The sound of the city: May’s live music highlights
Daddy G
Plenty happening across the city this month, by Rose Barker
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May in Hull feels like the point where the year properly wakes up.
The evenings are stretching well past tea time, plans are creeping back into the diary and the city’s venues start filling up with people who’ve clearly been waiting for gig season to get going again.
From intimate acoustic sets to big-name tours and late-night dancefloors, there’s plenty happening across Hull this month. Here are a few shows worth pencilling into the calendar:
Things get underway on Thursday, May 7 with a choice between two very different moods. Over at O’Rileys, Fleetwood-born singer-songwriter Harrison Rimmer (£5) brings his road-tested acoustic sound to one of the city’s most reliably lively small rooms. Across town at Wrecking Ball Arts Centre, Briana Corrigan (£25) returns to live performance after a decade away. Best known as the unmistakable voice behind The Beautiful South's early work, Corrigan’s recent comeback shows have been warmly received, making this a rare chance to catch a much-loved voice in an intimate setting.
Saturday, May 9 brings something louder to Polar Bear Music Club as Hey Pixies (£12) celebrate the legacy of the Pixies. Expect all the jagged guitars and off-kilter energy that made the originals such a force.
A very different kind of virtuosity arrives on Tuesday, May 12, when Nigel Kennedy takes to the stage at Hull City Hall (from £46.50). As the biggest-selling violinist in the world, Kennedy’s performances are rarely conventional, blending dazzling technique with his signature “punk-classical” flair and a famously unpredictable stage presence.
Friday, May 15 shifts things firmly back to the dancefloor as the legendary Daddy G of Massive Attack heads to Social (£25). This is a heavyweight night for the city’s club scene, with support from Steve Cobby, Shepdog and Mak from The Sesh.
Pop nostalgia then takes centre stage on Tuesday, May 19 as Blue bring their 25th Anniversary Tour to Connexin Live (£65). Two-and-a half decades on from their chart-topping peak, the group are celebrating a catalogue packed with early-2000s singalong favourites.
Finally, Saturday, May 23 sees the return of Larkin Out Festival at The Adelphi Club (£15). After selling out in 2025, the event is back with another stacked bill featuring Sunbeam, The Cases, Velvet Tuxedo and more. Given how quickly it went last time, you’ll want to move fast on tickets to guarantee a spot for that unmistakable, sweat-on-the-walls Adelphi energy.
May’s calendar covers a lot of ground. Whether you’re after a quiet songwriting set, a packed indie room or a big nostalgic singalong, there’s plenty here to pull you out of the house and into a crowd.
I’ll see you down the front!
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