Younghearts Soul Club is keeping the faith in Sheffield

Good morning members — and welcome to today’s Tribune.

“Keep the faith” is the rallying cry of Northern Soul. The music and dance movement based on black American soul music emerged in Northern England in the 1960s and reached its height in the 1970s. But as musical styles have changed over the last 50 years, a hardcore group of fans have always stayed true. Last year, a video of the Younghearts Soul Club on Sheffield’s deprived Lowedges estate went viral on TikTok, racking up almost four million views on the social network. Writer and photographer Dani Cole donned her flares and polo shirt and went along to meet a whole new generation of Northern Soul fans.

This week we’ll only be publishing one piece due to the long bank holiday weekend. We’ll publish a weekend read on Saturday and be back to our normal schedule again next week.

Editor’s note: Our 1,295 paying members are receiving today’s story in full, but the first part of the email, including our useful list of things to do over the bank holiday weekend, is going out to the full list. This is to give everyone a taste of what our subscribers get, and in the hope that some will be persuaded to join as paying members. Can you be the person to get us to 1,300?

News round-up

🗳️ Two independent candidates have announced their intention to stand in May’s local elections. Anne Barr and Helen McIlroy will stand under the banner “People not Parties” to protest at the failure of councillors Bryan Lodge and Terry Fox to resign over the tree inquiry. In a joint statement, the pair said that they wanted to provide an “opportunity for voters to break free from the stranglehold of tribal party politics” while holding key figures to account.

🎭 After it’s double triumph at the Olivier Awards in London on Sunday night, smash-hit Park Hill musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge is to be made into a television series. The showbiz website Deadline reports that Studio Canal’s RED television production company is currently developing a four-part drama based on the show. Earlier this week it was also revealed that the show is to transfer to the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s West End in February 2024.

🚊 A new technology developed by Northern trains and the University of Sheffield could means the end of autumn disruption on the rail network. Engineers have developed a system which fires dry ice pellets at leaves on the line which are then blasted away when the pellets turn back into a gas. The technology has recently been trialled on the Wensleydale Railway and it is hoped the system will be fitted to Northern’s entire fleet next year.

Things to do

🍔 With the long bank holiday weekend and fine weather forecast, Peddler Market on Friday, 7 and Saturday, 8 April is sure to be a busy one. This weekend’s food stalls include Falafel Baffel, Only Jerkin’, Spuds and Bros. and Tikk’s Thai Kitchen. As well as all the food and drink, the market will also feature Peddler’s usual mix of cool craft stalls and live music. The Quayside Market will also be taking place at Victoria Quays on Saturday from 12-9pm.

🪕 The Sheffield Folk Sessions Festival brings a weekend of song to pubs in the Kelham Island area from Friday, 7 April until Sunday, 9 April. The festival has been going for over a decade now and brings hundreds of folk musicians from all over the country for a range of singing sessions, instrumental events and workshops. All events are free with donations collected for the festival’s chosen charity. For a full list of everything taking place, see the website.

🦆 The annual Friends of the Porter Valley duck race returns on Easter Monday for a great day of family fun in Endcliffe Park. After being released using a unique launching mechanism, 2,500 numbered plastic ducks will float down the River Porter where they will be captured in a specially designed finish line. Stalls and activities start from 11am, with the race starting at 2pm. For more info and to buy your ducks (£1 per duck or £5 for a family of six) click here.

Younghearts Soul Club is keeping the faith in Sheffield

It’s early Thursday evening and outside Lowedges Community Centre, the spring sky is still light as a few young people trickle in through the door. Inside, tables are laid out with board games and a small strobe machine throws softly coloured lights onto a dancefloor, complete with a DJ deck with vinyl records. As I arrive, two young girls come in shyly. It’s their first time here, but they’re soon off exploring — one of the activities is an Easter egg hunt.   

Lowedges is now the home of Younghearts Soul Club, a youth club for children aged 11-17. It was started in early March by Amy Hodkin, a nurse at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. If Amy’s name is familiar to you, that checks out. Last year she shared a video of Northern Soul enthusiasts cutting moves to ‘Time’ by Edwin Starr on TikTok, the video-sharing platform that’s especially big with Gen Z. The video went viral, racking up almost four million views on the platform.