Soul 45, Hull: The listening bar on city's best shopping street
Once again, Hull imports an exciting new concept around the same time it stops being exciting or new everywhere else. Truly, we are the city of Johnny-come-just-too-lately. This time around, the concept in question is the listening bar. Somewhere you sit with a beer and listen to music.
I did a quick check and it seems that they first sprung up in Japan in the 1950s because vinyl records were prohibitively expensive so people would gather to listen to a single copy. They then appeared the US and finally in Europe but not in particularly high numbers outside of capital cities.
Then, since Covid (and, presumably, the current sky-rocketing price of vinyl plays into it) listening bars have proliferated as people seek company again. Now one has opened in Hull, so things just can’t get any trendier.
Soul 45 is on the burgeoning Newland Ave and joins the fantastic run of bars currently operating on Hull’s best shopping street. It’s just below the bridge in the building recently vacated by Mancha, the Sicilian restaurant that moved to larger premises further up the road around a year ago. The space has been entirely refitted to be comfort and sound-based, with a bar against the back wall, decks along another and seats and speakers everywhere else. There’s a handful of hand-pulls and cans and bottles in the fridge. It’s all entirely lovely, the only worry is if you don’t like the music that’s constantly playing at conversation-duelling level.
Incidentally, opening times appear to be flexible, there’s no website or contact details available and there’s no food on offer. So you’ll just have to take your chance when you pitch up and ensure you’re wearing something you can smuggle pickled eggs in.
According to an article I read while in Soul 45, listening bars are predominantly to be found in the trendier postcodes in London, the upcoming arrondissements of Paris and the hipper boroughs of Berlin. Well, now there’s one in The Avenues in Hull. Who says we can’t do cool in the East Riding?
Soul 45, 45 Newland Ave, Hull, HU5 3BE
Welcome4/5
Atmosphere4/5
Drinks choice3/5
Prices4/5