remember a dip in the whole night. I honestly wish I could just pick the whole building up with all the people in it and drop it in Manchester somewhere, because that’s where it really should be!!!
To be honest, Daz spent a lot of his time in Manchester during his Soul Nation tenure and he was the ORIGINAL Quality Soul aficionado, numero uno, the dog’s dangly bits!!!! I shouldn’t have been surprised by the entertainment on offer because Daz & Des J are both experienced operators. As for the age old argument between the Quality Soul and Street Soul camps of Soul Music, I think we’ve settled that argument long ago. Good music is good music and listening to much of the bilge that passes as music nowadays, the Daz and Des show brought this sharply into focus!!
Quinceys Revisited's next event is on Friday 28th November in the same venue, if Friday was anything to go by, this promises to be an event not to be missed!!!
Soul Control Rating:
