About UNDER THE INFLUENCE By Dean Shakespeare

Back in the mid 90's, after the Hacienda and Madchester hype had died down, the press pigeon-holed the whole new breed of guitar music coming from the U.K. and labelled it Brit Pop.

At the forefront of DJ's and promoters at that time showing an interest in this music in Hull was DJ Priya (Welly) and the Room nightclub. The latter concentrated on providing up and coming nationally recognised bands followed by a club night playing this new wave of music. A night called The Jam was born with bands including Kula Shaker, Hurricane no.1, The Supernaturals plus loads more I can't remember!

Besides the previously mentioned names, the most important person/people/venue was Paul Jackson and the Hull Adeplhi who where bringing the front-runners of this new scene to Hull. Bands including James, The Manics, Radiohead and Oasis all played in Jackson's humble abode. All of this played a major part in the creation of what is now known as Under the Influence ....

Under the Influence is a showcase of the best signed and unsigned bands in England. The night takes place at the infamous Hull Adelphi on the 2nd Wednesday and last Saturday of each month.

The night started in October 2002 as a monthly indie showcase night with a line-up of 2 Hull bands and 1 Lincoln band. The first ever Under the Influence took place on a Wednesday night and through hard promotional work and a no door tax policy, we managed to attract a crowd of 160 people. Not bad for our first night.

The crowds continued to come with some exceptional gigs from Turismo , still life and the Edible 5ft Smith's. Word spread and I was approached by a band claiming to be from France yet really hailing from Leeds. The band in question was Les Flames, who had just finished a tour of bar fly venues plus a special gig at the request of NME.

This was to be the first real test for the Under the Influence team and once again, with hard work and an excellent support slot from The Senses, the venue was packed. Since that gig several signed bands have graced the stage for the Under the Influence nights.

Fi-Lo Radio, now a Hull crowd favourite and a certainty to do big things this year first played Hull at one of the UTI nights. This was followed up with gigs from Flawed , Herbie and Miss Black America. At the beginning of 2004 I decided that Under the Influence should be a fortnightly event, keeping the same structure and the policy to provide quality live music.

For the future, watch out for On The Road and Under The Influence in association with Too Far North and www.thisisull.com. A new monthly gig taking place in Newcastle which will see us taking a coach and 2 bands to greet the toon army with our musical talent (and drinking ability).

The night will take place at the Head of Steam and will feature 2 Newcastle bands and 2 Hull bands, with all dates to include return coach travel and entrance to the gig. CLICK HERE for more details or email u_theinfluence@hotmail.com.com Under the Influence Press ....

Hull's biggest Indie showcase ... Exciting night with great bands, miss it and miss out on what could be the future for Hull's music scene ... HULL DAILY MAIL A must night for all Indie fans ... HULL FIRE Star night of the month ... ON IN HULL

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Music Reviews - The Saved, still life and We Start Fires at Under the Influence
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Music Reviews - Miss Black America at the Adelphi Wednesday 10th December By Cilla
	I was as always, in a blind panic - half an hour to get ready (unheard of - and a girl my age needs time to apply the slap!) - late news that Miss Black America were playing at the Adelphi - tonight - the band that apparently John Peel (my hero) had heralded as 'the next big thing' ... and the batteries for the camera still hadn't recharged from the its last outing .... Late again, but the Adelphi was really heaving - obviously more people read the Daily Mail.. Read more...

Music Reviews - DJ DEFUNKT AND BEATMASTER WRIGHT at the Adelphi by Carolyn
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