I received the Yarwood Research Grant in 2021 for my Masters Project: Long After Tonight is All Over – ‘How was Black American Soul Music Reflected in the Style of British Followers?’. The project was an exploration of the 1970s Northern Soul music scene as a Fashion Subculture in the North of England. The project featured interviews which focused on keepsakes and nostalgia.
The Northern Soul phenomenon is often referred to in the North of England as the ‘Golden Era’ of music. The Detroit sound of Mo-town pop was considered to be out-dated in the US, meanwhile unearthed and played in nightclub ‘All-nighters’ in Northern cities Manchester, Sheffield and Wigan. The Twisted Wheel (1963-1971) and Wigan Casino (1973-1981) all-nighters would attract white working-class youths, who would travel hundreds of miles across the region to dance to obscure black American soul records until the break of dawn. Everyone understood the lyrics in the songs and despite the message of love and heartbreak in the vocals, they were still songs you could dance and move to.
The style which emerged from Northern Soul had roots in the 1960s Mod and skinheads, with the inherited sharp look of button up shirts and sportswear polos. They differed greatly in attitude, Northern Soul was less about showing off or looking the best, it was more about the music. It became a more functional, dance centred fashion.
The Yarwood Research Grant allowed me to deepen my research, as I was able to purchase 1970s copies of Black Music Magazine which I was particularly interested in the catalogue order section, which gave me a real insight as to how styles were discovered and acquired by Northern Soul followers.
Since graduating from London College of Fashion with a Distinction MA in Fashion Cultures and Histories, I have been working as a freelance Costume Assistant in Opera, Ballet, Musical Theatre and TV. I am now studying a Scholarship PhD, titled The Performative Heel at University of Huddersfield.
