One Man and his Bog - 20 Years of The Adelphi Reviewed By Michelle Dee

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I have just returned home from a Monday night at the Adelphi club on De Grey Street clutching a prized copy of the unique One Man and his Bog. (The History of the Adelphi) I had new dark Kit Kats to eat but I didn't spare them a thought, until I had read everything up to the nineties section a good halfway through. This book looks good, feels good and is a terrific read: who knew that Greenday played the Adelphi and that, you used to be able to see the Happy Mondays for £1.50?

Everyone knows the Beautiful South and the Housemartins were some of the few Hull bands that found fame, fortune and nationwide recognition. But here, meticulous attention is paid to the host of other bands that have touched down in hull and made an impact on the city. Bands such as Pulp and Radiohead have there own sections alongside Kingmaker and Fonda 500, quite rightly so.

I am sat freezing myself silly, but glued to this perfectly sized book reading about Yosser the dog; a heart-warming tale. As well as the sound bites by the wealth of contributors there are rare photos of performers and punters alike, in colour and black and white including some of Paul Jackson from a few years back; he hasn't changed a bit. I'm sure the section on sound engineering will please all you technological types but me, just being a mere music fan, I didn't understand a word of it.

As you continue to read you become aware of the importance of everyone, that includes you, that has ever walked through those friendly doors. As a pool fan I enjoyed, both the rules and the discussion on pool prowess, especially the varying merits of members of differing musical genres. I delighted in the page on etiquette, standards and expected behaviour. Sometimes it's good to clarify these much-argued points, two shots always carry and the victor stays on it's just the way it is; like the sun lying down for the moon to get it up..or something of that nature.

It seems that no stone was left unturned in the quest for a truly original venue. From the discos in the early days, to the Eighties electronica, the guitar grunge of the nineties; and now the re-emergence of indestructible indie the Adelphi has been the searchlight picking out originality and talent. This jewel in Hull's crooked crown has always tried to cater for all tastes and has associated with the Anti-folk scene in the U.S., which has resulted in tour dates from the likes of Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis (catch these punk gurus from New York next time they are in town, they are awesome) and the mind-blowing Thomas Truax.

Actually you can see Mr. Truax do his thing this Sunday at another anti-folk billing. Not only does Paul have New York on his side he regularly has musicians from all corners of the globe including Senegal, Cuba, Japan and Germany. His drive for bringing hitherto unseen acts to this town is unsurpassed and will most likely never be equalled by any music promoter again.

It is absolutely nitherin' in here but I have just sat and read the other half of this must-have book. Gig tales and fables from the great, the good, and the not so good as well as an insight into how the club has changed over the years. Towards the end of the book you get the Politics; a lesson against lunacy told in interview form by Paul himself about the dreaded PEL. Confused? The cartoon, illustrating the proposed changes to your club, makes it all very clear. It is now quarter to two in the morning and I feel a need to rant and rage..

Are they crazy! As for the Fonda 500 chap's comments, please tell me you were being witty, playing devils advocate, to highlight the magnitude of this issue. One Man and his Bog contains sound bites that gleam like gold on every page; the kind of book you share with friends and watch the joyful expressions as they find their own particular favourites. The Adelphi teeters precariously on the brink of success and failure as it prop ports to have done since its heyday as a working man's club, to its rebirth under Paul Jackson. Get along to The New Adelphi tonight, and become part of something vital in our community and in the process cock a snoop at the council. Would you believe it's horde of marauding morons now want bouncers on the door and a 78 decibel sound limit; that's nowt believe me. If you've got any passion inside, you turn the radio up louder than that on a Sunday.

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