The Pound Music Club was situated in Townhall Street, just off Oxford Street in Belfast. By the late 70’s, the former stables, come animal pound was sandwiched between Musgrave Street Police Station and Roddy’s Bar (John Roddy being the original owner of The Pound). The Venue first opened its doors as a music venue in 1967. Throughout its fourteen year run as music venue, the Pound was always synonymous with The Blues and their Saturday afternoon sessions. This despite hosting many punk gigs in the late 70’s and early 1980’s.

All the big local PuNk names played there. Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, RUDI, Starjets, Ruefrex and The Outcasts. Many touring bands also graced the grubby carpeted stage too, or hung from the exposed rafters that make the venue so instantly recognisable in old photographs. Bands such as XTC, The Damned, The Zones and The Radio Stars all played there. Terri Hooley famously attended a RUDI/Outcasts double header there in 1978 and fell in love with RUDI and the Good Vibrations Record label was born.

The Pound building was demolished in 1983. Townhall Street was no more, swallowed up by the expanding Musgrave Police Station. Today the Laganside Court building sits across the land that was once occupied by Roddy’s Bar and The Pound.

If you have any old photographs of bands or fans taken at The Pound, please email them via spit77to82@aol.com We’d love to see them.