Hull is set to submit its bid to become the UK’s latest recipient of the UNESCO Creative City of Music award.
The designation is awarded by the United Nations agency to a number of cities around the world that have “identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development” and that aim to establish further music-related activities in the city.
Previous UK cities to be awarded the honour are Glasgow in 2008, Liverpool in 2015 and Belfast in 2021, the latter of which saw natives Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol and composer Hannah Peel named as official patrons of the city.
Hull now aims to be the fourth city to claim the title, after its council cabinet signed off on a five-year plan to boost music in the city. They consulted 1200 people as part of their “far-reaching” planning process, with councillor Rob Pritchard arguing that it would offer the city “a real direction in which to move our cultural scene forward” (via BBC).
The council have said that their application will follow the publication of the city’s first music plan, to be published early in 2025. They have stated an intention to “enable all residents to take part in and enjoy cultural activities”, as well as a vision to use their culture and heritage to me the city “more competitive” to generate economic growth.
The official application will be launched on March 14 as part of the Cultural Tides conference at the city’s Truck Theatre.
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Hull’s high-profile musical contributions over the years include the ‘80s acts The Housemartins and Everything But The Girl, as well as more recent artists such as shoegazers Bdrmm, whose second album ‘I Don’t Know’ was released in 2023. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “Frontman Ryan Smith has bristled at having his vocals described as “effortless” in the past, but his precision only makes what he says more potent. This is a special record by a band who are not-so-quietly raising the bar for the whole British scene.”
Another great Hull musical native was Mick Ronson, longtime guitarist with David Bowie. Earlier this year, 50 six-feet-tall rat sculptures appeared in the city to honour him.