Belfast Has The Reason

“When it comes to punk, New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason.” – Terri Hooley in 2012’s Good Vibrations (IMDb).

The final incarnation of Hooley’s Good Vibrations record shop (Fb) closed in North Street in 2015 (BelTel). It began in October 1976 at 102 Great Victoria Street (Spit Records | Louder Than War | Spit Records) — the shop and Hooley are included, along with footage of the Undertones, Outcasts, Stiff Little Fingers, and many others — in the 1979 documentary Shellshock Rock (UK viewers can watch at BFI | Spit Records has a great write-up of events surrounding the flm’s launch).

The new murals are on and adjacent to the shop’s second location (from roughly 1984-1993), on the other side of the road, at 121 Great Victoria Street, which itself has had “Good Vibrations” signage reinstated by Zippy (ig).

In order, from left to right/top to bottom in this post: in Stroud Street we have “Big-time punk” Terri Hooley by Peaball (RAZER (ig) and NOYS (ig)); on 127 Great Victoria Street we have tartan by Rob Hilken (ig), on 125, “Alternative Ulster” by Alana McDowell (ig) — for the ‘Alternative Ulster’ fanzine, see Fountain Street Spirits; on 123, designs by NotPop (ig); on 121, “Belfast Has The Reason” and “Good Vibrations” signage by Zippy (ig). With support from Linen Quarter BID (web), Belfast City Council (BCC press release) and Daisy Chain (web).