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Did Wigan Have a Northern Soul?

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Sounds and the City

Part of the book series: Leisure Studies in a Global Era ((LSGE))

Abstract

Wigan is a town in the North West England which developed during the nineteenth century based on traditional industries, mainly coal mining, and which by the late twentieth century was in economic decline. The chapter will show, however, that the town’s recent history has been strongly linked to Northern Soul and the Casino Club which operated from 1973 to 1981. Northern Soul has now been appropriated by local government as part of its heritage, leisure, and tourism strategy. The chapter explores these trends and discusses the paradox that despite Wigan’s initial ambivalent relationship with Northern Soul, there was, in the appreciation, experience and discourse of Northern Soul discernible characteristics which were particular to the locality and the wider region.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    So named after the ‘M’ being the first initial in club owner’s surname: Gerry Marshall.

  2. 2.

    Many soul fans sought the town’s swimming baths as a reviver after the all-nighters.

  3. 3.

    The song was one of the ‘three before eight played’ in ritualistic fashion to herald the end of Wigan Casino all-nighters before 8 am on Sunday morning.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK

    Stephen Catterall & Keith Gildart

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  1. Stephen Catterall
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  2. Keith Gildart
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

    Brett Lashua , Stephen Wagg , Karl Spracklen  & M. Selim Yavuz , ,  & 

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Catterall, S., Gildart, K. (2019). Did Wigan Have a Northern Soul?. In: Lashua, B., Wagg, S., Spracklen, K., Yavuz, M.S. (eds) Sounds and the City. Leisure Studies in a Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94081-6_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94081-6_18

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94080-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94081-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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