CityLife

Hideaway keeps the Mod in modern life

VINYL VAULT: Paul Welsby

IN December, 1998, three mates met over a cappucino to discuss the idea of starting a monthly night specialising in the music they love – early '60s New Breed Rhythm and Blues.

But Paul Welsby, Neil Henderson and Mike Warburton would never have dreamed that their night would still be going from strength to strength a decade later.

Not only that, but is it still going, it’s now Britain’s longest-running club night in the UK playing classic late fifties and early sixties soul and R&B on original black vinyl.

Welsby, who boasts one of the best R&B record collections in the country, reminisced about the early days when I went to meet him at the club’s venue in the Deansgate pub in Manchester city centre.

“When we me, Neil and Mike came up with the idea for the Hideaway, we wanted an original Mod club where we could hear 100 per cent certified Mod music.

"And that’s exactly what happened. We ended up with a club rammed full of people well into the music – and the clothes. It was a great buzz and nobody was doing anything like it at the time.”

But Welsby soon realised it wasn’t just Mods turning out to his nights – followers of other styles of music were also getting the bug. “The club began to change before our very eyes and we didn’t notice.

“We were also starting to attract Soulies from the Northern scene who can’t afford £300 or more to get a half decent record and are looking for something new and different, and Hepcats from the '50s scene who want to hear just a little bit more passion in their music.

“It soon became apparent that the Hideaway is its own scene. It is not part of any larger scene. It is made up of a combination of sounds and people from the Northern Soul scene, the Mod Scene and the Fifties Scene.”

The club’s first venue was the Mitre pub near Manchester Cathedral. After a year there it moved on to the Waldorf in Piccadilly, where it stayed for eight years, before moving to the Deansgate in July last year.

It was during the early days that the club began to get noticed nationally – and internationally.

Kent Records

Indeed, the famous soul and R&B Kent Records label was very impressed. They released two ‘tribute’ CDs to The Hideaway Club - co-compiled by Hideaway DJs (New Breed R&B and King New Breed R&B) both of which turned out to be amongst their biggest sellers CDs.

The club always operates with two guest DJs to give each night a different flavour.

Author Paolo Hewitt and the Acid Jazz label’s Eddie Piller have played – along with the likes of well-respected locals Carl Willingham and Roger Fairhurst.

The Hideaway’s famous summer Modchester weekender, which takes place every summer, attracts music and scooter enthusiasts from all over the UK and Europe.

Perhaps its finest hour to date was a trip on a cruiser down the Manchester ship canal where dozens of young Mods danced until dawn on a Hideaway cruiser moored opposite Welsby’s beloved Manchester United Football Club.

Crackers

“That was a brilliant night – our own version of a European river cruise. And there’s been some other crackers – probably too many to mention to be honest.”

But, Welsby doesn’t just want to talk about the past – like every good Mod, Welsby is he’s also keen to talk about the future.

“Although we play music from the early 1960s, The Hideaway has never been about nostalgia. Our aim has always been to play unheard sounds – from that era not obvious tracks that anyone could associate with that period of time.”

And he’s also quick to point out that some more well-known modern tunes – Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’ and Duffy’s ‘Mercy’ – bear more than a resemblance to Hideaway classics.

“Although the music is based in the past it is at the same time contemporary. Things like 'Rehab' by Amy Winehouse and Duffy’s 'Mercy' could have both been based on dancefloor smashes played at the Hideaway.”

But nostalgia will play a part at the club’s big 10-year anniversary bash on February 28.

The club’s very first guest DJ Les Hare, who runs the Kingbee Record shop in Chorlton, is making a surprise but welcome return behind the decks.

So what now for the club? “It’s been a cracking 10 years and here’s to another 10. We’ve got some famous faces playing over the next few months.

"The club’s already had the nod from Paul Weller – himself, maybe I could get him to come along and play one of these days,” grins Welsby.

And with that, he sticks another record on the decks.

The Hideaway celebrates 10 years at the Deansgate on Saturday, February 28. 9pm - 2am. £4, £5.