A Tribute to DJ SONYA
Words: Jon Sheppard
On Sunday the sad news reached us of the loss of one our cities most loved DJs - the lovely DJ Sonya. If you were a regular at clubs such as Silhouette, Room, Welly, Spiders or Pozition you are sure to have heard her play at some point. Her Shiver event was the go-to 80s night for many and consistently packed the numbers in every week as well as the hugely popular Helter Skelter playing indie and rock. Later Succubus packed out Welly with 1000s of young kids queuing every week, such was her knack for hitting the zeitgeist and knowing how to pack a dancefloor with anthems. She also ran the very popular Moon On A Stick shop as well as hosting regular arts and crafts workshops for the local community.
It's very obvious seeing the tributes pouring out on social media that no-one ever had a bad word to say about her - she was always so lovely, caring and chatty. I got to know her briefly when we worked together at Offbeat Records in the mid 90s - her kind and warm personality and passion for great music proved to be perfect for working a record shop counter too - she could sell anything to anyone! As an up and coming DJ at the time myself we had very different musical tastes, but I learned a lot from speaking to her and watching her play - she was the consummate professional. She could read a room brilliantly and take a dancefloor from being empty to full in a matter of tunes - her skill at playing just the right record at the right time kept her fans coming back for more. A true unsung hero of the Hull music scene and one that will be sadly missed. Somewhere "Nelly The Elephant" is blasting loudly. RIP Sonya. x
We tried to reach out to as many friends and colleagues as possible to say a little something. There is a more in-depth story to be told about Sonya so watch this space.
“I can’t recall how I first met Sonya, it seems like she was always there from my earliest clubbing experiences – from the last days of the Old Silhouette to the rite of passage that was Spiders. When I started DJing she took me under her wing and we spent countless hours promoting our respective nights at The New Silhouette and Room. She was by a long stretch the most loved and respected DJ on the Hull scene and no one worked harder than her, but I tried to keep up at least! Her support extended beyond work and she was a true friend – always there in times of need and full of love.
Paul Snell, Payback”
“Sonya was one of the first female DJs in Hull and went on to promote many nights which ran successfully for many years. We were both huge supporters of each other and DJed together at Spiders for a couple of years. Hull has lost a local legend who deserves to be remembered for everything she did for the nightlife of the city. ”
“Sonya was an indie kid at heart. A warm, kind, loving and lovely spiritual woman. She never got angry and she always listened closely to other people’s opinions, even though she may not agree.”
“DJ, promoter, entrepreneur - she was the Queen of Baby Welly aka Succubus. A lovely lady and a good friend who will be sadly missed by all who knew her.”
“When I first came to the city in the early 90s Sonya was already established with her legendary indie nights around town. An alternative trailblazer who opened up the musical tastebuds of many in the city. All those who have followed in her footsteps owe her a huge debt of gratitude.”
“I’m so devastated to hear of the passing of DJ Sonya. She was a pioneer DJ and promoter and her nights Helter Skelter and Shiver were a place I could be me and nights like it didn’t exist till she created them. She was a huge inspiration for me and supported me enormously. Latterly getting to work with Sonya creatively on both her club nights and to become friends is an honour I’ll never forget. ”
“From Welly to Silhouette to Room to Pozition and back to Welly again, Sonya was the Queen of Hull’s alt clubs. And cheese pizzas at the end of the night! ”
“Helter Skelter was the first club night I ever went to as a wide eyed teenager. Sonya was of course both the DJ and the brains behind the night. We were slightly in awe of her I think. She had all these cool records and it seemed like everything she played was just brilliant - not just the obvious stuff but also amazing, electrifying records I’d never really heard before but immediately adored - Spacemen 3, My Bloody Valentine, Fugazi… the list is long. Without a doubt those nights were part of my musical education and I remember them really fondly (if somewhat hazily). Sonya is a proper legend in my eyes. ”
“She was an Integral part of the small business community - always cheering people on and supporting their business in whatever way she could. She was beyond friendly, she was warm and loved a good hug - a ray of sunshine and her laugh was so contagious too. A beacon of information for young businesses and always supported local as well. She was the absolute advocate for small independents and pushed for exposure on all platforms of social media, not just for her own business but for everyone else’s too. A rare, pure and true human with only good intentions for others. She’s going to be so missed. RIP”
