The Christchurch locals fighting to rebuild rhythm
Christchurch pubs and music venues are working to bring the beat back to the city’s streets following the aftershocks of Covid-19 and the Canterbury earthquakes.
While some venues remain silent, some owners are putting live music front and centre.
“It’s been eight years and I’ve made no profit, because I just put it all into music. What profit I do make, I re-invest into building other bars,” Nick Inkster, who runs six Christchurch pubs, said.
Compared with the music scene before Covid, there was still an “undercurrent” of more musicians than venues in the city, season gigger Justine Snelgrove said.
As of last year, those making a living from music nationwide increased to 900 – 15% higher than pre-Covid numbers, according to Stats NZ. Despite this, the number of performing arts venues in Christchurch had failed to increase and only matched Dunedin and Hamilton; cities with much smaller populations.
Snelgrove recalled Christchurch’s abundant music scene in the 90s, when live music was pumping and there was “plenty to go around” for all musicians.
Despite live music continuing to thrive in the early 2010s, it came to a halt when the Covid pandemic locked the country down in 2020, and had struggled to recover its rhythm since, she said.
Pomeroy’s pub was one of many venues that had to adapt to the strict guidelines for social gatherings.
It emailed its musicians in 2020 to announce the cancellation of all further scheduled performances due a “steady decline in ... business”.
Until then, Snelgrove and her partner had enjoyed an eight-year stint performing regularly at the popular bar.
She said building momentum after Covid had been difficult, but “there are venue owners that really want to invest in keeping the music scene alive”.
Gretchen Kane, co-owner of A Rolling Stone music venue, was among those dedicated to reviving the live music scene.
“How do you be the next Six60 or the next One Direction? You can’t just play a stadium when you’ve never even played on a small stage.”
Despite facing struggles like all local businesses – especially post-earthquake and with Covid – “we are positive and optimistic about the future”, Kane said.
“We just tried to employ all musicians to keep everything turning and keep the community going.”
Inkster was overseas when the 201011 earthquakes devastated Christchurch. Rather than watch the live music scene die, he wanted to fulfil his lifelong dream to open more pubs in Christchurch.
OGB in Cathedral Square opened five years after the February 2011 earthquake. Since Covid, Inkster had opened or acquired five more pubs.
“I thought of OGB after a tragedy, and I looked at Covid as another tragedy.”
Inkster viewed pub music as vital solace during tough times, noting “people are quite simple creatures really, we all love the same things”.
“It’s just so magical. Giving people an opportunity to play somewhere gives them something positive in their lives, and something for the audience.
“That’s when we feel like our work is done.”