Doomed In The Holy Land

Here's a fascinating picture from Wolsely Street Belfast, taken in 1982 or perhaps 1983. The occasion was a Terri Hooley street party that was neither licensed nor approved by the other residents. But hey, the kids were united and Terri was never one to be bothered by mere bylaws.

A few of the characters were in a band called Doomed Youth, who played on the street later that day. They had been inspired by acts like Southern Death Cult, Specimen and possibly even Alien Sex Fiend. In the jargon of the music press, they were 'positive punk', and when these crimped-up warriors played in venues like the Errigle Inn, they brought along a portable Batcave and a banner that read 'Where No Shadows Fall'.

Zigzag magazine ran a very positive feature on the combo, an achievement that was only slightly tempered when we discovered that the writer, Johnny Skull, was in fact the band's bass player, using a cunning alias. Their other legacy is that the singer, born Thomas Spence, is still known as Tommy Doom to his pals.

A few hours after the shot was taken, the police arrived and broke up the fun. We were outraged, of course. That's me leaning against the hedge with the leather jacket, the hair and a can of something in my hand. Most likely Kestrel Lager or Bavaria. Ever the connoisseur.

The memory of that day had been almost lost, but the image turned up in the archive of Bill Kirk, an amazing street photographer who is on display at the Red Bar Gallery, Rosemary Street, Belfast. I've already raved about his work here and there's only a few days left to catch this lovely collection. Go see.