Northern Soul Radio — Station News

The Voice of the Casino: Kev Roberts Joins Northern Soul Radio

One of the original Wigan Casino all-nighter DJs — author, promoter, broadcaster and author of the definitive Northern Soul Top 500 — is coming home to the station built for the music he loves.

Northern Soul Radio  •  March 2026

Northern Soul Radio is absolutely delighted to welcome Kev Roberts to the station. Born in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, Kev was there at the very beginning — one of the original resident DJs at Wigan Casino from its very first all-nighter in September 1973 — and he has never stopped keeping the faith.

His story is the story of Northern Soul itself. As a teenage collector and dancer at the Golden Torch in Tunstall, Kev stumbled upon copies of two exceptionally rare records — Patti Austin’s “Take Away the Pain Stain” and Sandra Phillips’ “World Without Sunshine” — and that was it. He was thrust straight into the big time, earning his Casino residency on the strength of records nobody else had. That’s what Northern Soul was built on.

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“Kev Roberts is Northern Soul history walking in through the door. We couldn’t be more proud to have him with us.”

Over the decades that followed, Kev built one of the most remarkable careers in the history of the scene. As a club DJ in the 1970s he was directly responsible for breaking several records into the charts, including a top 30 hit with “Mistura (The Flasher)”. He MC’d legendary Motown acts including the Four Tops, the Supremes and the Miracles, and brought new disco sounds back from New York that helped shape the scene’s evolving sound.

As a broadcaster, Kev has clocked up decades of radio presenting and has interviewed more than 300 artists — from Cliff Richard to the Beach Boys. He was nominated for a Sony Award, and in 2006 the New York Times named him one of the most knowledgeable retro music specialists in the industry. He currently presents on 45 Radio and has hosted residencies on Signal 2, Wish FM and Smooth 70s, among many others.

But perhaps his single greatest contribution to the Northern Soul world is the Northern Soul Top 500 — first published in 2000 and now in multiple editions. It is, quite simply, the bible. A definitive ranking of the greatest Northern Soul records ever pressed, built on encyclopaedic knowledge, dancefloor authority and a lifetime of collecting. If you’ve ever argued about which tracks belong at the top of the pile, chances are Kev’s list started the conversation.

Today, Kev remains one of the busiest names on the circuit — hosting the World Northern Soul Dance Championship at Blackpool Tower, promoting events across the UK and Europe, and continuing to champion the music with the same energy he brought to that very first Wigan all-nighter more than fifty years ago.

Northern Soul Radio now has two of the Casino’s greatest residents in our corner — Kev Roberts and Richard Searling, side by side again, just as they were back in ’73. We’ll be announcing Kev’s shows and scheduling very soon. In the meantime, keep it locked.

Welcome to Northern Soul Radio, Kev. The dancefloor is yours.

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