Lithium Joe - Nov 23 Back in the 1990s my venue of choice was Hull’s iconic New Adelphi Club. The converted terrace house on De Grey Street has been a mainstay of Hull’s music scene for nearly 40 years and has seen the likes of Green Day, Radiohead and Pulp play on its hallowed stage early in their careers. During the nineties the local scene was thriving with a loads of outstanding bands, even if the A&R men from London never managed to get this far along the M62 to discover them. Along with bands such as Spacemaid, The Scavengers and Rich Rags, Lithium Joe were one of the most popular draws.

Arriving at the start of 1992, Lithium Joe’s indie punk crackled with youthful exuberance and social insight. Having releasing numerous demo tapes, singles/EPS and the ‘Upstairs at Park Street’ album, the band folded in 2001. The various members went their separate ways with frontman/washing machine repairman, Joe Solo going on to have a well respected career as a protest singer relentlessly touring the country and releasing a huge number of socially relevant albums on topics such as the Spanish Civil War, the 1984/85 Miners Strike and the Hull Fishing Fleet.

Roll forward to 2019, Joe decided to reform the band to celebrate his 50^th year, a few gigs were played and plans were put in place to record new material. And then the lockdown struck and plans were put on hold. Regrouping in 2023, new material was recorded, two singles released and two gigs arranged for Joe’s birthday week including this one at the Adelphi.

Back in the Adelphi for the first time in years, it somehow feels smaller than the venue I used to come to in the nineties and the crowd tonight certainly make it feel cozy. The band’s changing rooms are no longer the toilets and the bar seems to take up more space than I remember. The stage is slightly larger and the lighting is much improved. In the background, we have local legend Chris von Trapp on the decks warming up the crowd – the Red Guitars' ‘Good Technology’ opening the night followed by a reminder of some of the quality bands that Hull has produced.

Jess Silk starts the live music with an exceptional solo set. I’ve been wanting to see Jess for a long time, helped by Joe Solo’s patronage on his weekly radio show. Equipped with her guitar and an engaging personality, Jess enchants the audience with thoughtful word play and beguiling melodies. Songs such as ‘Sea to Shining Sea’ and the beautiful ‘There’s a Bar at The End of the World’ need to be heard by a far greater audience instead of the normal mainstream drivel they listen to. ‘Stranger on the Tube’ proudly wears its anti-fascist sentiments on its sleeve at a time when the dark seeds of intolerance are on the rise. Jess Silk - Nov 23 Tonight is the 42^nd time that I’m seeing Lithium Joe and so I’m reviewing this as a slightly biased fan who was there at the start and saw the band develop though various lineup changes, becoming more proficient with each new release. This evening, Joe is joined by long time guitarist Dave Foy, drummer Aidy Gill and new on bass Micha Laing. The audience is made up of friends, family, long term supporters plus a few curious punters, so the band get a raucous reception when they grace the stage. Lithium Joe - Nov 23 Opening with 1993’s ‘Lifeblood’, the memories flash back. The band may be greyer and wiser, but they are determined to recreate the feel of their original shows even if their bodies are telling them it is unwise to do so. As such, Joe is making no concessions to his maturing voice and consistently sings as if he was still in his twenties, whilst jumping around the stage like nobody's business. Lithium Joe - Nov 23

The punchy pop punk of ‘Growing Pains’ is prime Lithium Joe, with Dave’s guitar taking control whilst the melody sweeps you along to its climax. ‘Do’ follows with its intro channeling Stiff Little Fingers – which is no surprise considering Joe’s love of SLF and the Clash. ‘Wake-up Call’ marginally slows down the tempo and allows Dave to get some harmonies in before the band go full throttle punk with ‘SOS’. Hearing ’Pretend (You Haven’t Changed)’ thirty years on is more poignant given how much the world has (or hasn’t) changed. Lithium Joe - Nov 23 ‘Appearances’ dates back to the very early days when the band was still a three piece and the extra guitar beefs up the song considerably. ‘I’m Not Saying’ is has one of those singalong choruses that Joe has been known for in his solo work. Likewise for new song ‘See You When I Get There’ which is so well received the band play it twice in a row just in case the audience hadn’t grasped the equally hummable chorus. Lithium Joe - Nov 23 The incredibly bouncy ‘This is Your Life’ is accompanied by Joe going all rave, hands aloft with the sound of his whistle punctuating the room. Old favourite ‘Disappointed’ sounds magnificent with its melodic harmonies. New single ‘Answer Phone’ was actually written at the end of the band’s first tenure and serves as a perfect bridge whilst the demise of the technology in the intervening years is not lost on the band. It’s another song that continues to grow on you with its ‘beep beep’ becoming an earworm.

‘Belongings’ takes the band back to the early days and is the slowest song of the set with its meandering bass line. It’s probably the closest the band get to an epic with its peaks and troughs, leading up to its wig out final section. Lithium Joe - Nov 23 We’re near the end and the band launch into live favorite ‘Snow’, one of their oldest songs and the one that will always bring me fond memories of dancing like a muppet as a twenty something. Final song ‘Outsiders’ sees the band cement their place in the venue as returning heroes. It’s a suitable end to a highly enjoyable night. It might have been a little rough in some places but the energy of the band has not been diminished. The wry glances and smiles across the stage indicating how much the band have enjoyed themselves can only mean there is more to come. For those of us who were there, it can’t come soon enough.

Lithium Joe - Nov 23
In recent years, grassroots venues across the UK have been disappearing at a depressing rate, whether it be as a result of covid lockdowns, increasing costs, local planning departments convinced that city centre living should come at the expense of live venues, or the apathy of the general public to only watch established bands in cold, emotionless enormodome. It’s nights like this that remind you why it is so important to support your local venues and scene. With arena tickets now going into three figures, you could have eight or nine nights out at your local venue and get just as much enjoyment, so what’s stopping you.

Lithium Joe - Nov 23