Northern Soul at the Prom Saturday

In 1895, Robert Newman decided to bring popular classical music to people who couldn’t afford an expensive theatre seat.

Newman roped in Henry Wood as the conductor, Dr Cathcart provided the financial means to assemble an orchestra and the inaugural Prom was performed in London’s Queen’s Hall.

Anyone who wanted to stop and listen while walking (or promenading) could do so for the cost of a shilling.

From this tiny acorn has grown the massive oak that has come to be known and loved as the annual Proms. It’s surprising this musical event’s origins have been somewhat overcome by a bit of prejudice: that the series of concerts were only for people who liked classical music.

Of course, they have showcased works by some of the world’s greatest composers over the years, (many of them have become like old friends), but the Proms has always sought to innovate when it comes to its programme.

It has been a hotbed for new compositions since Edwardian times, a tradition that continues to this day, with original music commissioned specifically each year.

The Proms has also spread beyond The Albert Hall, which has been the event’s home since the Second World War, with concerts taking place around the UK, from Gateshead and Londonderry to Aberystwyth, continuing Robert Newman’s aim to bring glorious music to the masses.

The programme has been opened up to younger audiences, with a range of events aimed purely at children, including collaborations with long-running magazine Blue Peter and this year’s eagerly awaited Horrible Histories concerts.

The latest instalment is a continuation of that expansive theme and brings the Northern Soul sound to the Royal Albert Hall and the Proms for the very first time.

Curated by writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie, presented by Andi Oliver and featuring new orchestral arrangements by Joe Duddell and Fiona Brice, this is a stomping celebration of an underground British club culture which spread across the industrial North and Midlands in the 1960s and 1970s.

It brings a symphonic edge to the infectious beats that took locations like Manchester’s Twisted Wheel, Blackpool’s Mecca, Wigan Casino, Stoke’s Golden Torch and Bolton’s Va Va Club by storm.

What initially began as a celebration of forgotten American soul B-sides grew to become a euphoric release at all-night dances that were put on for factory workers: an atmosphere that is vividly brought to life for 21st-century audiences in this iconic London venue.

Edwin Outwater conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra, while the marvellous singing line-up brings together Brendan Reilly, Frida Mariama Touray, Nick Shirm, Natalie Palmer, Darrell Smith and Vula Malinga.

As for the music? It’s top class: the belting songs include You’re Gonna Make Me Love You, Open the Door to Your Heart, It Really Hurts Me Girl, Hold Back the Night, Time Will Pass You By and Just Like the Weather.

Make sure you don’t miss the concert’s highest point: a crowd-pleasing rendition of Frank Wilson’s Do I Love You (Indeed I Do).

Strap on those braces, push the living room furniture out of the way and get your dancing shoes on – you’re going to need them.