There is a definite buzz around the hotel on a Northern Soul weekend. An air of expectancy and excitement as dancers from all over the UK descend for a weekend of hardcore Northern Soul music and dancing.
For the TLH Victoria Hotel in Torquay, the Northern Soul Weekender is one of the busiest weekends of the year with both of its ballrooms packed until the early hours of the morning.
Roots of Northern Soul
For the uninitiated, Northern Soul is a dance movement that emerged in Northern England in the late 1960s, based on black American soul music, such as Tamla Motown. Being an underground movement, the focus was on less commercial hits and was more about unusual hidden artists performing soulful, toe tapping rhythms with a fast beat – perfect for dancing to. The dancing, often in ‘all-nighter’ clubs was key and it spawned a very particular fashion and dance style, loosely based on the fashions of the mods and teddy boy eras.
Northern Soul and its rising popularity
By the early 1970s, the favoured music became more uptempo and frenetic and Northern Soul dancing became more athletic. It became a forerunner of the later dance styles of disco and break dancing. After reaching its peak in the early to mid 1970s, the genre faded into obscurity until the 2000’s when its popularity has risen, along with other dance scenes such as Jive and Ceroc. Here’s a peak to see what it’s all about:
The Northern Soul scene is very much alive and there is a range of ‘Weekenders’ across the country, very often in traditional seaside resorts such as Blackpool, Torquay and Bournemouth, where lovers of the genre can dance ’til the early hours in dedicated ballrooms. It’s a chance to indulge your passion for Northern Soul whilst enjoying a weekend by the sea.
Still going strong
The weekend of 8th May 2026, sees Torquay Weekenders come to the TLH Victoria Hotel for their own Northern Soul Weekend Break by the sea, for the 14th year running. The fun starts on Friday evening with dancing from 8pm. Weary dancers can be sure of a hearty breakfast each morning and delicious dinner menus each evening, before they hit the dance floor.