NZ's Longest Running Blues Venue
June 2010
The Southern Blues Bar is one of New Zealand's leading live music venues and has enjoyed performances by many International acts as well as the best of the Kiwi music scene.
IN THE BEGINING
It started as the Southern Blues Club Inc in 1984 - set-up by a group of 8 Christchurch Blues fans. Every 6 months or so these friends hired several local Blues bands and a venue and advertised the evening via Radio.
They also arranged visits from international Blues artists and some of the first visitors were Robert Lockwood Jr., Roy Buchanan and Charlie Musselwhite.
Meanwhile membership of the club was growing fast and they needed a more permanent venue, which was eventually leased from the Anglican Church in Tuam Street. The eight committee members each contributed a thousand dollars and they laboured long and hard to renovate the leased premises and create a bar, stage and dance floor.
The new premises were opened in 1987, with four nights a week live Blues music including a jam night for card holding members only. Liquor was initially on a BYO basis while their full Liquor License application was being considered.
Roger McArthur - one of the Club founders and jam night M.C. remembers:
When people applied to be members of the club we asked them to list their occupation. When the Tuam Street premises were being refurbished we rang all the electricians and asked them to volunteer their assistance and the same with the builders and the plumbers --they all came and helped.
We applied for a liquor license on the basis that the club was formed for musicians who worked until 11.00 p.m. and then wanted to relax and play at the club.
Getting this license was a real coup as at that time liquor licenses were very hard to obtain and few musicians clubs and even sports clubs had them.
We started the club, not for the money but as an opportunity for musicians to play live Blues. So many Blues bands started in Christchurch that they couldn't fit them in and on some Friday nights we would hire 2-3 bands who would take it in turns to play.
Right from the start we made sure that all musicians who played were paid and all memberships and bar takings went to pay the bands.
We wrote and invited some North Island musicians and one of the best acts I ever saw at the club was Rick Bryant and The Windy City Strugglers.
Some members were excellent musicians but very shy - they would bring along their guitars and Saxes and then hide in a corner all night. It was agony getting some of them up on stage - but the Thursday Jam Night did the trick and once on stage we couldn't get them off again.
Bruce Ivey - guitarist and long time member:
My earliest memories of the Blues bar were listening to Steve Costigan on Plains FM Radio doing his weekly Blues music show. I taped a lot of songs off there….. Steve advertised Jam Night and invited people to come down and have a go so a few friends and I went there one Thursday night to check it out.
It was a seedy, dark, small venue, with leather jackets and tattoos not uncommon and a rawness about it which appealed to me. No plastic people here, a few scary ones, but also a hard core of good musicians who played my kinda music - blues.
There were also friendly people behind the bar. One night I mentioned that I had enjoyed seeing Charlie Musselwhite at the Carlton and he was a hero of mine, and the next time I went in they had an autographed poster for me.
In 1990 the 3 year lease on Tuam Street ended and the hunt was on for new and larger premises. A suitable warehouse was found in Madras Street and the club's savings were poured into making this new site the Blues club the committee and members had always dreamed of.
Meanwhile the blues continued unabated with The 32/20 Blues Band one of the staples featuring:
Roger McArthur - Drums
Steve Costigan - Harp & vocals
Ian Smith - Guitar
Gary Easterbrook - Bass
After one year the new club was in trouble financially and so Steve Costigan took over the Lease, brought in a partner to finance the operation, converted the club into a full-time commercial venture and re-named it the Southern Blues Bar.
They poured money into advertising and received a 24 hour liquor license. Trading was difficult for the next three years but gradually the Bar became well known, with a broad base of regular clientele.
Nigel Spiers remembers:
The weekly highlight was definitely the Thursday night Blues Jam and this was also my introduction to live performance. A group of us including Bruce Ivey, Mike Surity and Steve Krenek used to meet at a friend’s place most Thursday evenings. Then after a practice and a bit of Dutch courage we would load up our instruments and arrive at the Blues Bar around 9.30 pm. The first step was to enter our name on the blackboard and then settle back with a few pints, a plate of Bazz O’Shea's finest French fries and watch the first few hopefuls perform. I remember being so nervous when it was our turn to play that I couldn’t even remember my own name. However Steve, Roger and all the patrons were totally supportive and every act was generously applauded after their three songs. This was the perfect environment for aspiring musicians of all ages.
HERE & NOW
By 1998 the Southern Blues Bar had doubled its annual turnover and was the darling of the breweries at a time when many bars in Christchurch experienced a 10-15% reduction in trade. Two of the key reasons for this success were live music 7 nights and a policy of not shutting the doors until the last patron had had enough. This success also enabled Steve to upgrade all facilities and create a superb venue for live music.
The Southern Blues Bar is an oblong room that can accommodate up to 400 people, with the focal point being the stage at the far end. The stage is large, for a blues bar - some 25 ft wide by 16 ft deep and can hold an 18 piece big jazz band. The sound system is JBL with 2 x 18", 2 x 15" speakers and a horn either side, 5000 watts of amplification, drum fill, fold back, a remote mixing box with 24 channel mixer and a range of effects and compression. Most importantly of all the resident sound man, Ian Donaldson produces a clear, warm and well balanced sound.
The floors are wooden and the 30' bar is well stocked with a huge selection of drinks. A large kitchen, run by Baz O’Shea serves food and non-alcoholic drinks all night. The walls are decorated with the posters of all the acts that have played at the Blues Bar and Blues memorabilia collected over a lifetime. The cozy atmosphere means the place feels right with 40 patrons or 250 on a steaming Saturday night.
Be sure to check out the Southern Blues Bar, next time you're in Christchurch, New Zealand
|
