Blackpool Mecca was opened in 1965 and at the time was at the cutting edge of night club entertainment. It could hold about three and a half thousand people, had a glitzy stage with a revolving bandstand and was capable of accommodating a wide diversity of entertainments. In its heyday thousands used to flock to the Mecca from around the region, courtesy of the free coaches which the club provided. Unfortunately tastes in club entertainment began to change as smaller more intimate venues began to replace the massive dancehalls. By the early seventies its main hall was not opening to thousands but to dozens of punters. It was the same story in most other Tiffanies/Mecca buildings throughout the country. Blackpool however had one feature which the other clubs did not, a smaller dancehall known as the 'Highland Room' above its main arena. Paradoxically it was this secondary room, which was set up as a rare soul venue, which kept the Mecca going long after the main room had fallen into decline.

The Highland Room continued to operate as a Rare Soul Venue from 1971 to 1979. In 1981 the Mecca closed completely having fallen into a state of disrepair due to lack of investment. During its time it played host to several major Soul acts including Isaac Hayes, Edwin Starr, The Chi-Lites and the Miracles all of which I was privileged to see. In Colin Curtis the club had a very dedicated and knowledgeable soul exponent but the main reason why the club became so important as a soul haven was its other DJ Ian Levine. Ian was the son of a wealthy local businessman and as such made regular trips to America at a time when transatlantic travel was much rarer than it is today. Whilst he was there Ian would spend his time searching through warehouses, record and junk shops looking for soul obscurities. It was through this process that he was able to gain access to music which was not available to anyone else. As a consequence any aficionado wanting to hear these records had no alternative other than to attend the Mecca.

Unfortunately for Ian and Colin they soon found themselves trying to compete with a certain Casino which had opened its doors not many miles away. Wigan Casino always had one big advantage over the Mecca in that it had permission to remain open all night whilst the Mecca was restricted to normal club licensing hours. It was this attraction which probably wooed many punters away from the Mecca to its rival venue. They did attempt to fight the trend by holding 'all-dayers' which generally started at mid-day and continued through till midnight which, although moderately successful, never seemed to appeal in quite the same way that the 'All-Nighters' did.

To say that Mecca and the Casino were direct rivals is in many ways true, but in others they were complementary. A major difference was the club's music policies. Whereas Wigan was firmly rooted in R&B and predominantly from the Sixties the Mecca tried to keep abreast of newer releases which often included funkier influences. The clientele was also different both in the way they dressed and the way they danced. Many of the early die hard Soulies considered Mecca to have 'sold out' because of its courtship of funk whereas Mecca considered the Wigan faithful to be soul dinosaurs still living in the past. These arguments led to the two camps becoming increasingly polarised and much subsequent bad feeling. For anyone who is unfamiliar with these differences it is worth listening to and comparing Goldmine's excellent CD's 'The Blackpool Mecca Story' and 'The Wigan Casino Story' .

Ian's courtship of funk might have been forgiven had he restricted himself to that activity, but his next step was to start producing records himself which were tailor-made for the Northern Soul Market. Some of his productions were pleasant enough but if we accept that 'Soul' music is a cultural expression of the hardships, the poverty, the discrimination that Black Americans have suffered then the question has to be asked, what credentials has a millionaire's son from Blackpool got to intrude? Ian began using the Mecca as breaking ground for his own material which caused many soul devotees to believe that what had once been hallowed territory was copping out to 'Disco Shite'. On the closure of Blackpool Mecca Ian Levine went on to produce 'Hi-Energy' music and even pop bands such as 'Take That'. He also made several cover versions of original Soul records with White Artists.

Whereas the doors have finally closed on three of the four original iconoclastic Soul venues Blackpool Mecca may yet prove to be the exception. Of these four the Mecca is the only one still standing and with the New Renaissance of Northern Soul a new spiritual home needs to be found. And what venue could be more appropriate than Blackpool Mecca? Attempts have already been made to revive the Soul nights there, but as yet they have not taken off, mainly because of poor publicity but also because of the lack of a big name DJ. The NS crowd are a discerning lot and their not prepared to go out on pilgrimage only to listen to the same sounds they could hear in the comfort of their own living rooms. For a successful NS event you not only need a DJ who is knowledgeable but he/she must also guarantee some exclusivity. Ian Levine has now returned to the scene and has successfully held a Blackpool Mecca re-union night. It featured several bands including The Exciters, The Carstairs and Rose Batiste. The first ever Northern Soul All-Nighter is also being planned at the Mecca for the Millennium. Lets hope all goes well as it could be a significant step to re-establishing the club to its former glories.