Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the English Midlands in the late 1960s, based on a particular style of Black American soul music, especially from the mid-1960s, with a heavy beat and fast tempo (100 bpm and above) or American soul music from northern cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and others. The movement developed from the British mod scene and is associated with particular dance styles and fashions that grew out of the underground rhythm and soul scene of the late 1960s at venues such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester. This scene and the associated dances and fashions quickly spread to other UK dancehalls and nightclubs like the Wigan Casino, Blackpool Mecca (the Highland Room), and Golden Torch (Stoke-on-Trent) . Northern soul was all about absorbing different cultures to create something new, with Motown music but a British passion for the culture.
Northern soul is also the title of a 2012 theatre piece by the British visual and performance artist, Victoria Melody. The movement celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023.
