June Update

Well here we are again, great first night at the Oddfellows Hall. Plenty of good feedback about the venue itself and the services it offered.

Next night is 21st July and is all set, the new flyer is available on the link below and the new membership cards have arrived from the printer, so will be in the post by the weekend with a newsletter.

The line up of DJ's from now on will include myself and KevinKent as per usual with the addition of John Alden and Johnny Herbert who will alternate Bi-Monthly. I am glad to welcome these two guys aboard and we will be looking at the music policy and improving all the time. So if you do have tracks or styles you don't think are being represented by the DJ's, let us know.

The guest for the July night is a great guy, Richard Brown. Richard has been knocking around for a good long while and has had a hand in many ventures in Essex and London, you might remember Upbeat with Jo Wallis amongst others. Richard has a diverse taste in soul from RnB to Modern- so should be a good night again.

The last night had a good turnout with 70 plus coming in and many new members joining on the night.

The 21st of July will likely be the last night until the anniversary night which due to a crowded calendar will be in November. More about the plans for this in the newsletter though.

I look forward to seeing all of the members on the 21st July and welcoming new folk to.

The pictures of the last night are on the page and are right at the end, so check them out.

Also have a look around the site for new additions to the sounds pages.

We are having to run as a private members club, something that was always a possibility and which is why membership  has always been available free of charge- both on the night and on line. It does have its benefits though.

cheers Mark.

The postcode on the flyers is incorrect for the Oddfellows Hall in Ramsgate. It should read CT11 9TT for any who are looking for it on map search engines. The map is right as is the location shown by the star though.

The line up is confirmed now as Myself, Kevin, John Alden and Tony Jackson so the music should be cracking as ever with a mix of 60's, 70's and a touch of modern.

Well the last Stolen Hours night at the end of the pier has come and gone now and I would like to thank the 70 plus people who made the trip down the quay, with the wind and tide driving waves over the parapet, to support the night.

I can only apologise to them with regard to the poor facilities again and the extortionate prices charged on the bar. I was assured this would not be the case and was let down by the owner of the venue.

Due to this I have taken the course of action in moving to the new venue two months earlier than planned, the next night will be on 27 May a Sunday night of the Bank Holiday weekend. More details will follow in the newsletter to members and be posted on this site. The venue will be the Odds club (Odd Fellows Hall) in Ramsgate. It has good facilities, great dance floor with room for about 150 - 200 people. The bar prices are no different to the pubs that the owner runs and it is a proper bar not a bottle bar. There is also parking for around a 100 cars within 500 yards of the venue.

I will post a map up this week showing its location and the car parks.

Back to the last night, the DJ’s were great, bearing in mind they had to cover me after a sudden bout of illness that came on in the early hours of Saturday morning, sobig thanks to Kevin , John Herbert, Moldie and Chris. The music was great as usual although probably more 70’s oriented than the regulars were used to, even so there was some great tunes played out to the dance floor which responded accordingly. Play lists are on the various forums for those that are interested.

It was really great to see new faces again as well as some old faces from the murky past of the Kent soul scene. The membership is swelling and cards will be sorted out for those new members in the next week to 10 days. Don’t forget if you want to give feedback on any of the nights or have any questions drop us a line on the email address below.

info@soul-smugglers-inc.co.uk

The night in May will have a more sixties feel to the music although there will be crossover and possibly some modern tracks being played out in accordance with the across the board music policy.

Having been to the venue on Sunday, it has been confirmed that there will be a minimum of 3 bar staff on and that the bar has been extended to give a wider service area. At the moment they are also considering setting up a limited bar outside on the deck if the weather is good. The council have been dragging there feet over the request to further improve the toilet facilities , however I have been assured that there will be another person keeping an eye on these. Look forward to seeing all who can make it down for a good night.

Next Stolen Hours night is the 31st March and we have visitors from Lightwater coming down to grace the decks in the form of Moldie and Chris. Both of these guys are well known and should produce a cracking addition to the nights line up with a mix of classic old northern and some more modern tunes to keep the floor going. Flyer Directions Map

Bit of a newsflash with regards to the Sir Stanley. I have spoken with the managment of the pub and I have been informed that the owner has now carpeted both the room we were using and the old night club below. I did explain to them, prior to their decision, that carpet would not be a suitable medium for dance floors but it appears they think it will be the best all round floor covering for their needs.

The upshot is that the owner of the Harbour Lights, Michael,  is more than happy for us to use his venue, however if the membership keeps increasing at the rate it has been, it will not be long before we are looking for a bigger venue. So ideas on a postcard please ( although email is best). info@soul-smugglers-inc.co.uk Just a quick note on this, there have been several venues identified. One is a little to big at the moment, with a capacity of around 400 but it does have two bars and a balcony! The other main contender has a capacity of around 200  and a great sprung wooden dance floor, Oh and they don't mind the talc. Both have ample parking and facilities to match the capcities, so there will be a move to a new venue on the cards very soon.

New membership cards for those who signed up last time round are going out Thursday8th March and should be with you by Saturday-ish, the flyer and newsletter mail out will also be done at the same time. Plans are already afoot for the first anniversary in September so keep watching this space.

The sounds page has been updated with new tracks that have been dug out of various boxes, with the emphasis on soul as opposed to out and out stompers. Give them a listen there are some real gems in there.