Meet Val Palmer: The First Female 6T's Resident at the 100 Club
Val started collecting rare soul in the mid-80s, knocking about with lifelong pals at the 100 Club's 6T's all-nighters. A few gigs in, Ady Croasdell asked her to become a regular, making her the first female 6T's 100 Club resident. She's still hauling her record box around on the night busses of London to this day.
We caught up with her ahead of the weekender to talk vintage film posters, a flea market find in Mallorca, and the all-nighter that changed the course of her life.
Thanks for agreeing to chat with us. How's it going? What have you been up to lately?
Well, I'm currently unpacking from a work trip to Vienna, and re-packing for another trip to Mexico and Colombia on Sunday 11th, whilst re-arranging my vinyl for Home Run on Friday. So sadly no Saturday night session for me this time.
When did you start DJing?
A long time ago, back in the mid-80s, at the 100 Club 6T's all-nighters. I'd started collecting rare soul and knocking about with characters like Mark "Binsy" Taylor, Ivor Jones and Tony Smith — all lifelong pals. After a few gigs, Ady Croasdell asked me to be a regular, the first female 6T's 100 Club resident. My one claim to fame, and I'm still hauling my record box around on the night bus.
Other than collecting records, what else are you into?
Amongst many things, collecting vintage graphics and foreign film posters. I teach design at Central Saint Martins College, University of the Arts London, and they very kindly pay to send me around the world to find talented students. So I get to travel a lot and go crate-digging at their expense. I also like "flâneuring", as the French call it — wandering aimlessly around the backstreets of whatever place I end up, and pottering about in old-school caffs and junk shops.
What are you looking forward to most about coming to Manchester?
Seeking out my old teenage haunts from the late 70s, when I used to visit Manchester regularly, as my sister lived in Didsbury, before it got seriously posh. Punk gigs at Rafters and ludicrously cheap curries in Rusholme. Loved it.
When it comes to seeking out records, what's been your best recent find?
Picking up a Spanish pic sleeve issue of Rosetta Hightower's 1968 version of "Big Bird" (Pájaro Grande!) at a flea market in Mallorca. And certainly not a recent find, but I should probably mention coming across three mint copies of John and the Weirdest in an LA used record store back in the late 80s. They were filed next to Elton John, and this was well before Manship's record guides were out. I arrived home to several begging letters from across the soul scene.
What has been your most memorable night as a DJ or a punter?
My very first all-nighter at the 100 Club is seared into my memory, as it radically changed the course of my life, both personally and as a music punter. It seemed like the next minute I was playing tunes alongside Ady Croasdell, Ian Clark, Mick Smith and Butch. No pressure there, eh? I think one of my proudest moments was being asked to spin at Dr Bob Jones' 45th anniversary of his epic DJing career. Blimey.
See you in Manchester, Val.
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