➳ 7:30PM // 14+
+ Support from Marnie Glum
Sonic Union provides a quiet performance space limited to 80 people, supporting atmospheric artists in an environment they deserve to be listened to. We politely ask ask all attendees to remain silent through the performances.
KATIE SPENCER:
‘Her articulate picking, with suggestions of folk and jazz, frames intelligently written songs’ – Guitarist Magazine
Raised in the East Yorkshire flatlands on the fringes of Hull (UK), Katie Spencer’s landscape has always been that of open skies and widening rivers. It is this sense of space and movement that flows through her assured guitar style and songwriting. Now, as Katie steps into this new era with a third album, her focus turns to those deeper inner spaces, inviting the listener to engage with her heartfelt and intricately-crafted songs.
Her writing, and most notably her guitar playing stems from a time when the steel-stringed instrument was truly finding its voice. Artists like Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, Julie Byrne and perhaps most evidently Michael Chapman, weave into her sound. Katie absorbs these influences into her songwriting and with her distinctive deep vibrato and crystal-clear guitar style, she makes the music inimitably her own.
Katie will release her third album What Love Is in October 2025; an intimate collection of ten brand-new songs produced by Matt Ingram (Laura Marling, The Staves). Recorded in London’s Urchin Studios and featuring prominent players Giacomo Smith (clarinet), Max Clilverd (pedal steel), Tom Mason (double bass) and Matt Ingram (drums, synth). What Love Is evokes the spirit of Joni Mitchell’s finest later works, always honouring without emulating. Lyrically mature and at times pastoral; the album is melodically sophisticated and unflinchingly honest. She moves effortlessly from wide-open jazz-tinged soundscapes, influenced by Pharoah Sanders and John Abercrombie, through to the folk-baroque fingerpicking style that her fans admire her for. Her singing is powerful yet warm, true and pristine in delivery. The musicianship throughout the record feels liberated by Katie’s innovation and confidence, and the result is a master-class of inspired and beautiful-sounding craftmanship.
Dates
| Date | Time | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2025 | 7:30pm | £12 - £12 | Book Now |
Venue Details
After facing a devastating closure during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic under the ownership of a national company, the previous management of the Polar Bear worked to resurrect the venue as swiftly as possible. With an overwhelming outpour of support from the resilient community of Hull, ‘Polar Bear Music Club’ made a triumphant return in 2021, this time as a Community Interest Company (CIC). In collaboration with their friends from ‘The Sesh,’ Polar Bear is dedicated to offering free entry nights every Tuesday, featuring a diverse line-up of local, national, and international musicians. Additionally, the venue hosts weekly free entry club nights, along with ticketed gigs and live performances, catering to a wide range of musical tastes and preferences for the people of Hull.
Facilities
Assistance Dogs
