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Isaac Theatre Royal

The Isaac Theatre Royal at 145 Gloucester Street is the only surviving operational Edwardian theatre in New Zealand. Opened in February 1908 to the designs of architects Alfred and Sidney Luttrell, it has hosted everyone from Anna Pavlova and Louis Armstrong to the Rolling Stones, Split Enz, Crowded House, and Lorde. Heavily damaged in the 2011 earthquake, it reopened in November 2014 after a $40 million restoration and holds Heritage New Zealand Category I status.

Earth Tongue

Earth Tongue is a Wellington heavy psych duo comprising Gussie Larkin (Guitar/Vocals) and Ezra Simons (Drums/Vocals), known for their fuzz-driven two-piece sound and their 2019 release The Well Of Pristine Order on UK label Stolen Body Records.

She’s Insane

She’s Insane were a punk and alternative rock band from Christchurch, New Zealand, active throughout the 1990s, who won the Rejuvenation Battle of the Bands in 1997 and became the most requested band on Christchurch’s RDU radio station in 1998.

Sandoz Lab Technicians

Dunedin-based free improvisation ensemble formed in August 1993, occupying a singular position in New Zealand underground music history across three decades of releases.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra artist photo

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Psychedelic rock band formed in 2010 by Ruban Nielson (ex-The Mint Chicks) in Portland, Oregon. Originally from Auckland, UMO rose to international acclaim through lo-fi home recordings and five studio albums on Jagjaguwar.

Lyttelton Coffee Company

The Lyttelton Coffee Company has occupied the heritage-listed J.D. Bundy building at 29 London Street since 2007, operating as a café, specialty coffee roastery, and intimate live music venue. Owner Stephen Mateer oversaw a painstaking 2.5-year restoration of the building after it was badly damaged in the February 2011 Canterbury earthquake.

Mëstar – Steamer album cover

Mestar

Biography Mëstar are a pop/rock trio formed in 1996 in Dunedin, New Zealand. The band came together after vocalist and guitarist John White and vocalist and bassist Stefan Bray first met in a high school maths class, where they noticed… Read More »Mestar

Transistors

The Transistors are a garage, punk and power-pop trio from Rangiora, Canterbury, New Zealand, active since the late 2000s and known for a prolific run of self-released and small-label vinyl, cassette and digital recordings across more than fifteen years.

The British

Basement bar in the former British Hotel at the corner of Oxford Street and Norwich Quay in Lyttelton, with a history stretching back to 1849. Known through several names including El Santo, it reopened as the Hellfire Club in 2017 after earthquake repairs and later became The Commoners.

Sandra Bell

Sandra Bell is a New Zealand experimental artist from the West Coast of the South Island whose career spans cassettes, vinyl, and CD releases from 1984 to the present, gaining international recognition through releases on Xpressway, Turbulence Records, and VHF Records.

Zen Mantra

Zen Mantra is a Christchurch-based project by Sam Perry (Yumi Zouma), releasing atmospheric recordings across underground labels before signing to Flying Nun Records for a self-titled vinyl album in 2016.

Double Happy

Double Happy

Double Happy was an upscale bar and club at 182 Cashel Street in Christchurch, operating from December 2006 until the 2011 earthquakes. With a capacity of 420, it was one of the city’s larger live music venues, booking local and international drum and bass, hip hop and electronic acts.