What happened to the Hull music scene?

OldTownAle

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Hull used to have a proper good music scene. The Housemartins, Everything But The Girl, the Paddingtons, the Beautiful South. Bands that came out of Hull and actually made it big. The Adelphi Club was legendary for giving unknown bands a platform.
Polar Bear and Welly have been keeping live music alive for years and fair play to them. But it feels like the scene has shrunk. Fewer venues, fewer local bands getting attention, fewer reasons for touring bands to stop in Hull.
I know Humber Street Sesh is doing great things and the Freedom Festival brings music to the city. But I'm talking about a grassroots scene where local bands play local venues and build a following. That pipeline from pub gigs to something bigger seems to have dried up.
Is this a Hull problem or a national problem? I suspect it's both. The cost of living crisis means fewer people going out, fewer venues surviving, and fewer musicians able to afford to just play gigs for the love of it.
Anyone involved in the local music scene got a different perspective?
 
Polar Bear and Welly are still going strong to be fair. I've seen some great bands at both this year. The problem is getting people through the door. Everyone's skint, a night out costs a fortune compared to ten years ago, and people would rather stay home and watch Netflix. I play in a band locally and getting gig attendance above about fifty people is a struggle even for established acts. It's not a Hull problem specifically, it's happening everywhere. But Hull has the creative talent, it just needs more support and venues.
 
The Adelphi Club shutting down was a massive blow. So many bands played their first gigs there and it was a genuine launching pad. The Housemartins started there. Lots of punk bands cut their teeth on that stage. You can't replace that kind of venue with a corporate live music space. It had character and history that took decades to build. The grassroots scene needs cheap venues with low overheads where bands can play to thirty people and learn their craft. Those spaces barely exist anymore.
 
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