Hey, Tam is fine!

I’m good thank you!

Life is good! It’s a really nice city with lots of record shops.

I grew up in a seaside town in Essex. It was a nice place to live. There were lots of scooter rallies and music events close to us so I attended a lot of these growing up which shaped my taste in music.

I became interested in alternative culture through my upbringing and my family and friends I made at scooter rallies. My childhood had a lot of Skinhead and scooter-music influence. I think my love of history and fashions influenced how I found my own style. I was brought up in a household where there were a lot of Doc. Martens, Brutus trimfits, Ben Shermans and Fred Perry. I think these brands and their correlation with subculture played a part in how I dress now. I love vintage fashion and I style myself how I feel comfortable.

Yes, as a teenager, I liked the skinhead style, as my dad is a skinhead. I had a Chelsea cut and wore the fashion; I also collected records. It was a harsh look, but it gave me confidence in dressing how I wanted to and not being afraid of people’s opinions. Growing out my hair was a long process. During this time, I crossed into Suedehead and 70s vintage clothes.

Yes, I have been surrounded by great people my parents played a huge part in my fashion and music taste. They attended scooter rallies in the 80s, my dad is a Skinhead and my mum was into Punk and Psychobilly fashion. As a teenager my friends were all Skinheads and Mods, like a new wave of young guns for the subcultures. We adapted the styles from the times to suit current styles. Everyone takes elements differently to become their own individual self. I have always been into Ska and Northern Soul so I have always chose clothing that relates to these subcultures. I think a combination of all these people has shaped me to who I am and how I’m involved with alternative genres

My own style is an eclectic mix. I wouldn’t say I fit into any category as I don’t want to. I think as a teen you want to fit into a label, but I still take influence from Skinhead subculture to this day. I’d describe my style as a retro fashion lover.

I’d say burgundy, black and blue.

My favourite fashion brand is Fred perry. It’s timeless and will always be that way.

My favourite outfit to wear is my black knitted Fred Perry reissue polo, with wide-leg jeans and black loafers.

I want to convey self expression through my outfits, I’m quite shy at first so I use clothes to emulate my personality and music taste.

Alternative scenes have shaped my style by influencing my clothes choices through music that are popular in these subcultures.

Yes! I am a shopaholic. I collect the Fred Perry reissues, so any of those that are left on my list. And probably a Peter Black Adidas bag for Soul nights.

I first discovered Northern Soul through my dad’s cd collection. He had a compilation and I fell in love with the sound. At rallies I would dance and watch others to learn the steps. I would also watch old Wigan Casino tapes on YouTube to see how people danced and tried to copy steps.

A pivotal moment for me was in 2014 John Newman’s Love Me Again music video was in the charts at #14 and told a Northern Soul story; a huge influence for his music. The same year I got Northern Soul by Elaine Constantine on DVD. I really loved the soundtrack and finding a subculture I liked meant I’d found my own style.

Northern Soul is a unique subculture. It’s very underground and has made a resurgence recently. Soul venues were a place to go after the working week to let go and feel the music. You can express yourself through dance and the lyrics of the music are relatable and tell emotive story’s. Many of the dancers express these lyrics through movement, acrobatics and stomping footwork. These are all ways of feeling the rhythm. I feel that Northern Soul is a way of forgetting about your troubles and dancing is a way that I like to let go of my cares and feel the music.

Northern Soul was for working class people. It grew out of the 60s Mod scene and consists of rare black American soul music. It gave people a purpose in life, and was a way of discovering new music. People who worked “dead-end” jobs needed something to look forward to, and live for the weekend. People traveled hundreds of miles to listen to the music, dance, and let themselves go in clubs like the Twisted Wheel and Wigan Casino.

I initially started sharing my dancing to document my footwork and watch myself develop as a dancer. I gained a following through posting this content and then developed for what my following wanted to see. It doesn’t take away my love for soul venues as I attend these regularly, I just post my videos as it is my hobby.

My goal would be to help share Northern Soul music and my dance moves to help inspire a new generation.

My top 5 would be:

Shirley Ellis – Soul Time
The Tomangoes – I Really Love You
Harold Melvin, The Blue Notes – Get out (And Let Me Cry)
The Showmen – Our Love Will Grow
Chubby Checker – You Just Don’t Know

A typical audience at a Northern Soul event would working class people. In the past would be young people travelling across country to visit clubs and dance at all nighters. Today there are many good Soul events: the Scarborough Northern Soul weekender, Blackpool and Rivoli ballroom. There is a resurgence across the country attracting younger fans too. Many student nights are popping up and Soul and Funk nights too. There is definitely a mix of people who attend Soul nights.

In my free time I dance and play records, when I’m not at work I’ll try to find a local soul night or travel further afield for one.

I like all sorts! Of course I love Northern Soul, but also Ska, Brit Pop and Indie. My top five bands would be:

The Libertines
Blur
The Pioneers
The Supremes
The Ringleaders

The best concert I have attended was The Libertines in Brighton, I have always been a fan so seeing them live was amazing.

My favourite country would be Italy. It’s so beautiful.

I’d love to go the America or Jamaica.

I love dancing, records and shopping.

I’m not keen on people who are overly opinionated or political. I just like to have a good time.

Tea.

Early bird.

Introvert.

Analogue.

Planning ahead. I’ve got to plan all the scooter rallies and Soul Nights in advance!

Retro!

I think it was the Skegness Scooter Rally 2013. My dad’s mate let me DJ and taught me the basics. My passion for collecting vinyl came from here. I then got to guest DJ at Big 7 scooter rallies in 2016 and 2017! I really got the crowd moving, which sparked my passion.

I learned from a family friend, who showed me the ropes. As a teen, I was gifted a DJ mixer and deck, so I’d put on shows for my family. My passion started from there.

Yes, Soul Jam radio has been an experiment for myself to prove to myself I can produce underground shows that provide good music that I get to share with an audience. It’s a hobby of mine as I am trying to improve my skills. I think in the next couple of years I’d like to really get into radio production and making shows for people to tune into.

I have been asked a few times about providing dance lessons, it’s something I would consider. I know many say you can’t teach soul dancing, however I believe you can break down the way you dance to help people improve their dancing and I enjoy helping people to make them feel confident in themselves.

Hopefully, in 5 years I’ll have my scooter up and running! I’ll be traveling to a few more scooter rallies again on two wheels, I’d love to DJ at an event and travel to more Soul nights!

As someone who has been involved with the subculture for over a decade I’d like to say to the readers and followers that you should always be your authentic self. Just because someone said you can’t wear or listen to something because you’re in a certain subculture doesn’t mean they’re right. You need to develop your own style and be true to yourself. I think I’ve learnt that growing up in the scene. I’d also like to add I’m always open to chat about any kind of music or dance tips if anyone is interested, keep on keeping on love Tam x