For generations of Hull music lovers, Spiders was more than just a nightclub. It was somewhere to discover new music, make friends, find your people and spend a Saturday night surrounded by others who loved the same wonderfully alternative things you did.



So when the news broke this week that the legendary Cleveland Street venue had closed after 46 years, it's hardly surprising that people had a lot to say about it.



Since opening in 1979, Spiders has been a huge part of Hull's alternative nightlife. With its distinctive spider's webs, famously affordable drinks and soundtrack of rock, goth, punk, indie and everything in between, it offered something a little different from the city's more mainstream clubs.



And for plenty of people, that was exactly the point!



Spiders was somewhere you could turn up in whatever you wanted to wear, listen to music you loved and feel right at home. Whether you were a regular for decades or had only recently discovered it, there was something special about a place that had stayed so unmistakably itself for so long.



Hull author Richard Lusmore summed it up beautifully when he reacted to the closure on social media, describing Spiders as "a rite of passage for many a Hull misfit back in the day, including me."



It's a lovely way of putting it, and judging by the memories being shared online, he's far from alone.



There's plenty of history in the building itself, too. Photographer Andy Roe has shared some wonderful images of Spiders over the years, capturing the atmosphere of the club and the generations of people who passed through its doors.



And Spiders' reputation travelled well beyond the city. In 2017, international fashion and culture magazine i-D featured the nightclub, celebrating a place that had become such a recognisable part of Hull's alternative scene.



But perhaps the most important thing about Spiders isn't its building, its history or even its music. It's the people who made it what it was.



For 46 years, it brought together different generations of Hull clubbers, giving people somewhere to belong. There'll be friendships, relationships and countless stories that began on those dancefloors, and probably a few nights that people only remember bits of!



Of course, the closure is sad news for the city, particularly for the people who worked there and those who made it part of their weekly routine.



The owners have confirmed that Spiders has stopped trading and is now up for sale, with the hope that someone who shares their values might take it forward.



And while there's no confirmed plan for the club to reopen, the response to the news suggests plenty of people would love to see that happen.



A Facebook group exploring the possibility of a co-operative future for Spiders has already attracted around 1,700 members, with local people sharing ideas about what might come next. It's still very early days, but it's encouraging to see how many people care.



Hull City Council leader Mike Ross has also described Spiders as an iconic cultural venue and expressed his hope that a buyer can be found to keep it going.



For now, nobody knows what the future holds for Spiders. But after 46 years of giving Hull's alternative music community somewhere to call its own, it feels far too soon to write the final chapter.



Whatever happens next, the reaction to its closure has made one thing pretty clear: Hull hasn't stopped caring about Spiders.



And hopefully, there's still another chapter to come.