The Shiralee and Galaxie Nightclubs
Tenancy 62 / corner Queen Street and Customs Street West - current western end of H&M, next to the Little Queen Street Commercial Bay entrance.The Shiralee was opened in 1962 by Fred McMahon and hosted packed gigs by The Embers, and Ray Columbus & the Invaders. In 1965, the space was reopened as the Galaxie by the Stebbing family, who also ran a recording studio on Jervois Rd and owned popular music label Zodiac. Top acts played here including the Underdogs and the Pleazers.Looking at the picture above, the Galaxie is bottom right. Can you work out where it would have been by lining this picture up with where the Ferry Building in the background still stands?Little Queen St (in the centre) also held The Beatle Inn, which specialised in Fab Four cover acts; Trillo's was at the Queen St end of the block, as was The Bowl.In the 1980s, the Downtown Shopping Centre stood here, and nearby The Peppermill hosted early shows by Moana Maniapoto, Annie Crummer, and Willie Hona’s Hona band.
His Majesty's Theatre
167-173 Queen Street - current Ermenegildo Zegna shopHis Majesty's Theatre was built in 1902 for live entertainment (vaudeville and variety shows). It continued to be a home for theatre and musicals until its demise in the '80s. Some of the most memorable musical events here were the Radio Hauraki buck-a-head shows, which included performances by Split Enz, Dragon, and Waves. Hello Sailor were also big enough to headline the 1200-capacity theatre (in 1979).By the late '80s, the theatre was rundown and its owners wanted it demolished. Yet many wanted it saved as an important historic building. To avoid a confrontation, on Christmas Even 1987 the owners surreptitiously sent in the wrecking ball and the building was brought down over the following weeks.Across the road in the early 2000s was the dance club Fu Bar (at 174 Queen St). From the 70s onward, clubs were increasingly in cheaper-to-rent windowless underground spots because they opened only at night (unlike the restaurant and café venues of the 50s/60s).
Top 20 and Zwines
9-11 Durham Lane - now Bluestone RoomThis building was built in 1850 as a warehouse. The exterior walls are 'bluestone' - volcanic basalt mined nearby (e.g., from Mt Eden). In the 1960s, it held The Top 20 which had popular bands such as Larry's Rebels playing the hottest chart hits. This was followed by the 1480 (run by Radio Hauraki and named after its AM radio frequency), and then Bo-Peeps.In 1971, singer Tommy Adderley and promoter Dave Henderson re-opened it as Granny's, with Granpa's above. They hoped Granpa's would supply alcohol because it was a private club, but instead the pair were fined $15,000 for breaking liquor laws and Adderley was nearly bankrupted.In the late '70s, Babes nightclub ran downstairs while upstairs was punk club Zwines (leading to clashes between the respective clientele). More recently, this spot was a bar, The Bluestone Room, and during the late-2010s Zwines reunions were held upstairs under the name 'Punk It Up.'
Aladdin's, King Creole's and The Wintergarden
Corner of Queen Street and 269-287 Wellesley Street West - The Civic.The Civic opened in 1929. An hydraulic golden platform would rise in front of the stage to show the band, thereby advertising the dancehall downstairs in The Wintergarden. It proved too ostentatious for Auckland in the Depression-hit 1930s and the owner went bankrupt within 10 months. The war years returned it to popularity and by the '60s it was hosting top bands, including the Rolling Stones.New bars emerged around The Civic in the 1980s. The Wintergarden became dance club Roma, while outside were two street-facing clubs. On Queen Street, there was funk/dance club Aladdin's (previously Shanty Town/Ruby's Saloon), while on Wellesley St there was King Creole's (later Tequila Sunrise), where Russell Crowe regularly DJ’d. He played records in a DJ booth built from half a Cadillac that hung from the ceiling. It is a mystery as to what now occupies the underground spaces that once held Aladdin’s and King Creole’s.Behind-the-scenes tours of The Civic are available year 'round to visit areas off-limit to the public and discover the secrets that bring this historical venue to life. More information on the Auckland Live website.
Montmartre and St James
57 Lorne Street - current Palsun restaurantThis unassuming doorway used to lead to late-night cafe Montmartre in the 1960s. It was part-owned by strip club magnate Rainton Hastie, so there was a seedy aspect to the spot. However legendary promoter Phil Warren booked many of the city's top jazz acts and singers to play here such as Dinah Lee, Ricky May, and Tommy Adderley.In the early 2000s, it became Pizza Pizza restaurant which had the odd gig - including a packed show by The White Stripes, which saw the 60-person capacity of the venue pushed to 180 people!To the right is the boarded-up rear entry of the St James. It was opened in 1928 to replace Fuller’s Opera House, but soon became known as a cinema and live theatre. It had occasional concerts in the '80s/'90s (Miles Davis, Jeff Buckley), but these increased in the '00s (De La Soul, James Brown, UMO) before the St James was closed in 2007 after a fire during renovations.
Ace of Clubs and Six Month Club
1 Greys Avenue - the current Civic Administration Building (CAB) building in Aotea Square.Phil Warren started The Ace of Clubs to present musical cabaret. Yet Warren was so frustrated with how the Auckland Council hampered the city’s nightlife that he entered local politics himself, eventually rising to deputy mayor.Ace of Clubs was upstairs from the Cook Street Markets, but the building was marked for demolition in 1985 to make room for Mayoral Drive, which replaced the end of Cook St. During its final half-year, Warren allowed The Ace of Clubs to be leased by Peter Urlich and Mark Phillips as the Six Month Club. In the photograph above, you can use the Civic Administration Building to estimate the location of The Ace of Clubs.In 1985, Aotea Square held the DD Smash concert that preceded the Queen St riot. Dave Dobbyn was charged by police for inciting the riot but was acquitted.The Aotea Centre contains both the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre and the Herald Theatre and has held thousands of musical performances, including Prince, Norah Jones, and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell since its opening in 1990.
The End
Britomart station Thanks for completing this trail. If you are interested in discovering more stories, a new edition of the Historical Music Venues Trail has been developed to celebrate NZ Music Month 2022. It is accessible through this same application under the same Historical Music Venues Tour: From Karangahape Road to Aotea Square.Historian Garteh Shute will provide a free, one-hour walking tour each Thursday at 5.30 pm and Sunday at 10 am from 8 to 26 May. Departure is from Galatos on 17 Galatos Street. Complete your free registration HERE ahead of time and reserve your spot, as places are limited.You can also access more information on the live music scene in Auckland during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s 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. Auckland Live is very grateful to Gareth Shute and Audioculture for their involvement in this project.
