Fans hope club closure will not be end of an era

Fans have described the closure of a long-running nightclub in Hull as "the end of an era", but hope it might yet be saved.

Spiders, in New Cleveland Street, opened in 1979 and became a stalwart of the city's alternative music scene, known for its anything-goes atmosphere and weird and wonderful cocktails.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the club's owners blamed "personal and external situations" for the closure and said the building was now up for sale.

Chris Hartley, who began attending the club as a teenager in 1986 and visited earlier this year, said he hoped the venue could be saved. "We want people who love the place to take it over," he added.

Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, Hartley said: "The music had changed a bit, but we still felt so comfortable going back."

"It was completely welcoming. Nobody was giving us peculiar looks when we were doing our old-fashioned dances. It was just great."

Another long-standing fan, Mike Robinson, recalled the "unnerving" walk through the club to the bar.

"It was exciting. The floors were sticky. It was just a really amazing, weird place," he said.

Despite its alternative image, he said newcomers were quickly made to feel welcome.

"We thought everyone was quite scary looking, but over time we found out they really accepted us.

"And, in turn, we looked after people who were new to the club as well."

Another fan, Jill, said the venue held special memories for generations of families.

"My mum went here, then I did years later," she recalled. "This is so sad."

Spiders was known for cocktails including the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, which was inspired by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and included Pernod, Galliano, vodka, blackcurrant, orange and cider, served in a pint glass.

Another, the Pink Pugsley, was a blend of Malibu, grenadine and strawberry milkshake.

Hull author Louise Beech said she met her husband at Spiders 30 years ago on 16 November.

"It's a very special anniversary coming up, so it's a shame the club has closed because we'd hoped to visit on the day," she said.

She recalled being "very drunk" when they met, while her husband had just finished work and remembered far more of the evening.

"He says I was very persistent and wouldn't leave him alone, but we've been together ever since."

Describing the venue as "dark and dingy", but not in a bad way, Beech said Spiders' cheap drinks, music and welcoming atmosphere made it a place many young people wanted to visit.

"It was a real mix of everything," she said. "I really hope it continues in some form. I have a feeling Hull will pull together."

On its website, the club described itself as "Hull's original indie-vidual nightclub", refusing to play "house, garage, hip-hop or trance".

It had an "anti-dance" music policy and banned "trendy clothes".

In 2017, author and photographer Andy Roe published a book about Spiders featuring photographs of clubbers taken in the 1980s.

Roe described Spiders as "much more than a nightclub in a northern town".

"It was about fashion, friendship, beautiful music and being alive among kindred spirits," he said.

Next year, a play by Martha Godber is due to open based on her experiences at the club in her younger years.

Called Spiders, it follows two teenagers as they navigate their friendship against the backdrop of the club.

Godber said: "At its heart it is about friendship - two young girls growing up in the city - it is a coming of age story."

Ben Gardner, who worked at the club while at university, is leading efforts to bring people together to try to run the venue as a co-operative.

"It's an institution in Hull and I know this can't have been an easy decision for the owners," he said.

"I just found myself called to action."

He said the club's longevity was down to the owners' "no nonsense" approach and he wanted to see that continue.

"My intention is really just to get like-minded people in the same place," he added.

"I make no claim to expertise. I'm simply the fool, if you will, who set up the Facebook group. But a fair few people with credible experience have already reached out."

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