The Blackpool Mecca was a large entertainment venue on Central Drive in the seaside town of

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

, Lancashire, in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

, first opened in 1965. In the 1970s, it was particularly known for The Highland Room, which was a major

Northern Soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

music venue. From 1977 onwards it was also host to the Commonwealth Sporting Club. 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.

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 Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

scene. Unlike similar clubs such as the Wigan Casino and the

Golden Torch The Golden Torch, more commonly known as The Torch, was a nightclub in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England. Opened as a mod venue, it later became important to fans of Northern soul with their all-nighters. Peter Stringfellow was amongst the many ...

, these events were not "all-nighters" and ran from 8 pm until 2 am on Saturday evenings. The two main DJs for the Highland Room soul nights were

Ian Levine Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, DJ, and prominent Doctor Who fan. A populariser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of hi-NRG, he has co-written and co-produced records with sa ...

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 Howard Stanley Beverly (December 6, 1946 – September 10, 2024), known as Frankie Beverly, was an American singer, songwriter, and producer known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze. He formed Maze, originally called R ...

& the Butlers' "If That's What You Wanted" and R. Dean Taylor's "

There's a Ghost in My House "There's a Ghost in My House" is a song written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland of Motown Records, together with R. Dean Taylor. It was originally recorded by Taylor in 1966, and it reached No. 3 in 1974 in the UK. Backgroun ...

". 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 The Voices of East Harlem was an African-American vocal ensemble of up to 20 singers, aged between 12 and 21. Founded as a community initiative in 1969, the group performed with top soul and R&B musicians and recorded four albums in the early ...

's "Cashin' In" and the Charisma Band's "Ain't Nothing Like Your Love". Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton. ''Last Night A DJ Saved My Life'' Chapter four, page 106, ''Fighting for the soul of soul'' 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: *''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)

Commonwealth Sporting Club

In 1977 the Commonwealth Sporting Club was opened at the Mecca. It included a 25-table snooker area and boxing, squash, badminton and gym facilities.

Joe Davis Joseph Davis (15 April 190110 July 1978) was an English professional snooker and English billiards player. He was the dominant figure in snooker from the 1920s to the 1950s, and has been credited with inventing aspects of the way the game is ...

performed the opening ceremony, and

Steve Davis Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, DJ, electronic musician and author. He dominated professional snooker in the 1980s, when he reached eight ...

described it as the "best club in the country of its time". In 1989 the club was closed and replaced by a bowling alley.

References

Bibliography

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External links

The Blackpool Mecca
Web article containing music samples and collection of images
Blackpool's Highland Rooms: why can't the north keep its pop culture heritage?
Article in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, January 2009
Ian Levine , DJHistory.com
Interview with Ian Levine
YouTube: Blackpool Mecca
Video montage commemorating the venue
YouTube: Blackpool Mecca playlist
Blackpool Mecca Highland Room playlist on YouTube {{Blackpool buildings 1965 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Blackpool Buildings and structures demolished in 2009 Tourist attractions in Blackpool Music venues in Lancashire Demolished buildings and structures in Lancashire