‘Musical hearts’ beat together in City of Music partnership
FLYING HIGH: Noel Gallagher performs at the Bonus Arena. Photograph by Danielle Madden
Hull is aiming to cement its place as one of the UK’s music capitals after the announcement of a new partnership between its leading live music venues.
The initiative will see the city’s rich and eclectic live music scene rebranded under the title Hull City of Music, with participants including the Bonus Arena, The Adelphi, The Welly, The Polar Bear, O’Riley’s, Hull City Hall, Humber Street Sesh, and Asylum at Hull University.
With support from Visit Hull and the city council, the venture will see venues offering mutual and co-ordinated support to boost audience numbers, enhance the city’s reputation for music, and offer new opportunities for people wanting to work in the music industry, whether as musicians, technicians, promoters, or in other roles.
One of the first moves will be the launch of a “one-stop shop” website, which will include gig listings, information about venues, and links to social media accounts. Plans are also being discussed for a multi-venue festival to rival others such as Live at Leeds or Sheffield’s Tramlines.
Talks have also been held with the university to see how the project could help attract new students to the city and retain them when they leave university.
Dave Courtney, of The Adelphi, said: “The Adelphi has played host to some of the biggest names in music and provided a platform for local artists to go on to achieve recognition beyond the city. As we approach our 36th anniversary we are proud to be a member of the Hull City of Music initiative.”
LEGENDARY: The Adelphi
Dan Harris, general manager at the Bonus Arena, which is managed by ASM Global, said: “Over the last few years Hull has welcomed some enormous bands and artists to the city with even more planned in 2020. Hull City of Music gives all venues – regardless of size – the chance to come together and celebrate the rich cultural offering, promote the city’s grassroots acts and clear a pathway to continue to put the city on the musical map.”
The announcement follows a busy and successful first 18 months for the 3,000–3,500 capacity arena, which has welcomed more than 200,000 people through its doors for a range of events since music legend Van Morrison played the curtain raiser there in August 2018.
Other big names to have appeared include: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - on their only English date outside London; Olly Murs; George Ezra; Sterophonics; Boyzone; Kaiser Chiefs; Courteeners; Madness; Catfish and the Bottlemen; JLS; Paul Weller; Mrs Brown’s Boys; Jimmy Carr; Rob Beckett; and Romesh Ranganathan.
This has already provided a much-needed boost for the local economy, and it is hoped the arena’s success will give a further boost to the ongoing development of the area.
Often, the demand for tickets far outweighs those available. Tickets for Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, who were to play on April 21 and 22, sold out within minutes. And there were estimated to have been about 15,000 people interested in the 3,000 available for JLS. Every comedy show has also sold out.
“That’s happened quite a lot recently, which is great as it means I’m doing my job properly and the city is engaged,” said Paul Savage, head of entertainment, sales and marketing at the arena for ASM Global. “The only negative is we can’t cater for everybody. It’s great for the people who’ve got the tickets; we sympathise with those who don’t.”
Some shows have drawn an almost exclusively Hull and East Riding audience, while others have a much wider pull, Mr Savage said. “What we have seen more of is people coming from mainland Europe and on planes to Humberside Airport and driving across. A family from Japan came and stayed three or four days, stayed in a local hotel, and wrote a really nice message afterwards. There are more people travelling in, which was the whole ethos of the building.
“It means more money for the local economy, more people coming in for local restaurants, and it being a driver in other new developments. We are bringing in these new people, and of course other people [developers] will take notice of that.”
On Hull City of Music, Mr Savage said: “It’s about a common goal of how we can get more people into our respective venues by working together.
“The best thing about the city is there is so much going on. Every night of the week something is happening. We are asking, are we always great at telling people what’s going on, can we make that customer experience a lot better? And there’s a general agreement we can.
“Hull City of Music will have a branded website, hullcityofmusic.co.uk, a bit like a one-stop shop for what’s happening. That will include group listings, information about venues, and links to social media accounts; like a city-wide hub of information about live music events.
“The important thing for us is there’s a strong connection between the biggest venues and the smallest.” Polar Bear’s capacity is about 100, whereas The Sesh, the annual weekend event around Humber Street, attracts about 30,000 people.
Mr Savage said: “We are after the same common goal – to put on great events and to encourage audience development. If somebody’s coming from Leeds because they know Bryan Adams is coming we can let them know that something else is happening at a smaller venue in six weeks that they didn’t know was happening.
“Looking further ahead we could do multi-venue festivals, something we can do that’s different to The Sesh. Mark and Dave [from The Sesh] are key players in what we are doing.
“This isn’t just about people on the stage; it’s about creating a pathway for people who want to work in the industry, whether as technicians, box office or event management. It’s about a career in the music industry.”
SUCCESS: Kaiser Chiefs on stage at the Bonus Arena. Photograph by Danielle Madden
He added: “We want to help attract new students to the city. And we don’t want people to come to the university and leave, we don’t want a talent drain. It’s about engaging with younger people, so they can be in a band or help a band on-stage. I’m sure there’ll be lots of things that develop.
“When I was 18 I wasn’t talented enough to be in a band but I wanted to be in the music industry in some way so I did that through marketing. If I was that age now it would be an opportunity to get a foot in the door. It’s about doing things that help impact us all.”
Mark Page, festival director of Sesh Events Ltd, who manage and run Humber Street Sesh and Social [new club opening on Humber Street], said: “Sesh Events is delighted to play a part in the collective ambition to promote Hull as a City Of Music. We shall continue to provide platforms, develop industry pathways, build audiences and help promote the excellence of Hull’s blossoming music scene.”
Mark Hall, business manager for Hull Box Office, said: "In nearly 30 years of working in the live music scene in Hull, I have only ever dreamed of a group that brings all of the city's venues and promoters together to promote the vibrant and diverse music scene that exists in this great city. With the full support of Hull City Council and VHEY [Visit Hull and East Yorkshire], Hull City of Music is a really exciting partnership that promises to make this city great again."
Bert van Horck, CEO at VMS LIVE, which operates the Welly, Welly 2 and the Polar Bear, said: “Multiple musical hearts from local government to enterprises and media have joined forces to emphasize the unique and vibrant live music scene in Hull. Music is a vital anchor in the social fabric of our society, and we will continue to drive this forward to the benefit of the audience and the musicians.”
Councillor Dave Craker, council portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism, said: “It is great for the council, through Visit Hull, to be part of a partnership of venues that will help to rightly establish Hull as one of the country’s best destinations for seeing and playing live music.”