The Essex and East London Soul scene is unique. It has a unique sound, a unique culture and a unique vibe - "the family vibe". For some of us it's a way of life.

So, what IS it all about then? Anyone who has ever walked into the Main Room at the Caister Soul Weekender will know. It's not just about the sweet Soul music, the amazingly friendly people, the anything goes attitude or the copious amounts of alcohol being consumed. It's a more than all of that, with a little something extra for good measure.

It isn't purely an Essex thing, more of a South East England thing, and as much to do with the club scene as the music itself. OK, so it's hard to explain. Let's just tell you about the History and how we got here, and you might get an insight into where were coming from.

Please excuse the inter-changeability of terms like Jazz/Funk/Soul. In the early days the scene was pretty coherent and embraced all of those styles. The Family would give anything a listen to, as long as it had a beat, a bass-line and a Soulful vocal.

The Early Years | The Caister Years | The Evolution Years | The Reunion Years

In the Mid Seventies, a new form of Soul music called 'Jazz-Funk' began to introduce itself onto the British club scene. Jazz-Funk (or Jazz-Fusion, as it was known in the USA) was typified by American artists such as Lonnie Liston Smith, Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock and Norman Connors - Jazz musicians introducing a new style of hybrid Funk to their sound.

As the 'Northern Soul' sound was being established at places like the Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca, 'Jazz-Funk' was gaining a major underground following in London and the South East of England.

About this time, Chris Hill put Essex firmly on the Soul map with a club called The Goldmine on Canvey Island. The 'Mine became infamous for it's strange mix of music, from Rockin' (a type of Rockabilly/Soul music), through big band sounds by Glen Miller, American Soul/Disco to pure Jazz.

In 1977 at the height of the Goldmine's fame, Chris Hill decided to move closer to London and began his now legendary residency at the Lacy Lady, on its original site in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex. These venues along with others such as The Royalty in Southgate, North London and Frenchies in Camberley, Surrey served as a catalyst for the growing underground 'Jazz Funk Soul' scene, and dedicated Soul fans would travel from all over the country to dance to the latest American imports.

In August 1976, Hilly, along with Chris Brown and Tom Holland held the original Soul 'Alldayer' at the Reading Top Rank Suite. The DJ line up soon grew to include Robbie Vincent, Greg Edwards and Sean French and the Alldayers proved so popular that, by 1978, the events were held for 4,000 Soulboys at enormous venues such as Tiffanys in Purley, and even the Alexandra Palace.

Alldayers, Allnighters and Bank Holiday parties became very fashionable in the South of England. These were very rare opportunities for extended drinking times! The group of DJs appearing at these events were dubbed "The Soul Mafia". The clubbers were all members of the 'Family'.

It was also in the late 70's, at the Regency Suite in Chadwell Heath, Essex, that Froggy would start to impress the crowds with a new-found technique called mixing. Many of the Disco, and later Jazz-Funk, records had extended instrumental/beat sections especially for American DJ's to mix with. British DJ's played the whole record almost to fade-out and the crowd went wild.

At a time when mainstream radio stations played virtually no Black music programming at all, the original Soulboys turned to illegal Pirate radio stations for their weekly fix. Radio Invicta broadcast for just three hours a week from 12pm - 3pm on Sundays. Invicta was the first pirate to broadcast 'Soul Over London' and became increasingly popular with its dedicated approach to the music.

By 1979, the height of the Disco boom, The Goldmine and Lacy Lady were among the top clubs in the South of England. Tom Holland worked with Hilly at The Goldmine from 1975, then The Lacy Lady. When Hilly moved back to The Goldmine in 1978, Tom stayed on at The Lacy Lady until its closure in 1979. The venue went through various incarnations before being demolished in 1995. The Goldmine had gone a short while before. Hunt the Lacy or The Goldmine are good games to play when passing the Lidl supermarket in Seven Kings or the Barratt houses on Thorney Bay Road, respectively.

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By the early 90's, rave culture had taken over many of the previously Soul clubs and the Soul scene began it's second stint as an underground movement. The few venues that continued to play Soul music became known through word-of-mouth and not much else. The larger events had been "taken over" by a new, younger crowd and 'Old Skool' was the equivalent of a "silly session" at the end of the night!

The Livewire Weekenders ended with two "Main Event" weekenders at Butlins in Phwelli, North Wales in 1991. The Blackpool weekenders which started in 1988 had turned into the Southport "Soul and Dance" Weekender, and the "Soul" bit was dispensed with by 1992.

The Norfolk Village, in Shoreditch, East London was the focal point for the re-birth of the modern Soul scene in London. While Caister and the Goldmine and Bognor and the Lacy Lady were pulling the scene all over the place, Terry Jones had been DJing at this East End venue throughout the whole period, from the mid 70's to the late 90's. His devoted followers were the most loyal the scene had ever known and his musical style meant that one visit was enough to make you a regular.

As previously mentioned, the "Northern" scene was separate from the "Southern" scene often with much derision of each others' punters and musical taste. Terry Jones and The Norfolk Village were the bridge that was needed to bring North and South together - in East London!

Frostie says of his Discovery of The Norfolk Village: "By chance, I heard about a pub open till late on a Friday Night which catered for the late seventies Jazz Funkers and Soulsters as well as offering a bit of free education in the delights of the Northern Soul scene of the same era. It was a pub called The Norfolk Village on Shoreditch High Street. I grew to love the Norfolk Village and the resident DJ Terry Jones became a genuine icon. (The punters were) Caister Diehards all who were also looking for salvation. Soon, any excuse such as birthday parties, leaving do's, etc, became a good excuse for an Old Bastard Reunion Night until we dispensed with the bogus reasons and just packed it out every fortnight anyway. "

There had been numerous reunions and revivals over the years, this was the first time that they were not solely populated by people who were there the first time! That is not to say that the music was stuck in the past, but that a certain quality and musical integrity was required for a track to be included in the pantheon of 'Modern' Soul.

Meanwhile, back in the heartland of the Essex Soul scene, The Lacy Lady enjoyed five years back at The Kings, until the venue finally closed its doors for good in February 1995. The Lacy moved to The Island in Ilford for two more years, where it regularly pulled in over 1500 Soulboys a month from across the country.

By the mid 1990's the scene was ready for its next evolution - The Weekender again! The All New Caister began in April 1994. The legend of the original Caister had grown to such an extent that the event sold out almost instantly. Some of the punters even had parents' who had attended the original events. It was like something brand new but everyone knew what to do with it. Without prompting, many of the punters did fancy dress for the Saturday Night. Many of the talent show entrants were prepared (Notably The SDA)! Every caravan had a stereo and everyone was ready to party! To make things even more surreal, the security were our peers, ready to join in and party with us, instead of being the pseudo police force that they once were!

Six years on and The All New Caister Weekender is going from strength to strength. Yeah, OK, it isn't THAT new anymore but the people who attend quite often are. The weekend has really become a family event with people returning to the site of their youthful follies - but now they bring their teenage children!

The Lacy Lady (now based at the Epping Forest Country Club) retains its position at the forefront of the Soul scene, mainly through its refusal to get left in the past. It's true that you might hear the cheesiest old tune ever but chances are, the next tune you hear will be an exclusive.

The Goldmine also has a regular revival night on Canvey Island, a few hundred yards from the original site. The music policy is more like the old 'Mine than any previous revivals. If you're lucky you'll hear Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Soul, maybe even a slowie or two, and a fair bit of Disco/Boogie!

As far as history goes, ours is still being written. Come along and be a part of history!