(X amount of watts of equipment and die hard 'stood the test of time' speaker boxes), the guys pulled together in true Knights of Old stylee, and fought the fight to provide The Birthday peeps and an always eager Manchester crowd with a legendary night to remember.
In traditional Caribbean time, the ticket said start at 10pm but on arrival we found the guys still setting up the equipment so we milled about and explored the venue. Upstairs we found DJ’s MK, Irfan and Cliff who were playing the best Deep Soulful House music which made a refreshing change instead of having 2 rooms in a venue playing very similar Soul music. Being a regular at the Southport Weekender, I felt right at home and was appreciating the tunes like “I Love Days like This” and “Here comes the sun”. A steady flow of ravers passed through the Soulful House arena to keep the vibes bubbling nicely. It was a top class set-up that wasn’t spoiled by having the food being served in the same area.
A welcome selection of West Indian and Thai food helped lift spirits until the Main attraction had set up. Sadly, I was so engrossed in being an international raver upstairs that I missed Bizzi B’s set downstairs (nothing personal B)!!! When I finally went back downstairs, I found it hard to move between the crowds of dancing bodies. Moso Moso was packed with very happy people; everyone was grooving away, faces shining with sweat. The Soul Control Bass was booming and the tunes were flying and rewinds were coming thick and fast.
The Original line up of Soul Control man dem were present with the exception of Def D (Delroy Edwards) who was away in the Caribbean. It was great to see the return of DJ’s Toe Caps (Morris Banton) and Rob Dog (Robert Brown) who returned to his role on the microphone with aplomb. The usual classics of Mary J Blige’s “Be Happy” etc, kept the crowd swinging and singing, but for me the one of the highlights of the evening had to be when Guvnor (Gary Graham) arranged everyone into formation and had the whole crowd swaying from side to side to Positive Force’s “We got the Funk”- followed by Vicky D’s “This Beat is Mine” it looked like a tsunami wave ebbing backward and forwards!!! It was – FAN – FREAKIN –TASTIC!!!!!
A small but selective Reggae session helped to keep the dancers happy and when the Dance Hall original Janet Kay “Silly Games” threw down, everyone had a hand in the air and sung along, I even clocked Bizzi B in full throng - Go Bizzi!!
A fun time was had by all and from the smile on the Twins and Junah’s faces; I can only guess they had a great night too. The DJ’s were rocking behind the turntables and the Soul Control Guys decided to break the night up with a final guest DJ Mr Mike Stephens. After a brief search for him, Mike proved he was well worth the wait. He added the polish to an already shinning example of a much needed night out in Manchester. It was nice to catch up with long lost friends and have a good dance around our collective handbags.
The Owner made myself and the guys laugh when he quoted one of his staff: “Boss, if you walk past the speakers the sound, it makes your jeans move”!!! Sweet P also sent T2 Bad a TX at 2.30 am declaring “That Bass is Ridiculous”. My ears were still ringing the next day and my legs and knees will need a massage to recover, so any willing parties please apply!!!! I had a Wonderful night and despite the problems that Soul Control had to endure, the success of this party proved “Jealousy gets you nowhere”!!! The night ended on a high with Roy Ayres “Sunshine” and with a happy crowd walking off into the Sunday morning sunlight.
Soul Control Verdict:
Moso Moso is a lovely venue albeit a little too small for the large Soul Control Bass thumping equipment and their extremely large following of dedicated fans. On the downside, the bar staff at Moso Moso were rather inexperienced in the art of mixing drinks (didn’t understand what a cider and blackcurrant was) and I found the drinks rather expensive!!! If people visit there again and are walking funny, it’s because they’ve sneaked a bottle in between their legs!!!!!
Soul Control Rating:
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