Albums of 2019

It's a cliche that's repeated every year but at the end of 2019, it's certainly true: it's been a great year for music. There have been some interesting breakthroughs, high-profile comebacks and important works of art. As usual, I've found it hard to compress a year's worth of music into one list but here are my top 12 albums of 2019.

12) Feeder - Tallulah
Kicking off with the anthemic Youth, Feeder's 10th studio album is a rousing return to form. Formed in 1994, the band's early alternative rock sound gave way to middle-of-the-road indie towards the end of the 2000s. But a band that had survived the suicide of their drummer, Jon Lee, in 2002 could never be beaten. Tallulah is Feeder's first album since their second greatest hits collection and they've really found their purpose again. Feeder were in danger of fading into mediocrity but now they've released an album that captures their youthful energy but with riffs and lyrics that are the product of experience. It feels like you're eavesdropping on a group of old friends reuniting for a road trip across America. Let's hope this trip continues.

11) Metronomy - Metronomy Forever
Revolving mainly around singer/songwriter/producer Joe Mount, Metronomy Forever is the band's sixth studio album and continues Metronomy's exploration of electronica, synth pop and funk. There are hugely fun moments like on the stand-out Salted Caramel Ice Cream, a wannabe teen anthem about trying to look cool in front of a girl, and introspective moments too such as The Light: "Cause I understand that I hold you back but I'm just a man, a bad one at that". All of this is interspersed with instrumental bleeps and beats which makes the whole album feel both well thought-out and experimental. It's delightfully weird, fun and heartfelt at the same time. That's not easy to achieve.

10) Coldplay - Everyday Life
It's incredibly easy to follow the herd and diss Coldplay. In fact, their name has become a synonym for bland pop-rock. But there's more to them than this image. I've come to the realisation that they've settled into a pattern of releasing one formulaic album, followed by something ambitious and innovative, even if most people only seem to take note of the former. The boring X & Y was followed by the concept album Viva La Vida. Then came the formulaic Mylo Xyloto, with the haunting Ghost Stories three years later. This time, the band's eighth studio album follows the crowd-pleasing A Head Full of Dreams. Opening with the orchestral Sunrise, Everyday Life features lyrics in Spanish and Persian, topics such as racial inequality and war, plus samples, poetry, gospel choirs and more. It's hugely ambitious and there's a lot going on here. Not all of it works as well as Chris Martin thinks it does but it's a double album so there's room to experiment. A couple of the tracks do fall into "typical Coldplay" territory (mainly Champion of the World) and some of it is undoubtedly pretentious, however, overall it's a huge success and as far from bland as they're likely to get.

9) Brittany Howard - Jaime
Taking a break from her band, Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard has produced her first solo album, Jaime, dedicated to her sister who died of retinoblastoma when she was a teenager. As a band Alabama Shakes walk the line between bluesy soul and roots rock but Howard takes this further on her own. Successful artists are adept at taking influences, mixing them up and making them sound like their own. The influences apparent on Jaime span a huge range of eras and genres, encompassing Nina Simone, James Brown, Prince, Gil Scott-Heron and others, while the lyrics cover politics, racism and teenage love. She may have taken a short time out to record it, but it feels like Brittany Howard's entire existence has contributed to this album's production.

8) Rosie Lowe - YU
"It could all be so simple" states Lifeline, the first track on Rosie Lowe's second album YU. And indeed you could be forgiven for thinking that's how the album will be. It starts off minimal and laid-back but soon, the production becomes more sultry and seductive. The stand-out track is Birdsong, the funkiest song you'll hear all year: "it's the very thought of you that gets me through the night and the knowing that I'll get it once more". It's essentially a collection of love songs but the confidence of the pulsing beats and funky guitar riffs belie the fragility and doubt of the lyrics. It's slinky but never entirely at ease with its sensuality which I think is such a relatable quality.

7) Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
Weyes Blood is the stage name of Natalie Mering, an American singer-songwriter while Titanic Rising is her fourth album and surely her breakthrough. The music is pleasingly uncategorisable, being described by some reviewers as soft rock or chamber pop, but it has echoes of Karen Carpenter, Feist and Father John Misty. The lyrics are just as dreamy and ethereal. "Looking up to the sky for something I may never find" Mering croons on Andromeda, which helpfully sums up the album. If life is a journey, not a destination, so is Titanic Rising. Some tracks feel like they're about to launch into a big chorus along the lines of Nilsson's Without You but the moment never quite arrives. That's not to say the album doesn't have its own catchy moments, but the delight is in hearing how the songs unfold rather than celebrating when they reach the climax.

6) Bon Iver - i,i
Most bands are content with one concept album in their career but this year, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon declared that all four of their albums to date were part of one large concept with each representing one of the four seasons. To be honest, the metaphor does hold water. The debut For Emma, Forever Ago was recorded in a remote cabin and represents the bleakness of winter. The follow-up, Bon Iver, features the hope of spring whereas 22, A Million was frantic, hot and sticky like summer, bringing us full circle with the bizarrely named i,i. It begins where 22, A Million left off. The first four tracks are relatively short with angular motifs continuing the busy feeling of the summer. But by the time we reach the lead single, Hey, Ma, the dust clouds have cleared, the pace begins to slow and Autumn sets in. The album as a whole is less experimental than 22, A Million yet there are still awkward rhythms and discordant bleeps for atmosphere. Neither is it as simple and haunting as their first two albums. The lyrics have always been obtuse and mysterious, and that's not changed here. It's not a new musical direction but it does feel like the end of a movement.

5) The Tallest Man on Earth - I Love You, It's A Fever Dream
Measuring 1.7m, Sweden's Kristian Matsson is not what his stage name suggests, however, it's his music that stands tall. I Love You, It's A Fever Dream is his fifth studio album and the second since his divorce. His style of folk music has always been dark with strange lyrics but his previous album, Dark Bird Is Home was more personal than anything that came before, a product of the divorce which didn't work quite as well as intended. His latest effort continues the personal nature but strips it back further, creating a more cohesive collection of songs. The opener, Hotel Bar, is as lonely a song as you're likely to hear: "all I can do is say things will be fine". But this album doesn't wallow; rather it acknowledges what has gone before and hopes for something better. By track three, There's a Girl, Matsson is thinking about moving on: "there's a girl that tells me I'm alright, I hope she means it". What I've Been Kicking Around is the highlight and surely one for the long-term fans with its trademark guitar picking and metaphorical lyrics. It's an album that solidifies his reputation and has the potential to win new fans too.

4) Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka's last album, Love & Hate, was so confident that it began with a brooding 10-minute piece of art. How could he possibly follow that? The answer on this, his third album, is to do something entirely different. While his first two albums were hugely accomplished, they were recognisably classic soul records. Meanwhile, his third, KIWANUKA (I believe the capitals are important) sounds something like Marvin Gaye discovering prog rock. There are soulful strings, Hendrix-like riffs and political lyrics. The opener You Ain't The Problem hints at issues with immigration, while Hero seems to juxtapose fame with gun crime. Similar to Marvin Gaye's classic What's Going On album, the tracks on KIWANUKA segue into each other and there are also instrumental sections, spoken samples and interludes. It's very much designed to be listened to in one sitting which helps to make it feel like a very important project indeed.

3) James Blake - Assume Form
Widely anticipated, James Blake's fourth studio album doesn't disappoint. Known for delicate piano melodies, ethereal production and offbeat rhythms, Blake takes all of these and expands the sound even more. There are elements of R&B, hip hop and even Latin music here too. It feels slightly more upbeat than anything that he's done before but he's still a musician who sounds ill at ease in his being. "I will assume form, I'll leave the ether" he sings on the opening title track, apparently announcing what's to come. The next two tracks branch out with guest vocalists and rappers while Into The Red is a more familiar James Blake track with its overlaid vocals and distorted instruments. My highlight is I'll Come Too, a gentle yet tentative love song. Somewhere among the layered production, there's a newfound confidence that reflects an artist growing into their niche. Maybe a contributor to this settled status can be found in the credits? Blake's girlfriend, the actress Jameela Jamil is credited as a producer. Whatever the cause, long may it continue.

2) Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost (Parts 1 & 2)
While other artists were spending 2019 recording double albums, Foals were persuaded to produce Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost as two separate releases. I'm grouping them together here as it's difficult to separate them despite the fact that there are stylistic differences. Part one is slightly more upbeat and fun. The lead single, Exits, feels like a pop-rock classic designed for sticky indie dancefloors. In Degrees and Cafe d'Athens continue the party with pulsing beats and ethereal hooks, before part one's final track, the haunting I'm Done With The World (& It's Done With Me) brings the tempo down and hints at something foreboding to come. Part 2 is undoubtedly darker and heavier but picks up the energy again. The Runner is another dancefloor smash but is bluesier with scuzzy guitars and ominous lyrics: "when I fall down, I know to keep on running". The album rattles on through political and personal crises, via Into The Surf where the lyrics request burial at sea, finishing with the 10-minute long rock opera Neptune. It's ambitious but by this point you're ready for it and it feels like an utter triumph.

1) Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Befitting the trend of 2019, there was only one album that could beat Foals' two-in-one and that's a double album about political uncertainty. Vampire Weekend's fourth studio album and the first since the departure of founding member Rostam Batmanglij, Father of the Bride is quite simply one of the most important albums of the decade. Lyrically, it focuses on racism, religion and the rise of the far right. Musically however it's much lighter, juxtaposing its serious themes with a glossy exterior: a metaphor for pop culture maybe? Encompassing a huge range of styles including rock, pop, country, flamenco, folk and soul, it's much more ambitious than their previous efforts. With the loss of a founding member, the band could have lost its direction but instead they've simply found another one (although Batmanglij does still lend a hand in production, despite forging a solo career). The stand-out track is undoubtedly This Life, on the surface, a happy-go-lucky indie-pop romp but with lyrics such as "baby, I know hate is always waiting at the gate, I just thought we locked the gate when we left in the morning". It's a perfect summary and damning indictment of where it feels the world is heading in 2019. The fact it can be done while making tunes this catchy is something very special indeed.

Honourable mention must also go to albums which nearly made my list:
Hot Chip - A Bath Full of Ecstasy; Jack Penate - After You; Loyle Carner - Not Waving, But Drowning; Idlewild - Interview Music; The National - I Am Easy to Find; !!! - Wallop; Cassius - Dreems; Johnathan Rice - The Long Game

If you don't have time to listen to all of these albums, I made a playlist of the best tracks from 2019 on Spotify. You can have a listen here. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. Here's to 2020.

Shop local

I get it. Shopping online is convenient, especially in the busy run-up to Christmas. You don't need to talk to anybody and you can do it in your pyjamas during the ad breaks of Coronation Street. The main argument, though, is that it's cheap. But we need to stop thinking about cost purely in terms of our immediate finances. For example, what does it cost our local area if we only spend our money with multinational corporations who pay relatively little tax and don't have a presence on our nearest high street? I'll take you through some of the reasons why I think it's important to shop local and support small businesses, and I'll tell you about some of my favourite independent places to shop on the high street in Hull.

In 2018, Amazon declared a tax bill of only £4.5m, despite UK revenue from sales reaching $11.3bn although its reported profit in the UK was only £72m as its Amazon UK Services is "only" a logistics business. Amazon reports its UK retail sales through its Luxembourg division, Amazon Europe, and its overall performance in the US as part of a complicated and yet legal setup. We don't know how much profit Amazon made in total from UK retail sales but if we assume an average 12% return and apply a standard UK corporation tax of 19% on that profit, that would come to £258m against the £4.5m that it actually paid. That's over £250m of cash that could be spent on schools, the NHS, prisons and other public services. Instead, we're handing out contracts for Amazon to supply schools with consumables and so Echo devices can ease the burden on the NHS by providing medical advice, therefore Amazon is taking more money from our public services. It's important to point out that the UK government makes these rules and that Amazon is legally complying with them. And it's not just Amazon. Starbucks, Google and even Boots have all reportedly used such corporate structures to manage their taxes.

So what's the alternative? Local independent businesses are more likely to pay their taxes. Yes, they would each pay less individually than the numbers mentioned above but when looked at collectively, it makes a big difference. Plus, if they're on the high street, they also contribute to local business rates which the council can reinvest in local services. They also employ local people and contribute to the overall development of your area. To buy local means you directly contribute to the success of your high street.

Time is obviously a major barrier and we should also see that as a cost. It can seem more convenient to shop online from the comfort of your own home but do we really have no other time in the day? Can we fit in a visit to the high street in our lunch hour? On the way to the bus stop? While the kids are at their gymnastics lesson?

The harsh truth is that we can't really moan about the state of the NHS and schools, or the deterioration of our local high street when we continue to spend our money with multinationals and not by supporting local businesses. That's the true cost.

For the last two years, I've tried to do my Christmas shopping at local independents only. It's not always possible; sometimes you can't find what you need, they may keep more restricted levels of stock or things are just too expensive on the high street. We shouldn't feel guilty about it if it doesn't work out but every little helps. So as a way of encouragement, I'd like to share with you some of my favourite places in Hull to help give you some ideas. The links will take you to each shop's Instagram page so you can see exactly what they're all about.

Fruit Market
19 Point 4 is mainly a fashion boutique, full of men's and women's designer clothing at great prices, but they also sell some fantastic and unique homewares, trinkets and gifts. Plant & Paint not only sells what it says on the tin. You'll also find upcycled furniture and home accessories. Plus, don't forget cheese plants and other greenery are hugely back in fashion. The fantastic Form is your calling point for cards, stationery and artwork, and always has something different to offer. Meanwhile, round the corner at the Store on Pier Street, they have some great gift ideas for any foodies in your family and they'll make up hampers for you with snacks, chocolates and booze, including an array of vegan options. Other shops in the area include Tessie's for women's clothes, Poorboy Boutique for vintage clothes and accessories, and the Oresome Gallery jewellery workshop. Plus when you get peckish, there are plenty of food and drink places to take your fancy.

Trinity Market & Hepworth's Arcade
Since the council spent tonnes on refurbishment, Trinity Market has really come alive and, along with the adjoining arcade, was nominated for the Great British High Street awards this year. In the market, The Eco Shed is ideal for any environmentally minded friends, Vittles & Co will suit any craft beer fans while Cocoa Chocolatier will surely please anyone with a sweet tooth. Over in Hepworth's Arcade, Beasley's is a Hull institution, stocking men's and women's clothes and accessories, plus don't forget to check out the table at the front where you'll find flyers and posters for restaurants, theatres and nights out, tickets for which are more great gift ideas.
Other shops in the arcade include J.E. Books for pre-loved literature and Roisin Dubh for trinkets and homewares, and don't go home without sampling some of the street food on offer back in Trinity Market.

Paragon Arcade
Recently acquired by Allenby and undergoing sensitive restoration, Paragon Arcade is already home to some great places to find gifts. Koda manufactures bespoke furniture while kids' clothes shop Belle & Benjamin offers families something a little bit different. Segal's jewellers is still going strong while Silver Springs boutique will give you some new inspiration. If you need to take the weight off your feet, check out White Rabbit chocolatier, Two Gingers coffee shop, 80 Days Bier Markt or Marla's sandwich place. You'll be spoilt for choice.

I've highlighted three of my favourite areas for independent shopping in Hull city centre but there are plenty of other places up and down the high streets. Let me know where you like to shop in the comments and I wish you luck with your gift hunting.

Pavement Users

There's a lot of noise around people cycling on pavements at the moment, but as an amateur runner, I know there are more hazardous users of paths: pedestrians. Let me tell you why.

1) Dogs
Lots of people walk their dogs on long leads, or even without a lead at all. When running past a dog, you've no idea whether you're approaching a peaceful dog, a yappy but harmless one, or a complete savage bastard. Also it's very easy for even placid yet inquisitive dogs to trip you up. Polite dog walkers pull their dogs close when runners pass.

2) Parents with prams
Don't get me wrong, if it's a narrow path, I don't expect a parent to have to push a pram onto the road to pass me, endangering their child. I'm not a monster. But what winds me up is when multiple parents push prams two or even three abreast, taking up even a luxuriously wide path and forcing me onto the road. Drop behind your friends for a while if someone's coming the opposite way; there can be room for everyone.

3) Parents with kids
Same as above except the kids are on the loose. Sometimes they run in front of you. Sometimes they just don't get out the way. Sometimes the parents don't give a toss because they're too busy on their phone. Which leads me nicely to...

4) People on the phone
Usually young people but not necessarily, phone users are a nightmare. Sometimes they're looking down and texting, and only notice you when you're close enough to shout "excuse me!" in their ear, so that you don't have to jump in front of a car instead. Other times they're too engrossed in a conversation and don't listen even if you shout from 300m away.

5) Baby boomers
Look, I'm not trying to be ageist but they've lived long enough to know so many people. They stop and talk to everyone, and gather in large groups at zebra crossings, in shop doorways or on street corners, taking up the entire path. For crying out loud, move to one side. There are others who need to use it.

6) Pigeons
If we're going to be pedantic, these birds are an urban menace and they only fly away at the last second, making you think they'll fly into your face and give you pigeon-eye or something.

Now, clearly I'm not saying that we should ban pedestrians. But the point I am trying to make is that lots of us need to use the pavements, and sometimes we have to share them with runners, pedestrians, prams, dogs, kids, phone users, boomers, pigeons and even cyclists. So why don't we all just try and be a bit more aware of what's happening around us so that we don't have to panic at the last second and blame everyone else but ourselves.

Albums of 2018

Last year, I made a new year's resolution to do more writing. It seems renovating a house took priority and I didn't stick to the resolution. Still, I might as well try and rectify it with another Best Albums of the Year blog, even though I am day too late.

It's been another bumper year for music and, just like last year, I refuse to squeeze the list into an arbitrary 10, just because that's how many fingers I have. So here's my top 12 of 2018.

12) Brand New Friend - Seatbelts for Aeroplanes
The first album on my list was strangely never meant to be an album. Brand New Friend is a Northern Irish four-piece who recorded a few demos that their label liked enough to throw together as an album. But the thing is, it completely works and it even received a nomination for the Northern Ireland Music Prize. Like a missing link between British punk of the 1970s and US pop-punk of the 2000s, it's full of the raw energy you'd expect from a young band's demo tape but amongst the scuzzy guitars, they've actually got a solid set of catchy tunes too.

11) Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats - Tearing at the Seams
A throbbing, swaggering chunk of soulful vintage blues, the second album from Nathaniel Rateliff's new project sounds confident and assured, but also captures the raw spirit of a band just jamming with mates or playing in a smoky bar. I don't suppose it's something that's particularly in fashion these days but that just means they don't have much competition. They deserve to be noticed.

10) Jon Hopkins - Singularity
If pop-punk or blues isn't your thing, maybe the ethereal bleeps of Jon Hopkins would suit you better. Now on his fifth solo studio album (plus a couple of other collaborations), he specialises in producing ambient electronic dance music that's far from just for the background. If it sounds like it'd be perfect on a soundtrack to a sci-fi film, you may be interested to know he has actually provided the music for Monsters and How I Live Now (both excellent films if you get the chance to see them). The standout track on Singularity is Emerald Rush; it starts off eerily otherworldly and transforms itself into something you could find yourself dancing to on some distant planet in the year 2233.

9) Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
Another artist who is surely from the future is Janelle Monae. Having found success in her native US, this is her third full-length album and first to hit the top 10 in the UK. Simply referring to her as an R&B and soul singer doesn't do her sound justice. With previous album titles such as The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady, and a wardrobe and attitude which defy society's norms, she could easily be the product of some artificial intelligence to find a mix of Prince, Grace Jones and Andre 3000, but I guess even that's underplaying it. Lyrically the album makes reference to political identities to do with gender, sexuality and race, and the struggles to fight for equality. But it ends on a hopeful and powerful note with Americans, a track which acts as a rallying call to reclaim her country from those who seek to divide. Dirty Computer isn't just a collection of catchy songs, it's an important work of art too.

8) Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer
Following very quickly on from 2017's Pure Comedy and picking up largely where that album left off, God's Favorite Customer is arguable a better album for being shorter and more concise. In contrast to its more serious predecessor, Josh Tillman (Father John's real name) set out to make this one lighter and easier to digest. It still contains political references but the lyrics are more personal and honest, and the melodies are breezier and more memorable. I get the feeling though that in order to make his next album a reaction to this one, he may step in a completely different direction still.

7) MGMT - Little Dark Age
For those of you who were wondering whatever happened to MGMT, here is your answer. Known for huge hits such as Kids and Electric Feel from their debut album, their second was disappointing and their third, well, weird. This, their fourth album, is just as experimental but it's much more accessible and provides lots of those "ah, who does this remind me of" moments that help to make an album feel both familiar and fresh. A good example is Me And Michael which surely deserves to play over the opening credits to some buddy film set in the 80s. Elsewhere, there are similarities to OMD, Depeche Mode and others but presented in a leftfield fashion without missing out the catchy hooks from their debut. They're back on track.

6) Tom Odell - Jubilee Road
Tom Odell's debut album, Long Way Down, was, quite rightly, a huge international success thanks to its powerful and emotional ballads. The 2016 follow-up, Wrong Crowd, was for me a mis-step. The heartfelt lyrics and soft piano were overshadowed by the bombastic production which made the album feel unauthentic. His third album, Jubilee Road, however, is much easier on the ear. Odell's unique voice and honest lyrics are accompanied by catchy tunes and a more sensitive production. In parts, it does feel like the album deliberately alternates between earnest ballad and foot-tapping showstopper but with hooks so catchy they'll have you clapping your hands in no time, why does that matter? It's not anything ground-breaking but it's the only album on my list that I listened to again immediately after hearing it the first time so that's got to count for something surely.

5) Editors - Violence
As with MGMT, Editors are another band famous for their 00s hits. Their 2018 album, Violence, sticks to what you'd expect from the band known for their doom-laden lyrics and dramatic guitars but ramps up the theatre with the production. It feels grander and bolder than anything they've done before and yet somehow simpler in its content too. They've cranked up the electronic hooks and added a few dance beats here and there. Hallelujah (So Low) is a scuzzy and soaring rock track while the standout Magazine starts with eerie choral chants and explodes into an almost brutalist dance-rock fusion. There are softer elements too. No Sound but the Wind is a piano version of a previously released song about fighting against the odds. If you were a fan of Editors before and had fallen out of love, this album will reel you back in.

4) Robyn - Honey
Hugely anticipated, Robyn's first studio album in eight years sees her break free of the glittery electro-pop image she had created for herself, and whilst Honey is still basically an electronic album, starting with the familiar-sounding Missing U, Robyn sounds more like an artist in control of her destiny and willing to try new things. There are elements of chillout electronica on Baby Forgive Me and Send To Robin Immediately, sensual dancefloor hooks on the title track, and some surprising 90s house beats on Between The Lines. It's sultry, pulsating and intriguing, but most importantly, from start to finish it feels like you're having your hand held while being walked from the dancefloor to Robyn's new live show in a different room. I'm excited to see where she heads next.

3) Frank Turner - Be More Kind
He's never been one to shy away from politics, but Frank Turner's seventh studio album is his most political to date and is a reaction to the polarisation of opinions and the rise of right-wing ideologies in a world of Trump and Brexit. The album starts with the words "don't worry if you don't know what to do", a reminder that none of us have the answers but Turner helps guide us through anyway. On the second track, 1933, a rousing punk stomper, he likens our current situation to the events leading up to World War II, using the refrain "don't go mistaking your house burning down for the dawn". The title track is much softer and is an appeal for us all to turn down the rhetoric and be kind to each other. But he cranks up the tempo again on Make America Great Again, a critique of Donald Trump which doesn't quite make the mark I guess he'd hoped but maybe that's only because the rest of the album is so strong. Musically, Be More Kind relies less on the raw folk-punk of his previous albums as Turner starts to experiment with other sounds too. In his own words, Blackout sounds like the first Frank Turner track that could be played in a club. It may not represent a complete change in direction but Be More Kind does feel like the start of something different.

2) Teleman - Family of Aliens
Family of Aliens is the third album from indie-electro band Teleman and has the sound of a band really hitting their stride. It's full of introspective, reflective synth-pop as opposed to the more anthemic sounds in their previous albums but it's all the more intriguing for it. The title track eases you in and then the lead single Cactus contains just enough funk to get your shoulder moving. By the third track, Song for a Seagull, you're hooked. It's a soaring lament from someone observing someone else from afar (or maybe watching an actual seagull) featuring thoughtful one-liners like "you can spend a lifetime playing a version of the real girl". Between the Rain bounces along like an ELO hit before the looping piano of Always Dreaming brings you back down. Elsewhere there are Daft Punk-style vocoders, discordant hooks and ethereal bleeps. If you're a fan of Alt-J, Vampire Weekend or Django Django, this one's for you.

1) Christine & The Queens - Chris
To be honest, there wasn't any doubt as to which album I'd have top of my list. Christine & The Queens is the alter ego of French singer-songwriter Héloïse Letissier. On her second album, she's adopted another identity: Chris. Chris is funkier, sexier and catchier than her debut Chaleur Humaine. This isn't accidental. When performing, Letissier is bewitchingly eccentric and Chris is her attempt to hone that performance into a cool, sexy but androgynous pop star. She cut her hair short and adopted an edgier look. At the moment, it's kind of a concept album but I guess if she keeps the Chris moniker, it would represent a career change instead. Every song on the album could conceivably be a hit and, what's more, she's recorded most of them in both English and French. Mostly, the French versions sound more natural. La marcheuse has an authentic fluidity to it compared to the English The walker. The funky hit single Girlfriend, however, works better than the French version entitled Damn, dis-moi. This is partly because even the French version has an English chorus. In reality though, it's worth listening to both sets of tracks. The hooks are memorable enough and the melodies catchy enough to sustain your attention twice, whichever language they're in. It's a magnificent piece of work that really represents an artist in total control, not just of their sound, but their entire concept.

Honourable mention must also go to albums which nearly made my list: The Slow Readers Club - Build A Tower; Deaf Havana - RITUALS; Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics; Justin Timberlake - Man of the Woods; Lykke Li - so sad so sexy; Ezra Furman - Transangelic Exodus; Will Varley - Spirit of Minnie; and Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Sex & Food.

If you don't have time to listen to all of these albums, I made a playlist of the best tracks from 2018 on Spotify. You can have a listen here. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. Here's to 2019.

Albums of 2017

Either 2017 has been an unusually good year for music or I had just taken my finger off the pulse until recently. Whichever is true, I've had a hard time squeezing my favourite albums of the year into an arbitrary list of 10 (which, it seems to me, we only do because then we can count them on our hands for some reason). So I've picked 12, should anybody care what I think, and I've added honourable mentions at the bottom for those that have missed out. In true clickbait list style, here they are in reverse order.

12) Father John Misty - Pure Comedy
Father John Misty is the pseudonym of American musician Josh Tillman. Reading this, it's easy to assume that this is some kind of parody of religious music but instead, his music is touching, serious and funny, often all at the same time. The themes are as diverse as fame, technology, politics and the environment, and often sounds as if an early Elton John has taken up residency at Speakers' Corner. It's bold, but it's catchy.

11) Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark?
If you're a fan of the first album, there's nothing not to like here, something that I'd suspect Royal Blood can only get away with this time and they may have to try some new ideas on their third offering. But none of that matters when they've produced a rousing set of strong choruses, memorable lyrics and bluesy riffs to satisfy your inner air guitarist.

10) Laura Marling - Semper Femina
The hard-working 27-year-old is already on her sixth album and it's her best for some years. The title is Latin for "always woman" but is part of a longer quote by Virgil: "a woman is always fickle and changeable". Marling uses her lyrics to challenge this view but this doesn't mean that the album is super-intellectual and hard-going; quite the opposite. At times, the sound is slinky and smooth, and after nine tracks, you're left wondering where the time went.

9) Lindstrøm - It's Alright Between Us As It Is
This is Norwegian music producer Hans-Peter Lindstrøm's fourth solo studio album but he is much busier with collaborations, remixes and singles. His music is described as downbeat space disco and he didn't grow up listening to dance music. He just started making what he thought it should sound like. Each track feels like he's gone back to basics to make the perfect sound but they all gel together. There are electronic bleeps and cyclical hooks aplenty making it feel familiar, yet unique.

8) Loyle Carner - Yesterday's Gone
Listening to the Mercury-nominated debut album from UK rapper Loyle Carner is like eavesdropping on a guy rehearsing in his bedroom while his mate records it. There are raw and honest lyrics, voices in the background, even text messages coming through. At the end, you feel as though you've just spent 42 minutes chilling with a new friend as he tells you all about his life, loves and loss.  The penultimate track Sun of Jean features a poem about the artist read out by his mum and a sample of his late stepfather playing piano. The single, NO CD is the closest to being a chart crowd-pleaser but the whole album is nothing like how the US would have you believe rap should be.

7) The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful
After the slightly dodgy Day & Age, Brandon Flowers got a few experiments out of his system with his two solo albums. The band meanwhile tried to re-find their feet with Battle Born and by Wonderful Wonderful, their fifth album, The Killers sound like a band hitting their stride. The Man is a raucous sideswipe at the dangers of masculinity, whilst Run For Cover is a confident 80s synth rock powerhouse. Their lyrics have always been interesting and ambiguous but here they sound politically engaged, personally honest and sure of their intent. If there's one criticism, it's that there are one too many ballads but when they're this good, it's hard to complain.

6) Jessie Ware - Glasshouse
Glasshouse is that rare thing: each track on the album is both completely different and yet completely Jessie Ware. Whether it's the chart-friendliness of Midnight, the sultry romance of Alone, the bossa nova of Selfish Love or the poignancy of the excitement at her new pregnancy in Sam (co-written by Ed Sheeran), Ware proves she knows both how to write a good song, and whom to collaborate with.

5) Susanne Sundfør - Music For People In Trouble
A massive hit in her native Norway, I found this whilst trawling the Norwegian charts for something completely different and I wasn't disappointed. If you could imagine seeing Laura Marling performing in a contemporary art gallery among the installations, you'd be somewhere close to this. Sundfør's recent albums have been more electronic but this, her fifth, was written whilst travelling the world and sees her return to her folky roots. The arrangements are often sparse and intimate but with experimental elements. A babbling brook opens The Sound of War before a dystopian hum takes over halfway through. The lyrics are similarly bonkers in places, opening with "I'm as lucky as the moon" on Mantra, but on Undercover, Sundfør is heartbreakingly honest about trying not to fall in love whilst simultaneously aching for it. The album closes with a collaboration with US musician and fan of all things Scandinavian John Grant which begins like a Gregorian chant but ends as an epic Euro ballad. Even if you're not a fan, you won't hear anything like it this year.

4) Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine
The cliche goes that second albums are difficult and at times this follow-up to the band's self-titled debut doesn't sound like it came easy. Despite that, Amsterdam is the anthemic stand-out track and the tender Sorry is just as accomplished. It's still a rock album but there are lots of ideas being tried out. The next few tracks seem to make attempts at a reggae beat, rapped verses and political lyrics before returning to more familiar territory halfway through. But whatever the band attempt to master, each track guarantees slick guitar hooks, anthemic choruses and Conor Mason's outstanding, classically trained voice which is showcased perfectly on the piano version of the emotional Particles on the deluxe version of the album. They've got the time and the skill to experiment.

3) Alt-J - RELAXER
It may only be 8 tracks but at 39 minutes in length, it's a fully fledged album. Every track is like a piece of art put together to represent the best of an artist's work. There are interweaving vocals, garage rock, Spanish guitar, sweary vocal hooks, acoustic lullabies ending in a bassoon solo, even a church choir. There's even space for a re-imagining of House of the Rising Sun which is certainly not just there as a cheap cover version to fill space. The band's third album was nominated for the Mercury Prize and was unlucky not to win but having already scooped the prize for their debut in 2012, I doubt they will be too disheartened even though RELAXER may even be an improvement.

2) Arcade Fire - Everything Now
Five albums in, Everything Now represents either a step-up or a change in direction. I guess all will become clear one day, but for now we can revel in this album's inventiveness which started with its viral online marketing campaign. For weeks in advance, there were cryptic tweets, fake reviews and an Everything Now Corp purporting to manufacture commercial goods. Yes, there were claims that Arcade Fire had jumped the shark and the record sounded manufactured but wasn't that the point? In making this album, the band has produced their most accessible to date whilst sticking with thought-provoking lyrics, sing-along choruses and clap-along beats. Yes, the title track sounds like an indie Abba. Yes, there's some weird interlude tracks. Yes, one or two ideas are a bit too bold to work fully. But they've thrown everything at it. They even got Daft Punk's Thomas Bengalter on production duties. There is very little here not to like and not a lot that could beat it...

1) The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
On the band's fourth album, there are still reflective lyrics, breathy vocals and distorted guitars and pianos, but there's a demand to look outwards and the music understandably sounds much greater and more expansive. There's more than a nod to 80s synth-rock added to the Americana, roots and Dylanesque vocals but it all holds together like the most exciting dream you've ever had. The irresistible melancholy on Pain draws you in and then, straight after, Holding On gets your foot tapping. There's more introspection on Strangest Thing and Knocked Down until you're dancing around like an idiot to the greatest song Dire Straits never wrote, Nothing To Find, before the epic, symphony-like Thinking of a Place lets you take a breath. In short, it's an album that begs you to play again and will improve on every listen.

And those that nearly made it, in no particular order...

Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being, Bastien Keb - 22.02.85, Tom Williams - All Change, Maxïmo Park - A Risk To Exist, Ryan Adams - Prisoner, The National - Sleep Well Beast, Queens of the Stone Age - Villains, Ed Sheeran - ÷

If you don't have time to listen to all of these albums, try my 2017 Spotify  playlist instead https://open.spotify.com/user/littlemuddyfunkster/playlist/55eiMzWrcUN5AtAseGItVI

Thanks for reading.

So Hull doesn't have enough culture?

A few months ago I wrote this summary of culture in Hull to prove to those doubters that Hull does deserve its 2017 moniker. It seemed to make a few people very happy (mainly those who already loved Hull - but that's great too). Naturally, many Hullensians helped me out in identifying what I'd left out, so I made another list. If you haven't read part 1, it spells out my criteria for making this list and has already covered most of the major points so I'd recommend doing that before letting me know if I've missed anything else. Despite that, comments and, of course, shares are most welcome. Links are all clickable for more information.

Architecture

Some of the less well-known gems of Hull's buildings include:

St Charles Borromeo (Grade I, 1829) - the oldest post-reformation Catholic church in the city, tucked away from the main shopping districts of the city centre and hiding a stunning interior behind an inauspicious frontage.
Maister House (1743) - a former merchant's house owned by the National Trust, unfortunately currently closed for visitors. Hopefully this will re-open soon.
Blaydes House (Grade II*, c. 1740) - another former merchant's house and now the home of the University of Hull's Maritime Historical Studies Centre.
Haltemprice Priory (Grade II* and ancient scheduled monument, 1326) - an Augustinian monastery located on the edge of the city between Willerby and Cottingham. After its dissolution, the stonework was incorporated into a farmhouse in 1584, which still exists on the site albeit in a derelict condition and supported by concrete breeze blocks in places.

Hull was also home to the celebrated architect Sir Alfred Gelder who was instrumental in transforming many parts of the city centre in the early 20th Century and who now has a street named after him next to the Guildhall.

Art

Since writing part one of this culture summary, Humber Street Gallery, a brand new facility, has opened in the newly revamped Fruit Market area of the old town, complementing existing galleries in the area such as Studio Eleven and the Museum of Club Culture (temporarily rehoused in High Street due to renovations to their Fruit Market base). As well as hosting many temporary exhibitions, Humber Street will also be the permanent new home for Dead Bod, a famous work of art that was originally an example of graffiti on Hull's docks but soon became a landmark for ships returning to the city. It's now so ubiquitous that you can buy Dead Bod T-shirts, mugs and even beer.

Other famous works of Hull art include:
Sea of Hull (2016) - Spencer Tunick's project which included painting naked people blue and photographing them in locations throughout the city centre
Co-Op Mosaic (1963) - a huge glass mural by artist Alan Boyson on the front of the former Co-op building which was subsequently the city's branch of BHS. The artwork now faces an uncertain future after the collapse of the high-street chain.
Hull Hall of Fame - a gallery of who's who from the city of Hull situated in Trinity Market near the Hepworth's Arcade entrance. You'd be hard pushed to find someone famous from Hull who isn't on the list and it handily acts as a fallback for me if any reader thinks I've missed someone worthy from my list.

Business

Several Hull businesses have had a large impact on the wider world.

Smith & Nephew - the global healthcare conglomerate was started in Hull as a family pharmacy by Thomas James Smith in 1856.
Fenner - an international manufacturer of conveyor belt systems founded in Hull in 1861 by Joseph Fenner who has a blue plaque dedicated to him in Bishop Lane where the original factory stood.
World Trade Centre - in 2007, Hull gained a World Trade Centre on its newly redeveloped waterfront to help improve its business links as a busy port.
Pease Family Bank - the first bank to be founded in Yorkshire, subsequently part of Barclay's.

Other, less global but well-loved local businesses include:

Dinsdale's Joke Shop - a landmark retailer in the Victorian Hepworth's Arcade, reportedly the inspiration for the joke shop in the TV show, League of Gentlemen.
Humber Street Market - a vibrant place to shop, eat and drink on the third Sunday of every month in the Fruit Market area, featuring local traders, producers and musicians.
C4Di - a brand new business hub in the Fruit Market for digital businesses.

Comedy

Hull's most famous comedy export is probably Norman Collier, known in the 1970s for surreal monologues, faulty microphones and chicken impressions. But the comedy scene in the city is alive and well today with several comedians doing the circuit at local events such as LOL Comedy Club at Hull City Hall and Comedy Mash at Union Mash Up.

Media & Publishing

The city is well-served for local media, both in terms of broadcast and print.

The BBC has a presence in the city at Queens Gardens which serves as the home of the BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire TV region and BBC Radio Humberside. Commercial radio is covered by Viking FM, KCFM, West Hull FM and Hull Kingston Radio.

Hull's main newspaper is the Hull Daily Mail, now owned by Trinity Mirror. But there are several locally produced magazines and publications such as Browse Magazine, Tenfootcity and the Hull City AFC fanzine, City Independent.

Music

In part one, I touched on the big names to have come from the city in the past and mentioned some current hopes for the future. It's fair to say that there is so much musical talent in Hull at the moment that it is impossible to mention them all. To try and get a flavour of the breadth of styles that the city currently hosts, you could listen to the likes of Emily Moulton, LIFE, endoflevelbaddie, Crooked Weather and Kristian Eastwood. Or you could just attend any of the events and festivals mentioned in part one (Humber Street Sesh in August would be a great start).

Philanthropy

Over the years, Hull has seen the benefit of many a rich philanthropist. The likes of William Wilberforce and James Reckitt have already been mentioned in part one but the city was also home to politician and industrialist Thomas Ferens (for whom Ferensway and Ferens Art Gallery are named) and Brian Rix, the actor and activist who tirelessly campaigned for disability rights.

These days, however, there is one woman that stands out among the rest in terms of selfless dedication to others. She calls herself Jean Bishop. although to most people she is known as the Bee Lady. Jean is well-known throughout the city for trudging the streets, dressed as a bee and raising money for charity despite being 94 herself.

Science & Technology

A little known fact is that Hull was the site of the first public hydraulic power network in England. A blue plaque commemorates the site, just off Wincolmlee.

Other firsts for Hull include the development of Dettol, one of the world's most important antiseptics, by Reckitt and Sons (now RB) in 1932, and the invention of the bone density scanner, an early detection system for osteoporosis, at the University of Hull.

Sport

Football and rugby league may grab the headlines but there is much more to sport in Hull. Athletics has a large profile in the city with the Hull 10K, Humber Bridge Half Marathon and Hull Marathon all being major events, as well Costello Stadium being used for athletics meets.

Minority sports are also well catered for with roller derby, lacrosse and cycle speedway all having a presence in the city. Even quidditch is being brought to Hull for the first time in a professional stadium. In the past, Hull has been the location of the start of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and has even been named as the fourth best city in the UK for cycling.

World champions from Hull that maybe don't see as much coverage as they deserve include Barbara Buttrick, who won the first world title for women's boxing in 1957 at a time when this was very controversial. Hull is also the home of Karen Briggs, a four-time world judo champion.

Theatre & Performance

Hull is currently something of a hot-bed of grassroots theatre companies who produce a wide variety performances throughout the city. Some of the most active include Middle Child, Silent Uproar, Hull Playgoers and, of course, Penny Duck (although I may be biased here).

So you think Hull has no culture?

If, like me, you've heard the words "City of Culture? There's no culture in Hull, pal", hopefully this list will help you prove otherwise. (Links are all clickable for more info or proof for the non-believers. Also please note that this is not intended to be a definitive list of people from Hull, but rather an overview of all aspects of culture in our quirky, independent city. Where I have listed names, I've tried to keep it to a few examples.)

Edit: there's now a part two to this here.

Architecture

Hull (or Kingston upon Hull to give it its official name) has many impressive buildings and structures including:

• Holy Trinity Church (Grade I, c. 1300) - largest parish church in England by floor area and soon to be renamed Hull Minster.
• Hull City Hall (Grade II*, 1903-09) - Baroque revival concert and events venue.
• Guildhall (Grade II*, 1913-16) - administrative building for Hull City Council.
• The Charterhouse (Grade II*, c. 1780) - still-functioning almshouse.
• Humber Bridge (1981) - just outside the city boundary, once the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world, now the eighth-longest.
• Scale Lane Swing Bridge (2013) - award-winning bridge which the public can ride as it opens.
• Garden Village (c. 1908) - area of East Hull built as a model village by Sir James Reckitt for his workers at Reckitt & Sons (see also business below).

The city has a novel way of reusing its old docks:

• Queen's Gardens (c. 1930) - Queen's Dock was filled in and turned into a city-centre park.
• Hull Marina (1983) - reusing the old Humber and Railway Docks, now lined with independent bars and restaurants, and home to several summer festivals.
• Princes Quay (c. 1991) - a glass shopping centre constructed over the former Prince's Dock.
• Stage @The Dock (2016) - making use of the old Central Dry Dock to house a new outdoor performance stage.

Hull is also famous for:

• Cream telephone boxes - the city's telephone service is run locally by KCOM instead of BT and consequently its telephone boxes are cream, not red like the rest of the country.
• Cuthbert Brodrick - the architect famous for designing Leeds Town Hall and Scarborough's Grand Hotel was born in Hull.
• Land of Green Ginger - the most unusual street name in Hull (and possibly the UK) which is home to the smallest window in England and a residential address called "2nd Star On The Right & Straight On ‘Til Morning".

Art

Hull's galleries include Ferens Art Gallery (1927), the host of the Turner Prize in 2017, Red Contemporary Arts, Artlink and Kingston Art Group.

Around the city, there are many statues of famous names and events, and there are often instances of public art forming trails of statues around the city:

• Fish Trail - a permanent walking trail around the old town, following fish in the pavement.
• Larkin with Toads - a 2010 trail of large fibreglass toads, some of which are still in place around the city, to celebrate the poet, Philip Larkin.
• A Moth for Amy - a current temporary trail of giant moths to commemorate the life of aviator, Amy Johnson.

Business

For many years, Hull was the second largest port in the country and was part of the Hanseatic League trading with other northern European ports. Nowadays, Hull has a very independent attitude to business with a lack of chains relative to other cities and a tradition of business start-ups. Famous names from the city include:

• Isaac Reckitt and his son, James - founders of Reckitt & Sons and now known as Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the multinational pharmaceutical company.
• Comet - electrical retailer, sadly now defunct but originally started in Hull in 1933.
• Red5 - gadget retailer (and its predecessor The Gadget Shop).
• Sir Alfred James Newton - first chairman of Harrods.

Comedy

The big name on the city's comedy circuit is Hull Comedy Festival which began in 2007 and attracts many big names every year.

Hull also has homegrown comedy acts, both established and up-and-coming, including:

• Isy Suttie - stand-up and star of Peep Show.
• Debra Stephenson - actor and impressionist.
• Lucy Beaumont - writer and stand-up.

Education

Important educational institutions in the city include:

• University of Hull (1927) - former alumni include John Prescott, Jenni Murray, Anthony Minghella and Roger McGough.
• Hull York Medical School (2003)
• Hull College (1950s)
• Hull School of Art and Design (1861)
• Hymers College - independent school rated in the top 100 nationally. 

Food & Drink

Hull's most famous native dishes seem to be the pattie, a deep-fried mashed potato and herbs, chip spice, a seasoning automatically added at all of the city's takeaways, and the boiled sweet, invented by Hull confectionery manufacturer, Needlers.

But its food and drink scene is much more cosmopolitan than this. The highlights include:

• 1884 Dock Street Kitchen - culinary experience in a former dock warehouse on the edge of the marina.
• Tapasya - Indian restaurant with two sites in the city. 
• Bars and restaurants along Hull's cafe culture heartland, Newland and Princes Avenues including Marrakech Ave, Pave and Larkins.
• Several festivals such as Hull Real Ale & Cider Festival, Yum! Food Festival and Minerva Gin Festival.
• Several excellent local breweries such as: Atom Beers, Yorkshire Brewing Co and Bricknell Brewery.
• Various traditional and historical alehouses in the Old Town including Ye Olde White Harte allegedly where the decision was made that started the English Civil War. For many others try the Hull Ale Trail  or check Hull CAMRA.

History

Hull has been at the forefront of several pivotal moments of national and international historical importance.

• In 1642, at Beverley Gate, Sir John Hotham denied King Charles I access to the city's arsenal, leading to the first siege of Hull, the first major action of the English Civil War. The ruins of Beverley Gate are still visible at the top of Whitefriargate and the decision to refuse the king was taken at Sir John Hotham's home which is now Ye Olde White Harte (see food & drink above).
• William Wilberforce was an MP for Hull and a social reformer. In 1807, he managed to pass an act in the Houses of Parliament which abolished the slave trade in the UK. His house is now a museum (see below).
• In the 1940s, Hull was one of the country's leading ports and its location on the Humber estuary made it easy to find for German bombers. These two facts ensured that the city became the most bombed city in the country outside of London during World War II with 95% of houses damaged during the Hull Blitz.
• Over the years, Hull has thrived as a proud fishing port, but in 1968 the city was shocked by the Triple Trawler Tragedy, three disasters in which 58 fishermen lost their lives and which led to many changes to health and safety laws thanks to tireless campaigning by Lillian Bilocca and her Headscarf Revolutionaries. A huge mural of 'Big Lil' can now be seen on Anlaby Road.

The many venues charting Hull's history include:

• Several free, council-owned museums including Wilberforce House, Hull and East Riding Museum, Hands on History, Maritime Museum, Spurn Lightship and Arctic Corsair.
• Fort Paull - Yorkshire's only remaining Napoleonic fortress.
• Hull Fair - Europe's largest travelling funfair, convening on Hull every year since 1278.

Literature

Hull hosts the Humber Mouth Literature Festival annually in November attracting many big-name talks.

Having once been referred to as "the most poetic city in England" by Australian poet, Peter Porter, Hull has its fair share of writers including:

• Phillip Larkin (1922 - 1985) - poet who was the librarian at University of Hull for 30 years.
• Andrew Marvell (1621 - 1678) - metaphysical poet and politician with a Hull school named after him.
• Andrew Motion (1952 - ) - former poet laureate and University of Hull lecturer.

Music

Whether it's big names from the past or up-and-coming stars, music is a huge part of Hull's heritage.

• Big names over the years comprise The Beautiful South, Everything But The Girl, The Housemartins, Sade, David Whitfield, Roland Gift of The Fine Young Cannibals and Spiders from Mars.
• There are also many current acts creating a buzz inside and outside of the city such as Affairs, Bud Sugar, Counting Coins, Nineties Boy and Calum Scott.
• As for legendary music venues how about The New Adelphi Club, Welly, Spiders and The Sesh?
• Over the summer, festivals form a big part of Hull's culture including Humber Street Sesh, Hull Jazz Festival, Hull Folk and Maritime Festival, Trinity Festival and Springboard Festival in nearby Cottingham.
• Classical music fans are catered for by Hull Sinfonia and the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra.

Science & Technology

The city has several links to scientific and technological feats and discoveries. Some of the best of these are:

• The liquid crystal display (LCD) was invented at the University of Hull allowing the development of digital watches, calculators and TV screens.
• John Venn - a mathematician who invented the eponymous Venn diagram.
• Amy Johnson - an aviator who became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia.

Hull also has several attractions celebrating the best of science and technology of today and yesteryear:

• The Deep - one of the country's leading public aquariums and also an important centre for marine research.
• Dinostar - a hands-on, interactive dinosaur exhibition for children
• Streetlife - a free museum displaying 200 years' worth of transport innovations and street scenes from bygone eras.

Sport

Ebenezer Cobb Morley is quite possibly one of the most important men in English sport and yet one of the most un-celebrated Hull natives. In 1863, he helped found the Football Association at a pub in London, became the FA's first secretary and drafted the first laws of the game. Without him, we wouldn't have football as it is today.

Other famous sporting names from the city include:

• Luke Campbell - gold-medal-winning boxer from the London 2012 Olympics who not only has a golden post-box in his home city but also a golden phone box too thanks to Hull's locally owned telephone network.
• Dean Windass - footballer who scored the goal which took Hull City into the Premier League for the first time ever.
• Clive Sullivan - rugby league player who played for both Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers and became the first black player to captain any national British team in a major sport.

Today, sport fans are well catered for in Hull.

• Hull City - football club currently playing in the Premier League.
• Hull FC - rugby league club currently playing in Super League, six-time national champions, and four-time winners and current holders of the Challenge Cup.
• Hull Kingston Rovers - unfortunately relegated to the rugby league championship last season but nonetheless, five titles and one challenge cup are among their honours.
• British Open Squash Championship - the "Wimbledon of squash" currently held at the Airco Arena.
• Hull Pirates - Hull's current semi-professional ice hockey team playing in the second tier.

Theatre & Performance

The city has a strong tradition of theatre with important venues including:

• Hull Truck Theatre - theatre and touring production company founded in 1971.
• Hull New Theatre - Hull's main commercial theatre, opened in 1939 and featuring musicals, opera, ballet, drama and pantomime.
• Fruit - a multi-purpose arts and events space in the revitalised Fruit Market area of the city, home of theatre, music, comedy, markets and craft beer.
• Kardomah 94 - part-restaurant, part-theatre space for music, comedy and more.
• NAPA - the Northern Academy of Performing Arts.

Hull's premier event of the year is undoubtedly the Freedom Festival, a summer weekend of music, art, comedy, dance, circus acts and street performances in celebration of freedom and of Hull's famous MP William Wilberforce who helped abolish the slave trade in 1833. Other theatrical events include:

• Heads Up Festival - an eclectic array of performers and performances at various venues across the city.
• Assemblefest - performances in unusual locations in the city's bohemian Newland area, close to the university.

There are also many theatrical names associated with Hull, such as John Godber (1956 - ), Alan Plater (1935-2010) and Richard Bean (1956 - ).

TV & Film

The city is home to the Hull Independent Cinema showing many art-house films at various venues and which organises the annual Hull Film Festival.

Hull was the birthplace of J Arthur Rank, an industrialist born into the Rank Hovis dynasty who went on to found Pinewood Studios in order to rival Hollywood's dominance of the film industry. Other famous names include Maureen Lipman, Tom Courtenay and Reece Shearsmith.


So tell me, what aspect of culture do you think Hull is missing?