“The Adelphi.  What an exceptional place!  The Adelphi makes perfect sense as a venue.  It commands respect as it reeks of history.  I’d visited 20 or so times before I finally got to play there with Pavement.  Through much prodding (and even blackmailing) by myself and Andy Dimmack, we slapped the gig on Pavement’s schedule.  In the end, everyone in the band was much better off for the experience.  It took us back 8-9 years to an era when everything in the band was wild, exciting, and delightfully confused.  ‘Shambolic’ was a hackneyed word used to describe Pavement’s early gigs and, at the Adelphi, we were a shambles again!  It was incredibly hot and I remember having to stick my head out the back door many times for relief.  The music felt loud and nasty but I was an old drunk man by then.  It was superb to have so many beloved Hull freaks up in my face.  I hope they were as excited as I was.   Subsequently, I got to play a pair of fun improv gigs there with a thrown together band called The Misshapen.  I wish I could do that more often, but the Adelphi is the only place where I’ve ever felt like a musician.  Anybody should feel like a musician on that stage.  I’m an older, drunker man now but I know next time I walk through those side doors I’ll be back in the mid-80s again.  Absolute best.”  (Bob Nastanovich, Pavement)

 “One of the gigs where you thought:  ‘How are these boys playing at the Adelphi and not Reading festival?’  Then you realise they love the place like the rest of us!  Amazing to see such a great band at such close quarters.”  (Andrew, Yo-Yo)

 “The best gig I ever saw here was the time Pavement played just before they split.  It was so hot and sweaty, it was disgusting – probably the first time I saw the condensation dripping off the walls”  (Wendy Richards, bar staff, ex-Kid Samson)

 “Pavement – very full, very sweaty and very good.  First time I can remember seeing young Japanese girls with cameras at the Adelphi!”  (Jon McArthur)

“Bob and I persuaded the band to play the Adelphi as a warm up show to the last 5 UK shows of the tour.  It turned out to be the last 5 shows ever.  Despite being jet-lagged, the lads were caught by the Adelphi atmosphere and we had possibly the best night I’ve had at the club.  They couldn’t stop encoring and were crammed onto the stage in Hull City hats, as we all lapped up that great night feeling.”  (Andy Dimmack, roadie, ex-Kingmaker/Elastica/Super Furry Animals)

“At the Pavement gig, Bob Nastanovich made ‘American Bar tips’ apply, so everyone had to give us their change.  Me and Beccy could afford a whole bag of chips afterwards!”  (Carmel Kilbride, ex-bar staff)

“Pavement – fuck me, more packed than Oasis,!”  (Jon McArthur)

“One of the last few gigs they ever did, Pavement’s Adelphi gig in 1999 was fantastic.  Stephen Malkmus showed just how rock he was by sporting a furry  ‘tigers’ hat throughout it, despite the sweltering heat.  Other band members cut quite a dash in the legendary ‘It’s Never Dull in Hull’ t-shirts.  Plus great music.  Class.”  (Carrie Graham)

“One of the truly great bands of the past 20 years, and a band who were still very much at the peak of their powers when they disbanded.  It was a great privilege to get a show here on their final tour: and what a night it was.  Clearly this was a show that I could have sold out several times over.  I was determined that as many genuine Pavement fans as possible could get in.  The show itself was absolutely fantastic, and there can be no greater thrill than to see a genuinely great band perform in the sweaty confines of a real music venue.  The band performed around 30 mins longer than intended and left the stage, caked in sweat and all wearing huge grins, which stayed with them for several hours afterwards.  All had given 200% and I heard another band member saying something to Steve Malkmus like:  ‘Isn’t that why we got a band together in the first place?’  It almost looked like a cathartic moment.  Steve seemed to agree and, within a few minutes, he was cheerfully serving drinks behind the bar.  We certainly succeeded in getting a high proportion of genuine fans into the show.   Among the fans were those who had seen Pavement 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and, in the case of one girl who had made the journey from London, 27 times!  Virtually all were agreed that this was the best, or one of the best, they had ever seen.  A magic show by a magical band.” (Paul Jackson)

Salako achieved national critical acclaim with the release of their first album, ‘Musicality’, on Jeepster in 1998 and, as indicated, they were closely involved in the formation of The Village.  They are a band who strive for absolute creative control in a sea of corporate interference.

“Salako – I wondered in without realising they were playing to witness a performance of effortless brilliance.”  (Andrew, Yo-Yo)

“Still only in their mid twenties, and one of the genuinely great bands to have emerged from Hull over the past 10 years.  Salako have been both incredibly unlucky, and also far too good to be successful in an industry that, increasingly, fails to reward talent.  Their album this year was an absolute gem and deserving of so much better.  However, the gap between releases, caused by the collapse of original label Jeepster, did them no favours and I hope there will be more.”  (Paul Jackson)