One of the first hot new international acts of the 1980s that Eugene Haslam brought to Ottawa was the Pogues. Read MoreEugene Haslam reflects on the time he brought the Pogues to Barrymore’s in 1986. The British Celtic-punk band returns 39 years later for CityFolk 2025.
Eugene Haslam reflects on the time he brought the Pogues to Barrymore’s in 1986. The British Celtic-punk band returns 39 years later for CityFolk 2025.
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One of the first hot new international acts of the 1980s that Eugene Haslam brought to Ottawa was the Pogues.
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The British Celtic-punk band made their debut in the nation’s capital on July 7, 1986, packing Barrymore’s Music Hall to the rafters and cranking out a sweaty and rambunctious show as part of their first North American tour.
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The gig turned out to be a turning point in the city’s history, not only for Haslam’s career as a concert promoter but also for the Ottawa music scene, proving to the industry that the population could support bands that weren’t classic rock or blues.
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As the Pogues make their way back to the nation’s capital for a concert at CityFolk, this time without founding singer Shane MacGowan, Haslam took the opportunity to reflect on that memorable show 39 years ago.
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The Evening Citizen
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“The Pogues may never realize how instrumental they were in putting me in business and what that did for Ottawa,” he said in a recent interview, describing his life at the time.
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For most of his career, Haslam was the brains behind Zaphod Beeblebrox, a downtown club venue he ran for three decades. Now 71 and retired, he divides his time between Ottawa and Montebello.
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But in the summer of 1986, three years before the original incarnation of Zaphod’s, things were much less stable. Haslam had quit his job in the banking industry to run his first club, the Underground, on Rideau Street, but it had been shut down the previous year and his pockets were empty.
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“I had no money,” Haslam recalled. “I was destitute.”
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A friend talked him into applying for welfare, which he did reluctantly that one time only. In the meantime, an agent called to offer the Pogues date. Haslam hemmed and hawed, and then took it, convincing himself it was a worthwhile risk but unsure as to how he would pay the deposit.
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Fortuitously, the welfare check arrived in time to cover it.
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And then tickets started selling.
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“They sold and they sold and they sold,” Haslam said. “I’m only going by memory here, but it sticks with me that I oversold that room like crazy and never told (club co-owner Gord Rhodes) what I was doing. I just sold and sold because I needed the money.”
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The day of the show, Haslam made his way to Barrymore’s to meet the band and deal with the contracts. “I go to do my job and I’m waiting and there’s no band,” he says, recalling how he was starting to sweat.