Galatos and Druids Hall
17 Galatos StreetDruids Hall was first opened on 6 May 1908 by the United Ancient Order of Druids. It had two floors, though a mezzanine was added in 1912. The Auckland Star reported that “the floor has been laid down with the special regard to the requirements of dancers.” Its parquet surface soon gained a reputation for being "the fastest" among local ballroom dancers.In its early years, the musicians that accompanied this dancing weren’t mentioned by name, but subsequent ads mention acts including the ‘talented young Miss McAnearney’ (1924), ‘Mrs Tylcoat's Joyland Orchestra’ (1929) and ‘Geo Hunter's Famous Revellers’ (1931). Norm Crowder's band played from 1942 until the early 50s. The street was originally North Street then Norland Street (in 1939) and finally, Galatos Street. The spot gradually fell out of use as a music venue and for many decades became the All Golds League Club then a Karaoke bar. In 1998, it was first reopened as the venue Galatos by John Minty, Gene Jouavel, and Tony Johnson. Artists who have played here include: Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, Diplo, The Mars Volta, and Stereophonics.
The Studio
340 Karangahape RoadThis building dates back to 1914, though it was remodelled and opened as the Vogue Theatre (cinema) on 22 November 1940. The entryway still has the generous foyer size and mezzanine level of the original cinema, while the architectural features on the first floor exterior date back to this time.It has been a nightclub since the early 90s when it was DTM’s (Don’t Tell Mama’s). It was then taken over by groundbreaking gay nightclub Staircase/The Case (which started on Fort Street, then moved to Albert Street before starting this much larger venue on Karangahape Road).Studio The Venue opened in 2008 and since then has hosted a huge range of local stars (Alien Weaponry, Stan Walker, SWIDT) and well-known overseas acts (Stormzy, Pusha T, Mobb Deep, A$AP Ferg).
Rising Sun and Anthology Lounge
375 Karangahape RoadThe Rising Sun Hotel opened in 1884 and its name reflected that it was a meeting place for Trade Unionists and Socialists. In the 1940s, the cornice was removed to give it an art deco look. In 1985, an advert in Rip It Up listed it as a ‘new venue opening in June.’ Bookers Simon Coffey and Alister Reid brought in indie acts including SPUD, Drone, Straitjacket Fits, Able Tasmans, and AXEMEN. At one notorious gig, Compulsory Joy had a dead sheep onstage and played samples of someone screaming, while the performers gyrated in bondage gear, until police arrived to shut it down.In the mid 2000s, the Rising Sun was an important venue during the ‘golden age’ of local hip hop, hosting key acts such as Scribe, Deceptikonz, and the Breakin Wreckwordz crew. The Rising Sun was later replaced by the restaurant Cotto and the Haka Lodge backpackers.In July 2018, Anthology Lounge opened beneath street level at this same spot. The founders were both music photographers, ex-pat Kiwi Maryanne Bilham and her American husband Robert Knight. The Creative Jazz Club has regular nights here, hosting top acts such as Nathan Haines and Caitlin Smith.
Las Vegas, Eden’s Bar, Shanghai Lils and Bamboo Tiger
335 Karangahape RoadThe Las Vegas Striptease and Bar opened in 1962 and became the longest running strip club in the city. Bands played here occasionally right through to its closure in 2015, including as part of the Others Way festival. At street level, Eden’s Bar was a short-lived decrepit bar in the early 2000s, which nonetheless hosted the first shows by Cut Off Your Hands and Lawrence Arabia.The long-running bar Shanghai Lils later took up residence, and legendary pianist Billie Farnell was a part-owner, so performed some of the last gigs of his 60-year career here. It was eventually integrated into Bamboo Tiger.
Polynesian Club
4 Beresford SquareThe Polynesian Club was opened by Tahitian immigrant Lou Mati and his wife Hylda Mitchell (from the Cook Islands). An advert in the Auckland Star from 1944, promised ‘Special Prizes, Roast Chicken, Leis, Chocs, Cigarettes … Beautiful Rarotongans and Tahitian Girls performing their Native Dances. Bob and his ‘Papio’ Teo Singing (Tani). Dance to Lou Mati’s Talented Tahitian Band.’ More notoriously, Lou also sold beer illegally from a keg hidden under the counter.By the 1950s, it was a regular spot for musicians to have a ‘blow,’ which meant jamming with whoever was there, which included linchpins of the scene such as Bernie Allan, Merv Thomas, Dave Ironsides, John Daly, Lachie Jamieson, Don Lilllian, and Phil Warren. Lou Mati was a self-taught drummer and his wife Hylda played basic piano, so if there was a gap, they would fill in. Halfway through the night, Lou would launch into a tom-heavy beat and polynesian dancers would fill the floor.The club ran until the 1960s, when it closed after a fatal stabbing in the entryway. Though a nightclub named Club Polynz ran in the 90s, which seems to have been in the same location.
Audio Foundation
4 Poynton TerraceThe Audio Foundation was founded by Zoe Drayton in 2004. She became interested in experimental music at art school and wanted to draw together acts across the spectrums of sound art, noise, and drone music. In 2011, Drayton was assisted by Chris Cudby to set up the Audio Foundation venue in this building (which itself dates back to at least 1927).Since opening, it has hosted many local cult acts including Dead C, Phil Dadson, Tall Dwarfs, Alastair Galbraith, Roy Montgomery, Birchville Cat Motel, and Jeff Henderson (who took over as director in 2014). It also runs festivals - most notably Nowhere and Altmusic - and has toured international artists such as Matmos, Laurel Halo, and Hildur Gudnadottir.The venue includes a gallery and AV library of hard-to-find musical/video works. They also run an oral history project that profiles artists who’ve been important to NZ experimental music. Another project is the Musical Electronics Library (MEL), which allows a selection of homemade electronic devices to be borrowed once you’ve signed up for a free membership. The person behind the MEL is Pat Kraus, who oversaw a team of volunteers who built the range of effects units and sound generators into old VHS cases.
Wine Cellar
183 Karangahape Road - In St Kevins Arcade, halfway up the stairs from Myers Park entryIn 2004, Rohan Evans started Wine Cellar as an outlet for his family’s winery, Purangi Estate (in the Coromandel). A year later, regular patron Tom Rodwell convinced Rohan to let his blues duo play. The number of gigs gradually grew - initially in the main room and then in the alleyway behind it. However, the lack of a ceiling in the alleyway meant that sound reverberated out across the neighbourhood and so there were regular noise complaints.As a result, Rohan began subletting the VIP area of next door nightclub Calibre for shows. When this space later became Whammy’s backroom, Wine Cellar instead took over a seldom-used storeroom at the rear and turned this into its band-room. Many breakthrough local artists have played early shows at Wine Cellar, including Aldous Harding, Princess Chelsea, Nadia Reid, Marlon Williams, Delaney Davison, and Chelsea Jade. It has also been used as a recording space and practice room on its way to becoming a hub of the local scene.
Calibre and Whammy Bar
183 Karangahape Road - In St Kevins ArcadeCalibre opened as a lounge bar in 1995, but was soon adopted by local drum’n’bass heads for The Breaks - an influential Thursday club night, which brought in acts such as 48 Sonic and Presha. Legendary DJ Roger Perry took over as manager for the last few years of the '90s, which meant it hosted a similarly top tier list of DJs including Soane, Tim Phin, Phillipa, and Greg Churchill. Perry even released a track called ‘Calibre 98’ which became a theme tune for the club (with Joost Langefeld as ReactorMusic). The club also hosted international talents such as Mark Farina and Tom Middleton.Calibre remained an important club throughout the early 2000s, under the guidance of managers Troy Nielson and then Aidan Eriwata, but its final owners fell behind on their rent payments and were locked out in 2009. Rohan Evans from the Wine Cellar took over the space with Mike Taliaferro and reopened it as Whammy Bar. However, running two bars became too much for Evans, so the venue was sold on to Tom Anderson and Lucy Macrae in 2014. Whammy’s central place in the local indie scene is reflected by big acts - The Beths and UMO - who have returned to play here when they could’ve been headlining at the Auckland Town Hall.
Neck of The Woods
155B Karangahape Road In 2012, this underground space was leased by the team who’d set up Bizdojo across the road. The nightclub that had been here beforehand was a trouble spot for police and the first job for the new owners was removing a stripper pole from the back room. The overhauled site ran as a makerspace called ‘Co.Space’ for two years, providing work areas for creatives. Yet people regularly asked to use the venue for events, so the decision was made to turn it into a pop-up venue (which subsequently became permanent).Neck of the Woods was opened in 2015, with Jonah Merchant from Bizdojo working alongside Josh Moore (former general manager from Rakinos). Both had been regulars at Calibre, so wanted to have the level of impact on the local music scene. They were therefore excited to host heavyweight acts from overseas like electronic duo Bicep. However, the venue books acts from across the musical spectrum and has been a stepping stone on the path of many of Aotearoa's top acts, whether it’s reggae/pop act Sons of Zion, indie act The Beths, or internationally successful pop star BENEE, who played her first ever show here in August 2018.
Mainstreet, Charlie’s Place, Peter Pan (II) and Metropole
Corner of City Road and Queen Street, on the uphill sideIn 1938, The Metropole cabaret was Auckland’s largest ballroom with a capacity of over 1500. In 1952, the Peter Pan Ballroom (which had originally been on Rutland Street) took over this space. Arthur Skelton ran the band for over a decade and it had a separate room where a light supper could be served between sets.In the 1970s, it went through a brief period as Charlie’s Place, before it was finally purchased by Tony Lipanovic. He named it Mainstreet Cabaret, though the music-with-floorshow approach he’d envisaged was going out of style. When Hello Sailor booked the venue for a welcome home gig after returning from the US, it kicked off a new era, in which the venue hosted top local bands at the time including Street Talk, Th’ Dudes, and Dance Exponents (who filmed a live special for TVNZ here).Hugh Lynn became a part-owner in 1979 and brought in international acts, which extended from post-punk bands like The Cure and Dead Kennedys through to hard-rockers Motorhead and reggae artists like UB40 and Toots and the Maytals. Graeme Soljan and Chris Cole took over in 1982, up until the building was demolished in 1985.https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/mainstreet
Classic Cinema
321 Queen StreetThe Classic Cinema was known for showing ‘blue movies.’ This didn’t dissuade Hello Sailor, who hired out the top floor for two dec-a-dance shows in 1975. In the audience was Simon Grigg, who thought Hello Sailor were “the coolest band in the city at the time”, so when he subsequently managed the punk band Suburban Reptiles, he decided to use the same edgy location. He arranged three shows in December/January of 1977/1978, one of which was notable for being the only place you could see footage from the BBC interview with the Sex Pistols, which TVNZ refused to air. The posters from these gigs were still visible well into the 90s.In 1997, the cinema was revamped as a comedy club and initially had bands performing here, including Pluto, D4, The Datsuns, and the Phoenix Foundation. Flight of the Conchords also recorded the majority of their debut live album here. Eventually the comedy shows alone were enough to fill the Classic and caused less noise difficulties for the Basement Theatre below, so the music gigs came to an end.
Bel Air Coffee Lounge and Club 410
410 Queen StreetIn the 1960s, the Bel Air Coffee Lounge was located below the street at 410 Queen Street (hence its later reincarnation as Club 410). It was a quintessential coffee bar venue of the time, with a 2/6 (two shillings and six pence) cover charge on the door and refreshments available (tea, soft drinks, and toasted sandwiches). Yet it stood out for its odd stage decorations, with egg cartons on the back wall and fake stalagmites hanging down from the ceiling.The majority of the acts were rock ‘n’ roll bands like The Founders, The Wild Cats, and Gene & the Dynamites. More notorious was early resident band, the Dark Ages, whose long hair turned heads at the time, as did their ferocious take on R’n’B. The block was demolished for an office block, then remodelled to create the Four Points Sheraton in 2017.
Trocadero and The Artist
380 Queen Street - where Trocadero Restaurant and Bar isPat McMinn first won a competition at the Dixieland further up at 450 Queen St, which led to her performing two times a week with Johnny Madden’s Swing Kings. She moved with them to Auckland’s foremost dancehall the Trocadero in 1943, before finding fame singing ‘Opo The Dolphin.’ The dancehall was replaced by the MLC building in Dec 1956, though the café outside is currently named Trocadero in its memory.Across Airedale Street was The Artist - a two-room club, with artworks in the entryway and small jazz bands playing out the back. These days, Karangahape Road is more associated with strip clubs, but many early performances were in this area, at Bel Air, Montmartre (Lorne St), and at The Artist. Musician Bernie Allan recalls when Wally Martin took over managing The Artist: “Wally said ‘I want you to play some exotic music and then Cindy will do a dance in a white bikini.’ Then at some stage, she would drop her top off, at which point Wally would turn the lights out. She'd run for cover, while we played some wild music.”Wally and Rainton Hastie subsequently opened New Zealand’s first strip club, Windmill Follies, on Karangahape Road in 1962.
Auckland Town Hall
301-317 Queen StreetThe Auckland Town Hall was opened in 1911. It initially held jazz concerts and symphony performances, as well as recitations on its pipe organ which remains the largest musical instrument in the country. The hall helped break rock ’n’ roll in NZ, when Frank Gibson put together a group to play the new style to a crowd of 750 people in 1956 and, even more impressively, when The Beatles took to its stage in 1964.In the early 2000s, it hosted the long-running Hip Hop Summit. Over the past few decades, the local acts to headline shows here have included Flying Nun legends The Chills, Marlon Williams, The Beths, and Lawrence Arabia.Behind-the-scenes tours of the Auckland Town Hall are available all year round, which allow you to explore this 111-year-old beauty and get up close like never before. More information on the Auckland Live website.
Aotea Square and Aotea Centre
291-297 Queen StreetAotea Square has been used for many concerts since it was first opened in 1979. However, a large concert by DD Smash in 1984 was interrupted by a long power cut and some drunk members of the audience began misbehaving, which led to the riot squad being sent in. The confrontation exploded into the ‘Queen St Riot’, which saw windows smashed and cars overturned. Dave Dobbyn had commented negatively on the arrival of the riot squad and was charged for inciting the ensuing riot, but he was later acquitted.Fortunately, subsequent concerts here have been less dramatic. In 2005, Shihad played a free concert that brought in 7,000 fans. In more recent years, the Summer in the Square series has seen many rising local acts perform, such as The Chills, Tiny Ruins, Reb Fountain, and US singer Weyes Blood.The Aotea Centre has also hosted many musical performances in its Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, most notably Prince, Norah Jones, and Chris Cornell (from Soundgarden).
The End
Thanks for completing this tour, we hope you enjoyed it!If you are interested in discovering more stories, join Gareth Shute for a free, one-hour walking tour each Thursday at 5.30pm and Sunday at 10am from 8 to 26 May 2022. Departure is from Galatos at 17 Galatos Street. Complete your free registration HERE ahead of time and reserve your spot, as places are limited. You can also engage with the 2021 edition of the Historical Music Venues Tour presented stories from Aotea Square to Britomart. The self-guided tour is available on the same Auckland Stories app. More information on the live music scene in Auckland during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s is also available on the AudioCulture website.It’s just one of the several opportunities Auckland Live is bringing to you this May to celebrate NZ Music Month. The full NZ Music Month programme is available on Auckland Live’s website. We are also calling out for Aucklanders to share their memories or stories of New Zealand music. Share your story - it might even be shared with Auckland Live’s wider audiences, too!Extend your visit in Aotea Square and head over to The Terrace Café for a drink or a bite to eat. Plus, show your Historical Music Venues Tour e-ticket to receive a $15 deal exclusive to tour attendees. More info available on Auckland Live’s website.Auckland Live is very grateful to Gareth Shute and AudioCulture for their involvement in this project.
