ISSUE 220 March 2026
Local musician and singer, Tony Underwood, reflects on…
A bit of nostalgia about the Hull band ‘Jump the Gun’ and their very relevant song “Goodbye.”
The President smiles sweetly for the evening news...
... somewhere in the corner of a foreign field a soldier takes a last cigar, with one hand on his rifle the other on his bible, he knows this time they've gone too far...
What a way to say goodbye...
The lyrics as relevant today as when they were first written.
The Beverley-based band recorded the song ‘Goodbye’ in late 1986 (40 years ago this year). The five-piece band comprised Paul Bird (vocals and guitar), Peter Robinson (bass), Tony Underwood (lead guitar and vocals), Dick Poulson (keyboards and vocals) and Shaun Devitt (drums).
Jump the Gun played mainly in the Hull and Yorkshire area at clubs, pubs and several festivals. The band appeared regularly at the legendary Beverley pub “Nellies”, the Adelphi Club in Hull and the Rainbow Festival in Beverley.
They also supported Billy Bragg when he brought the Red Wedge tour to Hull. The band recorded three cassette albums: ‘Cutting Teeth’, ‘All Over Town’, and ‘Five Wilde Senoritas’ with the track ‘Goodbye’ closing the latter album. Vocalist Paul Bird composed the track, and Fairview Studios in Hull recorded it.
They originally intended the track as a single, but unfortunately, nothing materialised. However, when Fairview released a compilation album called “A Perfect Combination” in 2016, celebrating bands who recorded at the studios, “Goodbye” featured alongside The Beautiful South, The Spiders from Mars and Chicago Heatwave.
The song’s sound and sentiments were relevant in the mid-80s and are even more so today, some saying predating the anthemic qualities of Oasis by several years.