AN exhibition has launched to remember an ‘iconic’ music venue which hosted bands such as the Sex Pistols.

The Lodestar in Ribchester was open from the 1950s until the 1980s and gained a reputation for its live music, and was a ‘unique’ venue for its time.

An exhibition has now opened at the Bureau Centre for the Arts in Blackburn to remember the pub.

It features poetry, art and memories from the venue and parts of the pub have also been recreated for guests to enjoy.

Poet Mark Ward has been one of the artists constructing the exhibit, along with sculptors Kate Davis, David Moore and digital artist Michael Webster.

Mr Ward said: “It’s a great thing for the town that we have this exhibit to remember the Lodestar.

“Everybody used to talk about it, it was iconic, it mean a lot to a lot of people and was a rites of passage for many.

“It was a community of young like-minded people, stepping out from their factories and typing pools to express themselves through music and fashion.

“The broader themes of the exhibition are the empowerment of women and the cultural significance of the Lodestar club during the 60s and 70s.”

A selection of poetry entitled ‘Portrait in Black’ is also being released in connection with the exhibition to remember the venue.

The Ribble Valley venue was famed for its musical shows and hosted the Sex Pistols in 1976 and the Boomtown Rats a year later for their first UK gig.

The build up to the exhibition began with a video package remembering the venue shown before the Blackburn Rovers game against Aston Villa in April.

Abstract artwork remembering the venue was also put up in Richmond Terrace in Blackburn and near Turf Moor in Burnley over the summer to build support ahead of the visit.

Former owner Margo Grimshaw said it was a ‘special’ venue for its era and it was one of the first public houses in the area for around 50 years.

She said: “It was a very good time, we had people coming from all over.

“It was really unique and innovative for its time.

“It was a big event in most peoples lives, it was really quite fantastic.

“It was a breakthrough, you didn’t get places like that, there just used to be a bar and a vault.”

The exhibition in Victoria Street will be open until Friday, September 29.