New book charts post-punk era of Hull’s Welly Club

A new book telling of a unique era in one of Hull’s best known live music clubs has almost sold out within a week of launching.

Caraline “Kari” Brown’s Mrs Wilson’s Children: Adventures at The Welly Club, Hull 1979 – 1981, had its official launch at Waterstones in Hull on Saturday, November 9. It was introduced by author Kari, who was a promoter at the Welly for two years and had kept a large collection of memorabilia from the time, which formed the basis of the work.

Hull’s Roland Gift, of Fine Young Cannibals fame, and Lou Howard Duffy, original bass player for another city band The Red Guitars, both attended the launch and spoke. Kari said: “It’s been brilliant.

“The launch went exceptionally well – we must have had about 50 people there, all the old punks from the old days. Lots of people from all the different bands from over the years turned up, so much musical heritage from the great bands of that time, and so many of them were sharing memories and talking about the old days.”

The title of Kari’s book references Mrs Wilson’s Children, a cult album released in 1981 by a dozen bands that often played at the Welly during the heady days of punk, in honour of the club’s no-nonsense secretary Doreen Wilson. One of the UK’s longest surviving music venues, the Welly, founded in 1913, played host to the earliest performances of local bands including The Housemartins, The Beautiful South and Everything But The Girl.

Mrs Wilson’s Children is seen through the eyes of Kari whose job it was to promote some of the brightest burning bands of the late Seventies post-punk era. During her tenure, she staged gigs by bands such as Teardrop Explodes, Psychedelic Furs, Magazine and many more – but not U2.

She said: “The gig never happened although u2gigs.com described the non-existent U2 event as ‘11 September – U2’s only performance in Hull. They performed on the second floor of the club as a darts match was occurring on the main floor.’”

Kari asks: “Will the reader’s memory be as good as the bloke who swears: ‘When U2 played, few of us were bored, and heckled ‘em a bit. With hindsight, it was the right thing to do, Bunnymen were far better band.’”

The author said: “We sold loads of books at the launch and Wrecking Ball and Waterstones have a few copies left. It’s looking like a sell-out by Christmas and we’re already talking about a revised edition, for next Christmas, with so many people wanting to contribute.”

The book is packed full of first-hand memories – some true, some imaginary – as well as photos, mementos and original notes and jottings regarding the booking of the best bands of that post-punk era. Kari said: “I moved house and found piles and piles of my original notes; profit-and-loss sheets; how much we paid Psychedelic Furs to appear, that sort of thing.

“I didn’t want all of this stuff to disappear, I wanted to collate it all together and spent months reaching out to people, all over the world, about their memories and the response has been fantastic.” PR specialist Kari said Mrs Wilson’s Children had been a labour of love while working on her second novel, her first being The Candlelit Menagerie.

Readers who have already bought a copy of Mrs Wilson’s Children have posted their responses, with one saying: “Read it in one afternoon. Such great memories.” Another said: “So much I had forgotten – names, gigs, bands – and stuff I never knew in the first place. Great document of a brilliant time.”

One fan of the work said: “Unbelievable read for those of us who were there but maybe too lazy to record the details. I urge you to buy a copy to relive those times, or to show your kids, or grandkids what they have missed. In the end reading this book makes me realise that I am proud to be one of Mrs Wilson’s children.”

Mrs Wilson’s Children: Adventures at The Welly Club, Hull 1979 – 1981 is available from Waterstones and Wrecking Ball in Hull, priced £14.99. It can also be obtained direct from Kari via her website and she is happy to provide a personalised dedication to anyone who gets in touch this way.

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