Puneet Varma (Editor)

Blackpool Mecca

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Address
  
Central Drive

Type
  
Entertainment venue

Opened
  
1965

Operator
  
Mecca Leisure Group

Location
  
Blackpool

Closed
  
1980s

Demolished
  
January 2009

Blackpool Mecca Blackpool Mecca Home of Northern Soul Die Cut Stickerquot Stickers by

Genre(s)
  
Northern soul (The Highland Room)

Similar
  
Twisted Wheel Club, Winter Gardens - Blackpool, Houndshill Shopping Centre, Central Library, Grand Theatre - Blackpool

Blackpool mecca tribute trailer


The Blackpool Mecca was a large entertainment venue on Central Drive in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, in North West England, first opened in 1965. In the 1970s, it was particularly known for The Highland Room, which was a major Northern Soul music venue. The building was closed down in 1980s and was finally demolished in January 2009 to make way for new campus buildings of Blackpool and The Fylde College. However, following an issue with funding B&FC withdrew and as of 2013 the site is planned for residential development.

Contents

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Northern soul at The Highland Room

The Highland Room was used as a soul venue from 1967 to 1979 and it became one of the most popular venues on the Northern soul scene. Unlike similar clubs such as the Wigan Casino and the Golden Torch, these events were not "all-nighters" and ran from 8pm until 2am on Saturday evenings.

Blackpool Mecca The Blackpool Mecca Story A TRIBUTE ALBUM FEATURING 22 7039S SOUL

The two main DJs for the Highland Room soul nights were Ian Levine and Colin Curtis. Several classic 1960s Northern soul records were discovered and "broken" by the aforementioned DJs at the venue, including Tony Clarke's "Landslide", Morris Chesnut's "Too Darn Soulful", Frankie Beverly & the Butlers' "If That's What You Wanted" and R. Dean Taylor's "There's A Ghost In My House".

Blackpool Mecca Photos Of Some Of The Great Events Of Northern Soul Northern Soul

Later in the 1970s, the Highland Room became synonymous with a more contemporary and less frenetic style of Northern soul music, typified by records such as The Carstairs' "It Really Hurts Me Girl", Voices of East Harlem's "Cashin' In" and the Charisma Band's "Ain't Nothing Like Your Love". Because of the change in tempo, a slightly different shuffling dance style developed at the venue. This newer sound and dance style caused some controversy and led to the formation of the parallel Modern soul subgenre, which still exists today within and alongside the mainstream Northern soul movement.

Discography

The Northern soul music of the Highland Room has been commemorated by several compilation LPs and CDs, including:

Blackpool Mecca BLACKPOOL MECCA REVISITED

  • Mecca Magic: the Soulful Sounds of Blackpool's Mecca 1973-1979 (LP, Kent Records 1990)
  • The Blackpool Mecca Story (CD, Goldmine 1999)
  • Spirit of the Mecca (CD, Goldmine 2000)
  • Reachin’ For The Best: The Northern Soul of the Blackpool Mecca (CD, Sanctuary Records 2004)
  • The Northern Soul Story Vol 3: Blackpool Mecca (CD, Sony BMG 2007)
  • Highland Room - The Golden Era: 24 Highlights From Blackpool Mecca (CD, Soulworld 2009)
  • Blackpool Mecca "Legends" (MP3 compilation, Soul Food 2009)

    • Blackpool Mecca BLACKPOOL MECCA YouTube

    References

    Blackpool Mecca Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA