the first chords were played I was completely in love with them - hook, line and sinker."(Terri Hooley, Good Vibrations) Rudi pioneered a distinctive Northern Ireland punk sound which Brian Young of Rudi described as “poppy punk with lots of guitar riffs and sing along choruses”. The band's debut release was the "Big Time" single, the first record on Terri Hooley's Good Vibrations label, released in May 1978. It received positive reviews in the music press, and was later described by Henry McDonald of The Observer as "one of the most perfect pop songs to come out of this island". Rudi, in their early days, played occasional gigs at different venues across Belfast, such as the Pound Club and Glenmachen Stables, but they regularly played The Harp Bar after it opened its doors to punk bands in April 1978. “Rudi was one of the first bands to get in on the act, making our Harp debut in May 1978 … we played The Harp at least once or twice a month, until it closed its doors to punk midway through 1981.”(Brian Young, Rudi) The release of "Big Time" in May 1978 was a breakthrough moment for Rudi and punk in Belfast. It had been preceded, in February, by the very limited (500 copies) release of "Suspect Device" by Stiff Little Fingers. The success of "Big Time" was quickly followed by Good Vibrations releases by Victim, The Outcasts and then, in September, the label released "Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones. The success of the "Big Time" single prompted Rudi to relocate to London in August 1978. Rudi were based in London just at the time when the music industry and media were finally showing some interest in the punk scene in Belfast. Rudi did get a profile through gigs and contacts in London but they failed to secure a record deal, and suffered a further setback when guitarist Matthews and drummer Marshall were jailed for a week after their Clapham squat was raided, and they returned to Belfast in December. Rudi playing "Big Time" in January 1979, at the Glenmachen Stables, was captured on film on Shellshock Rock, an independent documentary film on the Northern Irish punk scene that was released in June of the same year. In 1979, Rudi also contributed "Overcome by Fumes" to the Battle of the Bands EP, and were offered a record deal by Polydor, on