‘It wasn’t just a job for staff, it was a whole community and it very much felt like their safe space’
Spiders nightclub, Cleveland Street, Hull(Image: HullLive)
Hundreds of loyal Hull punters and staff members have come together in efforts to save Spider’s Nightclub, in the wake of the “iconic cultural” venue’s shock closure. We told yesterday how the club’s owners announced it was shutting with immediate effect “due to personal and external situations”, having served the city as its original alternative nightspot for 46 years.
The two-storey venue, famed for its weekly goth and rock nights, made the announcement on social media, saying it would soon be going up for sale. The statement by Spiders’ owners said: “We are sad to inform you that due to personal and external situations, Spiders Club has closed, it will be put up for sale on the open market, including the freehold; as they say, Lock Stock and Barrel.
“We know closing the club will come as a great shock to many of you, as the club is financially sound and doing well, but there comes a time, after 46 years of loving our club and what it gave to the people of Kingston upon Hull, that now, is the right time to hopefully pass it on to others, who will carry it forward with the same enthusiasm, idealism and integrity, that we started so many years ago.”
Soon after the announcement, as floral tributes were last night being laid outside the club’s doors on Cleveland Street, a group was launched on social media with the aim of working together to turn Spiders into a community co-operative firm. Within hours of setting up, the Facebook group Spiders nightclub Co-op interest had more than 1,300 members, with its founder, former staff member Ben Gardner, saying: “I have created this group to gauge the interesting in figuring out how to setup our beloved Spiders Nightclub as some form of co-op. I offer no commitments. Let’s figure this out one step at a time.”
Ben, who works within Smith & Nephew’s R&D team, said a number of people in Hull with experience of launching co-ops had been in touch, keeping hopes high that a concrete plan can be concocted. He told Hull Live: “I think it’s important for people to acknowledge the current owners and what they’re going through – it’s quite a shock, it’s quite an emotional time. I was a patron and spent many a night there and then became a member of staff in the 2010s, throughout my university days. And then I rejoined Spiders in 2021 and 2022 post-Covid, when they were looking for staff to retrain their new staff.
“I don’t profess to have the knowledge or expertise in forming or running a community business, but I set up the group to find the big hitters who can actually help us make something of this. I’m simply a catalyst and I’m happy to defer to people more experienced than me.
“And we have people from pubs and ventures in Hull that have done similar; people who have experience in community programmes, putting their hands up saying ‘here’s some information’ and ‘here’s the steps you need to take’. We’re at the information-gathering stage to understand who’s interested in following us and understanding what’s happening.”
Meanwhile, the leader of Hull City Council has spoken of his hope for the future of club. He said: “I have seen the news about Spiders nightclub. I know this has come as a shock to so many people across Hull and beyond. Spiders has been iconic cultural venue in Hull for so many years. I hope a buyer comes forward soon that means the venue can keep going.
“I have raised with the team at the council that while this is essentially a commercial issue, outside of the remit of the council, we will want to be available to anyone who would want to talk to the council about it and what might be involved. It has been amazing to see the outpouring of support for the club online since the news was announced and I hope this demonstrates that there can be a positive future for this piece of Hull’s cultural heritage.”
Labour councillors in Hull said they are also seeking assurances for its future, saying: “Hull Labour is saddened by this evening’s news about the closure and sale of Spiders nightclub. Spiders is a Hull institution and we hope a buyer is found very soon who will continue to operate it. This underscores the importance of community-owned and co-operative businesses, and of listing locations as Assets of Community Value, so that important venues like this can be safeguarded.
“Hull Labour will always push to extend the number of these businesses and assets in our city. Our leader, Cllr Daren Hale, will be writing to the Council’s regeneration officers to ask them to work with the current owners to seek assurances about the club’s future.”
Katie Mann, 22, one of 40 staff members, told how the closure news was broken to the staff in a private Facebook messenger group. The Hull University student has worked at the club for the last three months, and been a regular for at least three years before then, and she was left heartbroken at the announcement.
She said: “There was always talk between the staff that it might get sold at some point, but we always thought that was a good few years down the line. Everyone in the staff group has got a general feeling of mourning because for most people it wasn’t just a job for them. It was a whole community and it very much felt like their safe space.
“It was a great job. The best job I’ve ever had, and felt like the owners really valued their staff, and you felt well looked after. Everyone pretty much got on, and people were friends outside of work as well.
“I really hope someone does take it on and they keep it as similar as they can – it was perfect for Spiders and it’s been like that for so long. And I think most of the staff agree that if someone does take it on, they’d love to go back to the job.”
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