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Sorry to anyone who's been waiting for me to up-date this website. Other things have kept me busy and I didn't realise how long it had been. We are now back on track.

Spot is well known for his honest lookbacks (warts and all), so we were well pleased at the one he did for us...

Listen up people it's time to talk & as you know I'm just the man to do that, so here goes. Was totally dreading this,why?Because firstly Gail & I were Rugby virgins, which meant there was a good chance we'd get lost, I have been known to get lost on my own driveway,also the last twice we've headed South the delays & weather have been horrendous in both directions but as we were meeting good friends Dave/Steph,Cog/Jan,Shaun/Jane,Steve LeAir & sister Bev,Big Paul with Steve L & two love birds we'd not seen for ages Shane & Vonny, plus the fact that Karl,Andy & Chalky would be plying their trade then it was a sacrifice we were willing to make,so 6:45'ish hey ho away we go,riding in an Audi & would you Adam & Eve it not a delay in sight,other than the inevitable 50mph roadworks from here to eternity & when I thought we were lost in Ruggers & I pulled up to ask a member of the pubic for directions I managed to do it at the entrance to Benn Hall's car park, result or what!!!

By chance Mr Rimmer, local Dj & P/Time Car park Attendant was indulging in a fire stick & kindly told us where to go,which we ignored & parked in the car park instead, so past the man with the catering van & down the nursery slope past a blockade of doormen to pay the ever present & available for booking at your event ,for a small fee, Kenny the cashier together with a plethora of different Candy for us kiddies, just remember Ken in certain Countries that could be classed as enticement but having said that, a nice touch, even though it took me 2 hours to breakthrough my armour plated Mint Imperials outter casing . Anyway to the venue itself, Impressed indeed, decent size foyer for all the lady chat & very importantly from the girlie's point of view, clean & tidy toilet facilities (No I didn't linger outside the ladies to check,how very dare you????Gail told me ), nice separate record & drinks bar/chill out room, good size freestyle room & dance floor, only problem there was a door from main room opening onto the dance floor & when the floor was packed with dancers I kept expecting to see a scene from a sitcom where two waiters head for the same kitchen swing door & end up bouncing off & into a big heap on the floor, not a criticism but an observation from Injury lawyers 4U, the main room was the ideal layout with a large dance floor & ample tables with seating round three side & plenty of standing & walking area at the back of the room.
Matt Smart, whom I've not heard before, was on when we arrived & I was very impressed with his "Keep going till Andy arrives for God sake" set, the next hour or so was "Hello's" & catch up with familiar faces like Karl & "Puss in Boots" Kate, Dennis's lad Chris & his immaculately dress but usually pissed lovely assistant Mrs Johnnie Dankworth, suprise arrival "Men behaving badly" Tezza & lovely Jan, "Barge Bird" Soulgirl & Lottie, Tugboat Willie,Gaz but no Kaz, John Mc & Jen,Benny minus Billy Whizz, Toby,John Boy Weston, Libby,Dusty, Nesta the Waterboy,Birthday Boy Kit & Kaz, Lydia minus the Mr P posse, finally Dave "Bud" Abbot,Steve Sawdust before I tried to talk Debbie into a catatonic state ,Sorry Debbie.
All night I wandered (As is my want,ask Gail) between the two rooms,foyer & bar & only heard the odd tune (Single figures) that I (Singular) cringed at,you know the ones you loath but don't no why & when it's R&B time then I just do my Elvis has left the building impression but thats a personal thing & never affect my night. All the Dj's were good value & the dance floors showed that,there was the usual lull (normally somewhere between 3 & 5 am) for a short period as if energy levels need replenishing or something & I felt a little sympathy as Dave Rimmer came on & the room almost emptied as if a canister of Sarin Gas had been tossed into the room when infact the gaseous & rancid odour belonged to the Phantom Farter who struck with regularity & accuracy through out the evening & needed to check his or may be her smalls for avoidable accidents in the skiddy zone,I digress, the exodus was down to Karl "Pete Tong" in the Freestyle room but I'm sure Dave enjoyed playing with himself anyway,don't we all Lads???
Caught part of both Chalky's sets & enjoyed what I heard very much,thought Dave & Steve C played an excellent set, also I thoroughly enjoyed Frank "From a distance he looks like a younger,slimmer John Weston" Webster's set & Karl played with his usual verve & enthusiasm & his love of the music flashes through the room like Haley's Comet on Speed but Spot the Ball winner for me was Mr Dyson excellent, even though his & Chalky's reasons for late arrival didn't quiet gel, Andy says they're late cos Chalky decide to come the scenic route via all points Easterly with stops at Ghent,Stavanger & Reykjavik to avoid the M1 but Chalky insists it's Andys fault & they never left his till 7:45pm as he was still in the Tub playing Submarines & rubbing his Rubber Duck for long periods whilst luxuriating in a foam heaven as supplied by a bottle of Matey, we'll never really know.
So after that diatribe of waffle & drivel,did I enjoy it? Very much so.Would I make a return visit? Of course.Would I recommend it to Friends & Family? A big yes there also.Would I change anything? Yes,the Phantom Farters Undies but from a great distance with a long pole & wearing a Chemical Warfare Suit, you smelly arsed git. Well done Mr Rugby Soul & Sian,see that wasn't that bad, was it? Expectation is worse than reality, the thought of a prick in the bottom sounds worse than it actually is,those Tetanus shots don't hurt as much as you think they will.

Take care,be safe & remember,"The Indians send signals from the rocks above the pass,the Cowboys take positions in bushes & the grass",
Spot.

The best Rugby niter so far imo.
The move from soul nights to niters is definitely paying dividends.

First time for us at Benn Hall and what a fantastic place this is ,lovely big dance floor and i like the bar /record bar on the side where its light so you can see what they are really paying
had a great night !!!
this nighter ticks all the right boxes ,met loads of fab people once again.

Another great night at Rugby....only got back from holiday yesterday afternoon and had promised the wife that I would be home before 3am. Finally strolled in the door at about 7 so it must have been good .

Now Then Now Then!! WHAT A NIGHTER!! fecking Brilliant from start to finish!! walked in (a wee bit late but cmon you know i need me entrance eh eh! ) and the atmosphere just hit me (or was that Sian? OR GANCHE!!?? ) Adam i tink was dj'in at the time with some Superb 7ts and the dancefloor was full the record room was full the freestyle room was full!! i knew straight away this is going to be bloody great night!! SOooo many people to say hello to so i cant be arsed naming them all but thanks for letting me play TWICE! you must be mad!!..and to everyone who makes rugby all-nighters the best in the land!! IMHO of course... :0 Phil i think Jo should go old skool and get the milk crate!! i didnt want the night to end guys, truly and honestly was gutted when the lights came on... but the good thing is knowing that the next one is in the post!!...

Liam Q aka spinny boy, lil (one half of my partner in Soul Phil)
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What a bloody fantastic night that was
In 30+ years of attending various venues that has gotta be in my top 5
Superb, Superb, Superb
Venue, Dance floor ( what i seen of it) Ale bar oops sorry record bar, I have to at this point hold my hand up, and come clean regarding the music, apart from the last hour the bulk of my evening was spent propping up the bar with Bearsy and if I heard 5 records thats all I heard, but hey I was meeting friends old & new and had a bloody great time
A big big thank you to
all connected in putting on this nighter

Again, a Splendid evening
Too all concerned who made this happen, give yourselves a deserved pat on the back
most enjoyable
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What a fantastic night! I was a little over excited (though no one could tell!) & i got to the Benn Hall 2 hours early to find nobody there! So i went to the pub. Thanks for the laughs Mrs Soul & Soul Widow! Lovely to meet Sad Girl & Toby-gonna get down to Letchworth! Got to the nighter 10 minutes before the start & there were people already paying to get in! It was the start of a top top night. Music was great. As already mentioned the DJs seemed to bounce of the crowd who kept the dancefloor full all night. Kept running between the main room & the Freestyle room. DJs were great in both.

Thanks to the smokers who kept me entertained in the freezing cold outside!

As always exceptional company ensured a fab night. Roll on April!

WOW!! From the moment I got anywhere near the door the hospitality was oozing from every crevice... along with a good helping of the (already) electric atmosphere from within! Only, briefly, had the pleasure of being introduced to Sian at Middleton a fortnight earlier - but I was greeted as though a member of her family!! Once I finally managed to prise myself away from the 'Ladies of the Door' it was straight into the 'record room'. Lot's of (once again) familiar faces to say hi to and the evening was well & truly under way!! About an hour later I finally managed to saunter into the main hall (still with me coat on!) Woah!! What a hall! What a size! What a dancefloor! What a venue!! Superb in every way! (the immediate 'vision' that popped into my head at that same point, was St Ives main hall).

Any comprehension of time was, from thereon, non existent as I spent the rest of the night exploring my new surroundings and enjoying the delights of all the people I spoke to on my little jaunts from room to room. Some great - and, even, awesome music played throughout the night with all dj's performing more than admirably. Heard fantastic music each time it became my dominant focus, and regardless of whether it was the 'upfront' or main rooms.. or even with my ears covered by headphones whilst I partook in the pleasures of hearing some previously unknown tunes selected from the various sales boxes. Unfortunately... my wallet didn't fare as well as Steve's (mine seems automatically attracted to each and every sales box! Do me afavour guy's, leave 'em at home next time... pleeeeease!!).

Met loads of great people - lot's for the first time but (as is synonymous with our scene) it soon felt like they were all 'old mates'. Pleasure, especially, to meed the ladies... bit disappointed the 'Badge' girls felt it a mite cold and opted to put clothes on as well! despite the teasingly appealing messages posted pre-gig! Miss Soul... you better not be burning them cd's to send the originals back - else I'll be sending the boy's round. Ang B, also a pleasure to meet your aquaintance... Met a few people, also, who's names I was already familiar with - but now had the satisfaction of putting the names and faces together. Even saw a couple of faces not previously seen for over twenty years (great chatting and reminiscing with you Mr Evison). Even some faces from down my neck of the woods - which is always pleasing, 'cos it shows there are people from my way prepared to make regular forays in all directions (although usually in a general northern one) across the country to support all these great nights! But with a night as good as this one was proving - how could anyone not want to be there!!

Can honestly say it has been one of the most all-round enjoyable (but, in particular, great fun!) nights I've had in several years. I'd forgotten the joy's of evenings the likes of this one.

Can't wait for the next one - especially as my partner in crime is displaying his best Backdoor DJ skills at Rugby that night!

Ten out of Ten to the guy's involved in the absolutely, positively, totally blinding, brilliant night!!!

An extremely well-sated, well looked after, and sufficiently thoroughly welcomed enough to see me thru to the next one... Fingers

April wont come soon enough , last night went too quick & i just want to relive it all again, it was great fun

Well done Rugby team, all the hard work paid off, you deserved that, how many in, 350+, 400?

The place was rocking from early on when Sam got the dancers up and running with a cracking warm up set which he followed up later with an inspired selection in the peak hours, looks like that's me eating my words, nice one Sam Arthur Willis sounding better than ever

All DJs in top form, probably inspired by the up for it crowd who never left the dance floor all night. As Dave Rimmer said, something for everyone in the mixed, up for it crowd.

Best dance floor in the country?

RUGBY ALLNITER ,THIS WAS THE BIZZ. THE PLACE WAS ROCKIN BY 9.30 CONGRATS AGAIN FOR ANOTHER TOP NIGHT. I KNOW THE EFFORT THAT GOES IN TO THIS TO MAKE IT A SUCCESS. I,M SO GLAD THIS HAS NOW ESTABLISHED ITSELF IN EVERYBODY'S DIARY.TOP MARKS FOR ALL THE D.J'S WHO KEPT IT JUMPIN ALLNITE. WOODY

Just got home from the excellent Rugby niter...I had a great time and as usual it was loverly to meet up with all folks i know..Rugby seems to be going from strength to strength and deservedly so....Hats off to all the DJs ..who worked the floor well from what i could hear ...from my vantage point on the doors...it was great to see a stream of people coming thru the doors .....well done to all for the effort in promoting Benn Hall.....and thank you for inviting me back for tea and canapes .. after the nighter....cant wait till the next one .....Delxxxx

A big thanks go the people running Rugby at the Benn Hall.
It was my 1st visit to this,and not the last......i loved every minute of it,the sounds,the venue itself,most of all the people in it........It was great........keep up the good work people i shall return
Thanks for a great nighter
Toby.

"Not been to Rugby before, have heard lots of good stuff about it so couldn't miss 1st allnighter. Glad we came, didnt know many people but everyone is so friendly and a brilliant venue...........so like the old days! Will be back"

I love this venue. A brilliant dance floor and a huge hall. I've only been to a couple of the soul nights here and although this first niter still felt a bit like an extended soul night to me that was a good thing. It was friendly, informal and if you wanted to dance all night you could, if you wanted to stand and chat in the record bar all night you could. It was a 'no pressure niter'. For the first time in i don't know how long i didn't dance at all (not a reflection on the music at all btw), i was able to have a few beers (cos Mark F. was driving) and i found plenty of people to talk to in the record bar. At the same time i could listen to the music next door, which was uniformly excellent and across the board as you'd expect. Picked up another nice Port 45 from Adam (see my blog) and had a great time. Had a good chat to Baz and met Kenny for the first time. Unfortunately we had to come away about 4 as Mark was working the next day, but it was on a high just after Guy's spot so good stuff.

I've been going to Rugby regular for about 2-3 years and last night's for me was the best. Great across the board sounds and a crowd befitting the venue! Hope the Manchester crowd enjoyed their Midlands visit!

Nice one Hopefully you won't have to bribe everyone with free chocs now they've seen how good it can be!

Gotta agree with Soulsearcher, a really good night. Not sure about getting rid of the confectionary stand, it seemed fairly busy all night
Maybe some jelly babies next time??

Thanks...I had a TOP night (& the chocs certainly did help!) In Trif's words "a most pleasant evening" ;-) Indeed! ... Best Rugby yet.....AND whoever it was who told you to "SWITCH T'BIG LIGHT OFF" ...deserves a whole box of chocs if you ask moi!

Agree with all that as been said, best night yet , Twas a pleasure to met you too Gail

We had a very good nite, thanks to all involved. Agree that it was dark, walked into a chair on the way back from't bar but luckily managed not to spill any beer. Heard some great sounds.

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Agreed with all on all points about everything.

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Was definitely one of the best nights I've attended recently, for atmosphere, music provision, and quality of facilities (including the PA).

Frenchie thought she was spinnin on the dancefloor, but she was just suffering from room spins.

And Solesearcher was slipslidin away with the odd spin thrown in (despite the dreaded talc )

Ganche was far too sober for my liking.

Finally, Not only was there some lovely chocolatey delights, but some nice monkeymen were laid on too! Cheers Sian, well werf the money I reckon!

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Just like to thank you and the crew for a Great Nite, Top Venue, Some class Tunes, friendly people ( for southerners ) Esp would like to thank Rob and Linda for the Party afterwards.

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It was the best night at Rugby ever! Thank you both for persisting!

KTF

Stephen
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If we were to split hairs, it was a bit slow kicking off for the dancing. Perhaps everybody should have had a double shot of Tequilla when they came in to get them going. Did laugh, Dave Rimmer, on his first set at 9.30'ish??, was trying desperately to get people on the floor and kept changing the music. He had that look of ''bloody hell'' on his face. We were joking among ourselves that he was going to resort to Elvis to get people up. Still, it sometimes goes like that for no apparent reason.

What a fantastic night the best ever at Rugby. Great cross-section of music. Loved the new floor. Shame about the sound system glitches.

Twas a good night last night, thanks! Nice to see a few more people in
> > that the venue and do deserves. A few "Rugby virgins" there last night
> > who enjoyed it and said how friendly it was.

hello from a french soulie.my name is loren.visiting your site i looked at a photo where there is j.manship price guide .could you tell me who is on the picture .thanks.last year, i was in the leicester area for a soul night(half time orange club- ally mayer) and a record fair in this same city where i met the man (record dealer) who is in the middle of the picture . i like to be in your country (togetherness01-03 weekenders) for soul events. i leave in the northwest of france(brittany) and a friend and i have created a club called COTES-DU-NORD SOUL CLUB .instead of clubs in your country, we don't have such places like this to play but we play soul in pubs, scooter rallies ,...i tried to change this and i will be proud to make a good event like yours, we keep the faith !! cheers, loren.