The North Star
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The North Star is a venue, pub and club in Lerwick located in Harbour Street.
History
The 'Picture Palace' originally opened as a cinema on Wednesday 24 September 1913. The films shown on that day were, a study of bird life called 'Swans in Captivity' and a love story called 'A Runaway Match'.
The whole spectrum of Shetland society passed through its doors. On one occasion in the 1930s it even played host to some local livestock. One morning staff heard strange noises from behind the screen, and found a herd of cows trying to evade the slaughterhouse had crashed through the building's rear door and run out the front. Reports say that all the animals left the building safely and with a minimum of mess, apart from the frayed nerves of some of the staff.
The cinema finally closed its doors in 1989. Soon after that it became a disco and music venue simply known as The North Star.
The venue hosted quite a few famous faces having seen Idlewild, Mani (Stone Roses), Peter Hook (New Order), Durutti Column, The Delgados, Speedway, Ocean Colour Scene and even The Wurzels.
However, the North Star was purchased by the Hjaltland Housing Association in late 2006, along with Mooney's Wake. The intention is to turn the buildings into flats, or to demolish them and build new flats on the site.
In Closing
On the 7th of April, the North Star had its final live acts playing. The three acts who played were Revolver, The North Country Fair and a band, put together on the evening made up of Jack Sandison (bass), Brian Stewart (guitar), Sven McAlpine (vocals and guitar), as the scheduled band, Puressence, got stuck in Manchester due to foggy conditions. The final track played after the bands had finished was We'll Meet Again, a fitting ending track for the closing of a venue which had been described as "The best venue north of Glasgow".
The final event, a disco, was held on Saturday 14th April 2007.
