The Longfield Suite on Rectory Lane in Prestwich is home to the TSOP (The Sound of Prestwich) regular monthly soul nights, held on the first Friday of the month (except for December when it is the first Saturday). Promoters are Terry "Motown" Davies and Lynne, his wife. There are two rooms, the magnificent main ballroom is Northern and Motown, the second room Modern.
Times are 8 pm till 2 am, admission charge is £6 payable on the door. Many nights are lock-outs, so it's advisable to get there early, alternatively, if you're going to be late (because of another commitment) get a friend to talk to Lynne on the door and pay for your ticket in advance. A couple of the dates a year are half-nighters - August (to celebrate their anniversary) and December, 8 pm till 4 am, slightly higher admission charge to reflect this.
This is Greater Manchester's premier and most successful Northern Soul venue, having run since August 1999. It boasts the very best in DJ names on the scene - resident DJs are Terry Davies and Ginger Taylor in the Northern room and Richard Searling, Barry Maleady and Bob Hinsley in the Modern room, with guest DJs every month.
The promoters have their own
website, which has dates and directions to the venue.
The premises are owned and run by Bury Metropolitan Council.
The main ballroom has a bar (open till 1 am) and soon fills up, so come early if you want a good seat. It tends to take an hour or so to warm up, but after that, the dancefloor is busy for the rest of the night, often to capacity. The regular DJs play very well to the crowd, while the guests inject a fresh flavour to the proceedings.
This is undoubtedly the most popular venue in the Manchester area, attracting crowds from Tyneside, Humberside and the Midlands - and deservedly so. It doesn't get troubled by handbaggers. A cracking night out!