In the months leading up to the Real Thing’s You to Me Are Everything becoming a UK No 1 hit in 1976, the band’s lead singer Chris Amoo introduced the unreleased track at the Timepiece, a Liverpool nightclub dedicated to Black music. Located on Fleet Street, the club was a hidden gem for lovers of soul and funk. Amoo recalls how his DJ friend Les Spaine played the song, and the empty dancefloor suddenly filled with people who had never heard it before. “That’s when me and Les looked at each other and thought: you’ve got something there, brother,” Amoo says. The song’s emotional depth and lush sound would go on to capture the hearts of millions during the summer of 1976. Now, fifty years later, Amoo and fellow bandmate Dave Smith are touring to celebrate the anniversary of that historic success. The Real Thing were part of a vibrant underground funk and R&B scene that flourished in 1970s Liverpool, particularly in the Toxteth area. This scene was driven by a generation of young Black people who were inspired by American artists like the Jackson 5 and the Temptations. “They look like us – we can do that!” Amoo recalls thinking. Les Spaine, now considered a godfather of the UK’s funk scene, grew up surrounded by Black American music. His father played records by Nat King Cole, the Drifters, and other influential groups, shaping Spaine’s passion for the genre. Black American soldiers stationed at nearby Burtonwood airbase brought the latest records and fashion to Toxteth, where the community eagerly absorbed new music and dance styles. Spaine started DJing with these records, while Amoo formed the Real Thing, eventually becoming prominent figures in the music scene. The Timepiece nightclub became a sanctuary for Liverpool’s Black community, offering a space where they could enjoy Black music without facing the racial discrimination common in other venues. Spaine recalls setting up screens to show performances by artists like Michael Jackson and Rufus and Chaka Khan. The club's dress code required a stylish look, with mohair suits and Ben Sherman shirts being the norm. “Everybody who loved Black music went there,” says Barbara Phillips, a former member of the vocal harmony band Distinction, which formed in 1976. The Timepiece was the only place where the community felt safe and celebrated. Liverpool has long been home to Black communities, dating back to the 18th century. Enslaved Africans were brought to the city during the transatlantic slave trade, and later, sailors from West Africa settled in Toxteth after World War II. Despite this rich history, the narrative of Black presence in the UK often focuses on the Windrush generation of 1948. Spaine, whose father was a merchant seaman from Sierra Leone, emphasizes that Black people have contributed to Liverpool for centuries. The community in Toxteth was a mix of races and cultures, where people lived together despite the economic hardship and racial profiling that led to the 1981 riots. However, the Real Thing’s success in 1976 was a moment of pride and celebration for the entire community, marking a significant milestone as the first Black British band to reach No 1.