Five 21st century songs that capture the spirit of northern soul
For a music scene built upon obscurity, the northern soul scene that sprang up in the industrial surroundings of northern England towards the tail-end of the 1960s has had an incredibly enduring impact on the musical landscape. Not only are there still dedicated northern soul nights up and down the country, but there are still multitudes of performers making music in that same vein.
Unlike virtually every other music scene in history, there is a finite amount of northern soul records. After all, tracks like ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ or ‘Tainted Love’, which became some of the most iconic efforts to fill the dancefloors of Wigan Casino, were already a decade old by the time that they were adopted by the legions of amphetamine-fueled English soulies.
DJs worked tirelessly to uncover the most obscure, forgotten American soul records, but it was only a matter of time before virtually everything had been discovered.
In the grand scheme of things, then, the pool of songs that could genuinely be considered northern soul is surprisingly small. However, the legendary reputation that the scene conjured up during its 1970s heyday, and its enduring appeal in the modern age, meant that the spirit and sound of northern soul soon found its way into other avenues of artistic inspiration.
Today, northern soul is in as strong a position as it has ever been, both because of the soul nights, new and old, that continue to spin those original records, and because of northern soul’s influence in contemporary music. You have dedicated labels like Daptone, Kent, and Rocafort who devote themselves to rediscovering forgotten and unreleased gems from soul’s original heyday, but you also have modern artists imbuing their work with the same infectious rhythm.
Here, for your listening pleasure, we have collected five prime examples of northern soul’s modern-day influence over music, stretching from the out-and-out soulful sounds of retro-styled singers to the distinctive four-on-the-floor rhythms behind some indie rock anthems. Whether it’s in the small, underground clubs of northern soul’s 1970s heyday, or the main stage of Glastonbury Festival, the faith has well and truly been kept.
Five 21st-century songs that capture the spirit of northern soul:
Carlton Jumel Smith – ‘Remember Me’
A voice that is endlessly indebted to the 1960s golden age of New York funk and soul, Carlton Jumel Smith has been churning out modern soul stormers since the late 2000s, and some of his greatest recordings have arrived via Timmion Records in Finland. While some of those singles, like the infectious ‘Keep On Swingin’, are far more funk-fueled in their approach, this 2019 single wouldn’t feel all that out of place in a northern soul DJ set.
Opting for the kind of universal romanticism that spurred on the majority of Motown’s best recordings, Smith’s tender tones accompany a brass-heavy, uptempo rhythm that cannot help but get your feet moving. ‘Remember Me’ is a prime example of the fact that great soul music has never gone out of style, and voices like Smith’s will never grow old.
Michelle David and the True Tones – ‘Running’
Another modern soul master hailing from New York City, Michelle David honed her craft in the gospel scene of the 1980s, but her more recent work with the Netherlands-based True Tones offers some of the greatest gospel-tinged soul recordings of recent times. This particular single, taken from her appropriately named album Soul Woman, was first unleashed in 2025, and it sounds as though it was tailor-made for northern soul.
With its drum-break intro, triumphant horns, and the sheer vocal power of David, the seven-inch slice of soul excellence is adept at filling a dancefloor, and its rising intensity evokes archival images of packed sprung dancefloors. With the resurgence of northern soul’s popularity in recent years, songs that attempt to capitalise on that distinctive sound are inevitable, but very few pull it off as expertly as ‘Running’.
Charles Bradley – ‘The World (Is Going Up In Flames)’
Re-discovery is a core principle of the northern soul scene, digging up lost gems from decades past, and that is just what Daptone Records did in the case of Charles Bradley. A self-styled James Brown devotee, Bradley first entered the musical realm in the 1960s, but a lack of success coupled with a series of heartbreaking events meant that his dreams were largely abandoned until the 1990s, when his incredible voice was rediscovered.
His despair at the state of the world was captured in the masterpiece ‘The World (Is Going Up In Flames)’, released in 2010 as the lead single from his debut album. Although its mid-tempo rhythm doesn’t make it much of a floor-filler, it certainly bears a resemblance to the more laid-back, all-dayer soul records that have had a place in the northern scene since its early days. After all, Bradley was essentially a ready-made 1960s soul hero, transported into the 21st century.
Brooke Combe – ‘How Can I Tell You? (To Love Me More)’
Scottish songwriter and soul master Brooke Combe was decades away from being born when Wigan Casino was heaving in its heyday, but a deep-rooted adoration for old-school Motown, soul, and R&B has injected her material with the enduring spirit of northern soul. Her 2025 single ‘How Can I Tell You?’ is particularly overt in its debt to the scene, even featuring northern soul dancers in its accompanying music video.
“People forget how much of an influence soul music had on other genres,” Combe told Far Out last year. “Honestly, I feel like people think the country’s just built on indie music and rock music, but all that came from the soul scenes.” Few people capture that genre-defying blend of influences better than Combe, who is certainly keeping the spirit of northern soul alive today.
Pulp – ‘Got To Have Love’
Speaking of soul’s influence on indie, Sheffield’s indie hero Jarvis Cocker has a long-standing fascination with northern soul, going back to when he got kicked in the mouth by a particularly acrobatic northern dancer back in the 1980s. Although Pulp’s heyday was rooted in the youthful rock and roll of the Britpop years, their more recent effort ‘Got To Have Love’ is undeniably linked to northern soul.
Not only does the single’s music video feature archival footage of the northern soul Mecca that was Wigan Casino, but bass-heavy rhythm and loved-up lyricism are inarguably rooted in the footstomping singles that populated that dancefloor all those years ago. Cocker’s vocal delivery might not embrace the same soulful spirit as Lou Pride or Edwin Starr, but ‘Got To Have Love’ remains a stunning example of how northern soul’s impact is still felt, even outside the traditional realm of soul music.
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