When Jack Hall was given the opportunity to provide The Big Club with entertainment on a monthly basis he thought all his birthdays had come together. The club has a fantastic main hall, with a large stage, dressing rooms, a mezzanine and wooden sprung dance floor and three additional large rooms, This was going to be a huge challenge – but one he absolutely wanted to try and make work. Jack said “There’s a stalwart Northern Soul scene in Newton Aycliffe, so this is about getting it right for the locals – but also a chance to promote new bands with the old music and open the Club to a wider audience, bringing in fresh faces and ideas and making it a place that people look forward to going to regularly”.
This will be a monthly gathering of like minded people, that love music, dancing, singing and having a great night out – without it costing a fortune. The first one is on Saturday 20th May. Dave has the support from Gary Hepple and the Club’s staff and committee, plus local Soulster Tony Norton who has been extremely helpful with Public Relations, extending as far as Teesside and Crook.
“It’s exciting times, and we are planning live music dates to attract more people to the Club and really show what the venue has to offer. On Sat 22nd July we showcase the stage in an all day event – with five bands playing live on the afternoon, with the Junction 59 Soul Club event on the evening. Ideally I would like to provide live music every 2 weeks and if the ‘following’ picks up and we start to get more people interested, there’s enough local talent in the North East to make this a weekly event”.
Jack is setting the PA system up a few evenings a month for open mic/band practice to give local musicians a chance to meet regularly, and generate a lively music scene in the town. He also plans to hold auditions to put a mod style covers band together – He has the ability to play them and pay them, so it could be a real winwin situation if he gets some candidates through the door!
Dave has plenty of ideas, and plenty of dates to fill for the Big Club with Elaine Atkins assisting with band bookings. This has freed up Jack to spend fine tuning the schedule and preparing the promotion side Jack lives in Darlington with his wife Carol and children Garvey and Fleur. He’s been working two part time jobs mornings and evenings to allow him freedom to complete the school runs, do the ironing, wash the pots and do the shopping, and when everyone goes to bed, he start planning schedules and sending e-mails.
Jack is a very enthusiastic person and will certainly help boost the profile of the Big Club.
