It was great to visit Dunedin and play at the K&Q. Lovely venue.  Made me realise that it’s important to have a place that’s purpose built for a show. Not a venue that’s purpose built to sell grog. Ha ha.

All you performers out there and this includes anyone with a message of any kind to deliver. My unsolicited advice to you is this.  If you gonna do an event then put yourself and the people you invite in a place free of  distractions.

Another venue of note was Players Theatre in Marton.  Pleeeeeeease if you are in the game of putting it out there…..please do a gig there.   Fantastic room and pa /lights and top notch  management    They put the word out and made me feel totally at ease.

Barrytown Hall.  Soooooooooooooo Cool. They totally care for the performer and their audience. It’s like coming home to family for Christmas.  And if you do a show there be sure to have a very long interval.  People like to catch up. They yak and yak and yak.  Let them. And don’t play canned music in the breaks. That’s why it’s called a break.  You have a break from any distractions and let people convivialise.

No such word ay? not in big cities anyway.

Invers has great venues.  The back packers on the Main Street.  Try that.  Ok there are the usual distractions of alcohol and food but they are smart.  They allow for this by getting a great sound system and put the word out real well.  Puts to shame the venues of the big smoke.

It has one of the worlds best transport museums and a super successful company called Richardson.  3000 trucks and 7000 employees and a very generous community spirit. i.e. their wealth gets shared with the town of origin.  If Fletchers did this in it’s town of origin South Dunedin’s streets would  be paved with gold. Family business any day.

And that’s the essence of it. Think family.  You do a show with people who treat you and your audience like family.   That’s the way of the past and that’s gonna be the way of the future ay brothers and sisters?

Happiness is more important than 💰 and fame but being happy won’t necessarily exclude them either.

More to come about venues in NZ but enough said for this blog except to say please support the cause and get me to play at yours or something. Phone me now 02102592919.  I promise to play like a bastard.

Coming up. If you are in Auckland there is a showing of the short movie mentioned a few weeks back.

Lopdell House Titirangi Flicks

Robin has the movie ‘To Be Or Not To Be’ and it’s screening on the 12th. He runs the cinema In Titirangi. He is a serious film maker and he wants to screen it.

Wednesday 12th September, a series of short films including two from this year’s Doc Edge Festival, details of all films out soon already booked ‘To Be or Not To Be’ a short film about musician.songwriter Luke Hurley and ‘In Search of the Bone People’ ‘Sailing Away’ and others. Showing at 10-30am / 6pm / 8-pm Lopdell Theatre .

There is a very high chance that I will be at one or more of those screenings (TBC) to support Jing Chen so come along and say hi. More details here

Adult: morning screenings $12 Senior/Student: $10 includes Tea/Coffee/Biscuits 10-30am
Evening Screenings Adult: $14 Senior/Student $12  5-30pm or 6pm depending on film duration and 8-15pm
14 years old and under $7 (with an adult) dependent on film rating.

Flicks at Lopdell says: Text bookings to 0210 222 5558 (they text back to confirm)
Telephone bookings 09 818 2489
They take EFTPOS on tickets sales as well as bar sales… (finally !!) at the venue