A few months ago, Lady Dawn decided to bring back the Subway Soul Club.

There hasn’t been a Subway Soul Club event in about five years, so perhaps a little history is in order. In December of the year 2001, Lady Dawn, a colorful British music enthusiast, and two of her friends who are DJs, got the keen idea of starting a Mod-oriented Northern Soul dance party in New York City. The first few were held in locations in the Lower East Side that no longer exist. Then her buddies left town—one home to London, the other to San Francisco. Around this time, Lady Dawn lost her venue. In comes Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus. He was made the resident DJ of the club and he brought it to Rififi, a bar/comedy club/theater/video rental joint with a large back room on East 11th Street in the East Village. SSC lived there for several years, until Rififi closed down in 2008. SSC events took place erratically and bounced around to different venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn for a few more years after that—sometimes going a year or so between events. The last one was held in November of 2019. It took place at a beautiful club called Venus In Furs in Brooklyn.

Then life intervened. The pandemic happened—it took down Venus In Furs. The Phast Man moved to the Hudson Valley. Lady Dawn got busy with work. Everybody got older…

Then our pal Jon Weiss contacted Lady Dawn. He is booking a new joint called The Francis Kite Club, located on Avenue C in the East Village. Would she be willing to stage a Subway Soul Club event? We’ve dealt with Jon Weiss before and we like him. He was the genius behind the legendary Cavestomp events held during the nineties and early years of the new century. The Boog was called. “Do we want to swing?” said Lady Dawn. “Why not?” said the Phast Man.

A date was set: Saturday April 27… and it happened!!

The Subway Soul Club returned to action in fine form. Guest DJs were rounded up: Lynne K and Mikey Post. Lynne K has been a favorite guest DJ since the Rififi days. She was scheduled to work the gig at Venus In Furs, but was unable to do it due to personal matters. Mikey Post is the fine drummer of The Jay Vons and works at Daptone Records. Plus, Andrew Mair came up from Florida to play a special set. He is an English cat who is quite familiar with the Northern Soul DJ wars in his home country. Also, he used to live in New York City and was a regular at Subway Soul Club when it was at Rififi.

That wasn’t all that made this event feel like a reunion. A ton of the Subway Soul Club regulars from years passed were able to attend. It was so grand seeing so many familiar faces out on the dance floor and hanging out at the bar. It was as if time stood still and we were all back at Rififi—the golden years of the Subway Soul Club. Lady Dawn wore a sparkly dress and flitted around the dance floor most of the night. If that is not enough, the night was further enhanced by the yummy treats baked by Boogaloo Bag photographer Miss Nancy: pecan tassies and vegan brownies. She baked a LOT of them and they were gone by the end of the night.

As expected, the DJs each played some fantastic records and there was not a single second when there wasn’t somebody on the dance floor. The night started early—8:00pm—and expected to go to some time after midnight, with luck 1:00am. The club kicked everybody out at 2:00am!! During the last hour, the DJs took turns playing two records each. That was a gas.

Everyone was so pleased the way the event took place that it looks like there may be another Subway Soul Club event before the end of the year—perhaps in September. If so, do not miss out!

Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the resurrection of the Subway Soul Club:

• Shu Swanson and the Savoyards–Heartbreak (Laurie)
• Billy Clark & His Orchestra–Hot Gravy (Dynamo)
• Sandy Nelson–Alligator Boogaloo (Imperial)
• Joe Bataan–It’s a Good Feeling (Riot) Part 1 (Fania)
• Jessica James–We’ll Be Makin’ Out (DynoVoice)
• Gene Cooper and the Voices–Go Go Inn (Hi-Q)
• The Volumes–My Road Is the Right Road (Inferno)
• The Mirettes–He’s All Right With Me (Mirwood)
• The Gladiators–Girl Don’t Make Me Wait (Direction; UK)
• Little Richard–Dance A Go Go (Vee Jay)
• Bob and Earl–Everybody Jerk (Warner Bros.; UK)
• Darrow Fletcher–My Young Misery (Groovy)
• Cliff Nobles & Co.–Is It the Way (J-V)
• Barbara Randolph–Can I Get a Witness (Soul)
• Winfield Parker–S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight) (Spring)
• Rhinoceros–Apricot Brandy (Elektra)
• Nicoletta–Vis Ta Vie (Riviera; France)
• The Marvelettes–I’ll Keep Holding On (Tamla)
• Lorraine Chandler–I Can’t Hold On (RCA Victor)
• Wakefield Sun–Get Out (M-G-M)
• Tony Clarke–Landslide (Chess)
• The Patti-Cakes–Peas Porridge (Revue)
• Roosevelt Matthews with Billy Ball & the Upsetters–Tighten Up (King)
• The Pioneers–At the Discotheque (Trojan; UK)
• Derek Martin–Daddy Rollin’ Stone (Crackerjack)
• Sounds Incorporated–Rinky Dink (Liberty)
• The Sherwoods–Ice Cream (Kapp)
• Carl Holmes and the Commanders featuring Pervis Herder–Soul Dance No. 3 (Hit Blackjack)
• The Wailers–The Jerk (Island; UK)
• Harvey (formerly of The Moonglows)–Any Way You Wanta (Tri-Phi)
• Pete Rodriguez–I Like It Like That (Alegre)
• Junior Wells–(I Got A) Stomach Ache (Vanguard)
• The O’Jays–I’ll Never Forget You (Imperial)
• The Del-Satins featuring Adrienne Williams–Baby You’re the Fire (Villa)
• The Dynamics–I Need Your Love (RCA Victor)
• Sonny Harris and the Soul Reflections–The Vibration (San-El)
• Bob & Earl–Harlem Shuffle (Jay Boy; UK)
• James Brown and the Famous Flames–Night Train (King)
• Alvin Cash & the Crawlers–Twine Time (Mar-V-Lus)
• Grupo Sta. Cecilia; canta: Sergio Ruíz–1 – 2 – 3 Hustle (Orfeon; Mexico)
• Damaso Perez Prado y su Orquesta–Mexico 70 (Orfeon; Mexico)

None of these records are for sale.