My friend Paul Jackson, who has died aged 71, was proprietor of the New Adelphi Club in Hull, an intimate alternative music venue that became well known beyond its local area for hosting bands such as Pulp, Radiohead, Oasis, the Stone Roses and Supergrass – before they found fame.
Housed in a ramshackle former terrace house that had previously served as a working men’s club, the Adelphi was taken over by Paul in 1984, after which it became home to an eclectic range of acts from around the world, hosting thousands of bands over the next four decades.
Paul was willing to give anyone an opportunity, and over the years many people benefited from his quiet sense of belief in their talent. Among other bands that appeared at the club before hitting the limelight were local group the Housemartins and the American band Green Day.
Many times the Adelphi was saved from collapse – by musicians who dug deep and by loyal regulars, including one who climbed on to the roof to patch leaks with polythene. A generous spirit, Paul was there for people, and in turn they were there for him. He would never have claimed to have done it alone.
Paul was born in Townsend Maternity hospital, Cottingham Road, Hull, to Frank and Joan Jackson. He loved sport and music, learning the piano in order to entertain his mother with renditions of Elvis songs. She became the Adelphi cleaner – not a job for the faint-hearted.
After leaving Marist college grammar school, he worked as a shipping clerk at Fenners in Hull, and was there for 13-years before deciding to close the door on mundanity by taking on the Adlephi. Despite having had no formal experience of running a club, he was granted a licence to sell intoxicating liquor there, and began to live above the premises, where his flat was soon buried in demos from bands.
Those who climbed the stairs found Paul taking his days slowly, drinking coffee, before emerging in the evening to position himself behind the bar, usually wearing jeans and T-shirt and a cap holding back his frizzy hair.
For a man who ran one of the most heralded music venues in the UK he was remarkably downbeat, and often looked gloomy – especially so in the dark winter months, when he tended to suffer from depression. Nonetheless he had a great driving spirit that got himself – and his club – through all sorts of tangles.
In later life he lived with diabetes, and he had the lower half of his left leg amputated in 2023, necessitating a move to a bungalow. The Adelphi community looked after him, and on the day of his death many people made a pilgrimage to the club to pay tribute.
He is survived by a sister, Rose.
