A Night to Remember: Stuart Cosgrove's Book Launch and Club Night
Saturday evening (10th September) hosted by Scotland’s own Stuart Cosgrove was set to be one for the memory books on reputation alone. More commonly known as, “Off the Ball’s” in house potty-mouthed pundit that focussed on not football, but instead offered a deeper insight into Cosgrove’s status and wisdom as “soul music’s authority.”
“Hey, America!” Cosgrove’s latest book in addition to his soul anthology, launched in the tightly packed basement of The Admiral Bar. Upkeeping with tradition, the Divine hosted both the book launch of the latest exploration of soul in the US and a Northern Soul club night spun by the host himself.
Original poster for the Cosgrove event. Credit:
Interviewed by music critic Fiona Shepherd, Cosgrove interjected humour between the thought process and progression of his newest hardback. Cosgrove gave insight into his personal relationship with music explaining that “Music takes on meaning from its listener” and the power that soul music had during American segregation.
Starting at the beginning of his career, the motivation for his present writings is explained as a personal purpose to allow stories that have, “suffered, but never loved” to become in the mainstream. He recalled his time at New Musical Express and the fight with the editor over covering a feature. The argument being lost, when Public Enemy were second to “Grab Grab the f***** Haddock.”
More personal experiences were weaved through the breakdown of the book's creation. The two-year project explores the political and social context surrounding soul music throughout the US political climate over the last 70 years.
Bringing it up to date with the United States first black President Barack Obama and his attempted successor Kanye West. Surrounding conversation around the struggling rap artist and presidential candidate held a heaviness within the stiflingly silent room. Admitting his discomfort to writing about mental health, Cosgrove empathised that “we don’t know as much as we like to pretend that we do” he closed the topic sympathetically stating, “my heart bleeds for the boy.”
After shameless plugging of the self-proclaimed, “pretty decent book” the “very good Christmas gift; stocking filler” was made available to purchase. During a half hour break where the room was cleared, a line formed to have your own copy signed.
Cosgrove deep in conversation whilst signing previous books too
On paper the club night started at 10pm, but it was 15 minutes later before the first brave dancers slipped onto the slicked floor. An hour later, everyone had been up at least once. Something spiritual washed across the wooden floors as free limbs moved to; Frankie Valli, The Temptations and the riot in singing “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas.
Dancers revelling to Northern Soul classics
Too tired to continue dancing, the night concluded at midnight, leaving seasoned soul scene veterans to fly the flag for the UK’s first underground music movement.