Southport Weekender

Southport Weekender is the weekend of Alex Lowes and Dave Gardener. It began in 1987 as the UpNorth Weekender, in Berwick-upon-Tweed, in Northumberland. Hip hop, jazz, funk and the house that was starting all fitted then. Bob Jeffries, also written Jefferies, Pete Haigh, Tom Jackson, Bob Jones, Colin Curtis, Richard Searling and Simon Mansel were there. Three years in Blackpool. Then Morecambe, also written Morecombe. In the nineteen nineties it sat at the Pontins in Ainsdale and took the name Southport. One account puts the jump south, to Butlins Minehead, in 2009. Another puts it in 2011. Nearly 250 miles in one. Nearly 300, to the south-east, as far as Butlins Bognor Regis, in the other. Both stand. In 2015 they closed edition 52 and spoke of 28 years. 1987 and 28 close. 52 is the edition count, not the count of years. It sat again at Bognor.

The close of 2015, in the Powerhouse room, was Masters at Work. Louie Vega and Kenny Dope. The last song was Don't Leave Me This Way, by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Vega thanked, on the microphone, Phil Asher, Paul Trouble Anderson, Ron Trent, Kerri Chandler, Dennis Ferrer, Chez Damier, David Morales, Tony Humphries and Frankie Knuckles. Of that list, Asher and Knuckles did not play that weekend. Knuckles had already died. On Saturday night Vega, Morales and Humphries, as Kings of House, did six hours, and then the close with Dope. Dope remembered the nineteen nineties: the room danced to fast jazz, men and women dressed, shoes and suits. Out of that came the Nuyorican Soul project, with Vincent Montana Jr., Roy Ayers, George Benson, Jocelyn Brown, Tito Puente and people from the Salsoul Orchestra.

Chez Damier and Kerri Chandler did four hours, back to back, in the Powerhouse. Chandler sat at the keyboard and improvised over the house mixes. The Light, by Michelle Weeks, kept them going until 6:00. They closed with As, by Stevie Wonder. Damier said the room was not tweaked in the head: it was there to have a good time, and that is rare. In the Connoisseur's Corner, also written Beat Bar, Dave Lee, who then billed himself Joey Negro, told of his first time, in the mid nineteen nineties: he came on after Erick Morillo's Subliminal Sessions and opened with K-Jee, by MFSB. That weekend in 2015 he was in that room, and Bob Jefferies played twice. Mr Mendel, Dutch, 24, debuted there after Jarrod Lawson, with house and disco. He thought Rahaan, from Chicago, had recommended him. He said it was the champions' league of soul.

In the Funkbase, on Saturday afternoon, DJ EZ mixed fast through Let the Body Groove, RIP Groove, 21 Seconds and A Little Bit of Luck, shoulder to shoulder. David Rodigan gave a class in reggae and dub. Rich Medina versus Cash Money gave a class in turntables. EZ and Rodigan dropped the volume so the crowd could sing the gap. A collection for Alex and for Dave raised £3,000, for thank-you presents.

From 14 to 16 March 2025 the weekend was at Butlins Bognor. Kaptin Barrett slept in a chalet: bed, shower, kettle. The laptop bag, with the sticks he DJs from, fell off the trolley, and he locked himself out of the room. Security, mostly Welsh, was friendly. The floor stuck. The food was thin. Some people brought microwaves and air fryers. In the Powerhouse the sound was good. He liked Young Pulse and DJ Spen. Ella Knight and Ash Lauryn too. Laurent Garnier, from 4:00 to 6:00, mixed impeccably and soulfully, and did not push harder. He stayed. The last tune was Someday. Dave Lee did an eighties boogie set. Aroop Roy and Colleen Cosmo Murphy were in the Beat Bar. At the Beachcomber Inn, Angel Mel, Bob Jeffries, and on Sunday Terry Jones with gospel house. Kerri Chandler closed the festival the next night. Barrett took an extra twenty minutes and missed Kenny Dope, David Morales and Marcellus Pittman. That is not the same as them not being there.

In 2025 the Funkbase sound was bad, and the Powerhouse sound was good. Both stand. Leroy Burgess and his band still came through. Barely Breakin Even, by Universal Robot Band, and Release Yourself, by Aleem, also The Fantastic Aleems, were not played. Change played on the Suncebeach stage, with better sound than the Funkbase. Leroy had sung backing, at another time, on You're My Number 1. That is not this night. Fiddla played afrohouse. The Jungle Brothers could barely be heard. Baby Bam got up with DJ Spen and they did I'll House You. Marc Evans did two long vocals in Spen's set. 250 miles and 300 miles are different moves. Jeffries and Jefferies are the same name written two ways. Corner and Beat Bar are the room. 52 is 2015. 1987 is the start. £3,000 is the collection. 4:00 to 6:00 is Garnier. The counts are not averaged.