ymip - Aye, there was a real upsurge in quality bands just as I hit the gig-going and boozing age. It was mostly punk bands which suited me to a tee, Clash, SLF, Siouxsie, Bunnymen, Pretenders etc. It certainly dried up after that.
I also saw Death Cult (or were they still Southern Death Cult) at the Icerink, and Jessie Ray (what a crazy guy), a group called Roman Holiday who I think were a kind of one hit wonder thing plus quite a few others who slip my mind.
I also remember As the Crow Flies, I'm sure my mate's sister married the guy who sang with them.
Don't know who promoted all those big names, but I always imagine it was someone caught up in the punk 'do it yourself' ethos. If you know otherwise, that it was some sleazy chancer, please don't bother correcting me - I don't want my pure vision of the punk revolution sullied.
Don't remember Orange Juice or any of the Postcard bands coming North, but I may just have missed them. Seeing things like the Edwyn Collins documentary certainly puts your sh1t in perspective.
Still hard to believe that the Ballerina was once the epicentre of the music scene in the North with a list of artists to shame the Glasgow Apollo. I wonder if it could be resurrected - almost certainly not now, given the presence of the Ironworks (where I've yet to visit).
I'm sure The Majestics would've played there too, possibly the inspiration that brought Scotland's coolest couple John Byrne and Tilda Swinton to their spritual home.