Northern Soul

We connect with individuals who live, work, and enjoy leisure in Northern England, exploring the area for captivating tales, rich histories, aspirations, and events. Interested in a well-written piece about a quirky museum or a glimpse behind the curtain of a prominent organization? You’ll discover those stories here. Curious to read an interview with a notable figure from the North or learn about an exciting new project? You’ve come to the right place. And if you love beautiful images showcasing the charm of the North, we’ve got plenty of those too.

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Theatre Review: The Moth, The Lowry, Salford

5 days ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Chris Wallis

It’s 1997 and two men meet on a train. A white man and a black man. They drink some beer. Six hours later, towards the end of the journey, the white man tells the black man a story which makes the black man very angry. The black man writes a story about the encounter which is published in The Guardian, and sets him on the road to fame and fortune as a journalist and writer. Some 20 years later the white man turns up unannounced at the black man’s Hampstead house.
Gardening: a new beginning

6 days ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Helen Nugent

Moving house is a bag of mixed emotions. There’s the anticipation of a fresh start, the lure of unfamiliar surroundings, and a chance to make your mark on a new home. But if you loved your previous place and, like me, spent time and money shaping and nurturing it, moving is a bittersweet experience. And while you can pack up your belongings, taking the garden with you is not so easy. In many ways, I’m a victim of my own success.
Short Stories and Poems from Manchester's Emerging Writers

1 week ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Helen Nugent

The act of writing is by nature a solitary one. It’s also – and here I must ask for your forgiveness for what follows- an endeavour all too ripe for metaphor.In many ways, the writer is a perennial single parent. The practice of literary birthing (the agony and ecstasy) seldom takes place in company, and the nurturing of a vulnerable creative spark often occurs unsupported, behind closed doors.
The Great Leeds Novel? Author Neil Hunter writes for Northern Soul

1 week ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Helen Nugent

I have written the Great Leeds Novel. Somebody had to. You may have noticed that Leeds doesn’t have the richest literary tradition. We’ve had no major literary school, no defining scene. We have produced a few household names, but they seemed disinclined to write the Great Leeds Novel. Alan Bennett left for Oxford seven decades ago and likes writing about George III and Elizabeth II.
The largest zoo habitat in the UK: Heart of Africa opens at Chester Zoo

2 weeks ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Fran Yeoman

The problem with rhinos is that they don’t always appreciate that there’s a major media launch happening. And so, at 9am on a chilly Monday morning, a decent chunk of the North West’s broadcast media, as well as several writers clutching notebooks, waited in vain for a glimpse of one of the star residents of Chester Zoo’s huge new Heart of Africa zone.
The Rise, Fall and Disappearance of Victor Grayson

2 weeks ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Helen Nugent

A world recovering from war and a global pandemic. A roguish Prime Minister who takes political advice from his young mistress. A secret service out of control. A real-life murder mystery. All the elements for a novel were right there in front of me. How could I resist? Imagine this. It’s 1907 and a 26-year-old Leftist troublemaker name of Victor Grayson is selected to fight a by-election in a West Yorkshire constituency for Labour.
Picture Gallery - Winnifred Nicholson: Cumbrian Rag Rugs

3 weeks ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Helen Nugent |Robert Martin

She was lauded as an exceptional painter. Now a new exhibition highlights something entirely different: rag rugs. Tullie House in Carlisle is hosting Winifred Nicholson: Cumbrian Rag Rugs. Revealing another side to Nicholson’s artistic practice, this show focuses on tufted rag rugs (also known as hooky rugs or proggy mats). Made from fabric scraps and old clothing, rag rugs were once commonplace, a solution to heating chilly stone floors.
Landscapes, land, and the need for a political debate on how we use our countryside

3 weeks ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Helen Nugent |Robert Martin

Last time I looked they were still there, rusting metal posts beside a quiet country road near Boulsworth Hill, the summit in the south Pennine chain on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border. Once upon a time, the posts had a purpose. They carried peremptory ‘keep out, private’ signs, just in case any passing walkers were eyeing up the wild but beautiful moorlands beyond as territory to explore. The posts remain but the signs are no more.
'a quiet riot' Liverpool's DaDa turns 40

3 weeks ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Robert Martin |Fran Yeoman

As DaDa turns 40, Northern Soul writer and DaDa’s chair Rob Martin writes about the professional becoming personal. In 2025, one of the North’s most important arts organisations turns 40. But it might well be new to you, despite four decades of groundbreaking work, national and international collaborations, revolutionary artist development programmes, and a biennial festival which has taken place in and around Liverpool since 2001.
"I just think everyone's funny in the North" Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe... Live!!!

1 month ago | northernsoul.me.uk | Andy Murray |Desmond Bullen

A hunched figure in a tatty suit slouches slowly towards the stage with a suitcase, grumbling and muttering as he goes. Finally he grabs the mic and turns to glare at the audience, his face white as bone. This is Frankie Monroe and, believe it or not, he’s likely to be the funniest thing you’ve seen in a long time.