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Aug 14, 2024 By Jimi Arundell Photography by Jimi Arundell Web Exclusive

I’m going to let you into a little secret. Hull has the best music scene in the UK if not the entire world. You might laugh, passing this off as hyperbole from a local lad with a big gob, wondering why a largely ignored post-industrial northern city would pack such a mighty punch.

But it’s precisely this isolation that has allowed a brilliantly diverse and talented DIY music community to grow, untainted by the possibility of making it big (although many truly deserve to be massive) with few A&R being arsed to journey so far. And unlike Manchester or Liverpool, there is no burdening sense of legacy dictating how an act should sound. Add to the fact that few major artists came anywhere near the North East from the 90s onwards, the only live music you were likely to hear was from local bands, and so Hull became the perfect breeding ground for something strange, unique and brilliantly bizarre. A cultural Galápagos if you will

That’s not to say that Hull hasn’t had its share of success. Forgetting the obvious examples like The Housemartins, Bowie’s Spiders From Mars, Everything But The Girl Fine Young Cannibals and even Throbbing Gristle, recent years have seen a massive upshot of flourishing acts breaking out of the Humberside confines to reach wider audiences. I’m talking about grot rock indie landfill superstars The Paddingtons, BBC 6music’s darling post-punks LIFE, grimestar Chiedu Oraka who topped the Humber Street Sesh bill last year and this year’s main headliner bdrmm. But we’ll get to them later.

The downside to the sense of separation is the feeling of alienation, which has been compounded by decades of a lack of investment to match the decline of fishing and other industries. Those feeling left out are the most susceptible to the easy answers of hate and prejudice offered by the Far Right, currently using the Southport murders to spread racist lies and recruit more thugs with the excitement of a summer riot. Various Neo-Nazi groups entered the city to “protest immigrants” as an excuse to attack anyone who wasn’t white, businesses and property leading to the worst looting and mass violence Hull has seen in decades. Shame on the likes of Nigel Farage and Reform who send out dog whistles to the extremists, searching for mutual support. Solidarity to all anti-fascists organising to stop the Far Right and shout out to everyone in the actual community who came together to aid with the clean-up.

The fear and disruption had a significant impact on the festival resulting in a slightly smaller attendance than expected. It also meant I was late to see the outstanding Matt Edible & The Obtuse Angels, one of UK’s best indie rock songwriters. The former leader of the recently disbanded group The Holy Orders, has always enjoyed somewhat of a cult status, often cited as the favourite musician of many of your favourite bands. He is currently exploring a brilliantly bonkers sound somewhere between glam-rock and post-Britpop, dedicating his brand new sardonic single “Idiot” to all the twats causing trouble on the other side of the city centre. A huge audience flocked to the Dead Bod stage to check out tracks like “Better Than Oasis”, the strangely sentimental pissed-up singalong “NIghtclubbing” and his rock monster anthem “Mirror Shoes”.

Humber Street Sesh has been the best showcase festival for the city’s abundant talent and it’s a great way to discover such rising stars as jangly indie-pop quartet Better Joy. Led by Bria Keely, her slight country twang combined with the band’s sassy surfy vibes were perfect hot summer listening on the Main Stage. Their next single “Carnival” is perfectly radio-friendly, wide-eyed and filled with youthful optimism whilst “Dead Plants” offsets their smooth delivery with raw bursts of roaring guitars at the chorus. Imagine Wolf Alice, the Gran Turismo era of The Cardigans with just the merest hint of Blondie.

Later, the Main Stage would also see Jodie Langford going hard spitting bars to aggro techno who has now teamed up with producer and DJ Endoflevelbaddie. Their combined energy is irresistible as the pair delivers a barrage of hard beats. Langford runs to either side of the stage, greeted by screams and outstretched hands during the massive banger “Get The Shots In”, celebrating the highs and lows of getting wasted. The excitement continues with Take Your Money”, a takedown of the Tories and the rich bastards stealing all they can from society.

Yorkshire-based post-punks Deadletter also made a Main Stage appearance, but there’s something lacking to make them stand out from all the current glut of wiry riffing sprechgesang bands. Sure, the guitarist has got the Andy Gill sound nailed down, but the constant calls for a crowd response from the singer are painfully needy and an awkward reminder that the songs just aren’t good enough to solicit that level of response on their own.

Contrast that with ØNTAG hidden away on the East Riding College Rock Stage. The oi punk rock rabble are a furious charge of brilliantly belligerent two-minute songs, generating colossal walls of sound thanks to LIFE’s Lydia Palmeria on bass, their abrasive guitars, rampant drums and gobby vocals courtesy of Steven Cutler. ØNTAG were one of the few bands to address the ongoing riots, despite the thick cloud caused by the burning cars in the near distance, with Cutler stating “This country has absolutely nothing to do with those cunts” calling for solidarity instead. Their raucous covers of Billy Bragg’s “A New England” and The Damned’s “Neat Neat Neat” didn’t go amiss, all adding to one of the day’s best performances.

But the day truly belonged to bdrmm. The quintet have signed to post rock giants Mogwai’s label Rock Action, broke the indie Top 10 with their critically acclaimed second album I Don’t Know, and now return as conquering headline heroes.

Having set the tone with the now familiar “Be Careful” the shoegaze superstars treated the home crowd to unnamed new tracks, the first with massive mainstream appeal and the second going big on the rave vibes. Classic songs “Gush” plus “Push / Pull” sent Hullians into a frenzy of flailing limbs, screams and thrown pints, celebrating a historic moment for both the band and the city.

The brooding bassline of “Port”, inspired by both the ominous nature of their hometown but also its grandeur, signalled the set was drawing to a close and the menacing anthem has never sounded so epic. Just time for singer Ryan Smith to wave to the crowd saying “You’ve no idea how much this has meant to us” before a triumphant and emotionally charged ending with “A Reason To Celebrate”.

Humber Street Sesh continues to be the best flagship festival for music in the North East and Yorkshire, and one of the most exciting independent events on the circuit. Its continued dedication to raising up cutting-edge acts and celebrating the diverse sounds of the city and beyond is a truly thrilling experience.

So, remember, Hull is the cultural epicentre of the world and don’t let anyone tell you different. This year also sees the 40th anniversary of The Adelphi, one of the UK’s best-loved toilet venues which helped kickstart the careers of such true greats as Oasis, Pulp, Radiohead, Green Day, Manic Street Preachers and The Stone Roses. Make sure you check out all the unmissable celebratory gigs hitting the indie institution in October!