A soon-to-open 1000-seat venue has Wellington musicians excited. But what more do they want to see from the city?

Hallelujah! A new hope has been injected into the lifeblood of the Wellington live music scene. For some of us, it’s the moment we have been holding our breath for. Since the closure of countless community staples, Wellingtonians have been hungry for new spaces to host our rich gamut of local and international gigs.

A new 1000-person venue, Meow Nui is due to open August, run by local legends Damian Jones and Rahine O’Rielly, owners of beloved live music staple Meow. The first time a friend told me about it, I became genuinely giddy at the prospect of performing in a new space in this city. I felt reinvigorated at what this could mean for other musicians, local and touring.

It’s not just Meow Nui. The refurbished Newtown Community Centre opened last year, and The Great Hall is hosting more events. A sense of optimism is finally in the air of Pōneke’s nightlife.

It’s a small sign of progress, but will these new venues actually mean for up-and-coming performers? What more needs to be done to help the city’s music scene to flourish? What would it take for our local talent not to pack their bags and flee to a city with more abundant opportunities?

With over a decade in the music world under my belt, I admit, I’m probably too out of touch to know. So, I asked some local musicians who weren’t.

Pōneke’s underground musicians on the opening of new venues in the city…

I’ve played with bands such as Dawn Diver, Bret McKenzie, Clear Path Ensemble, LAB, Trinity Roots, Deva Mahal, AJA, Rob Ruha and Lord Echo. I am part of a community of musicians from a jazz-educated background who get together to play random gigs around town. I think it’s amazing to have larger-sized venues. It will bring a lot more artists from out of town to Wellington to enrich the scene. / Louisa Williamson

We have been performing for about four years now, starting in high school. The scene is hungry to develop, and the community is growing in the city. It means higher aspirations and perhaps a willingness to stay in Wellington rather than feel you have to leave for a bigger city. / Bleeding Star

I’ve been performing in Te Whanganui-a-Tara for just over a year now under the moniker Lorazepam. The more spaces, the more opportunities, the more our communities can come together and flourish. Newtown Community Centre is great as it’s wheelchair accessible. / Lorazepam

We played our first show in Wellington as Feshh in August last year. Venues opening up like the Newtown Community Centre are amazing, especially as it allows all ages to attend. Meow Nui and those higher-capacity venues are too large for us to play at this point, but I am very keen to attend bigger shows at those venues. / Feshh

On what they’re still hungry for…

Smaller venues that aren’t gate-kept are the lifeblood of any scene and Wellington is big enough where we have the spaces already here. What we need more of are the organisations and people that actively encourage and assist young musicians, because they are the most crucial part of cultivating an amazing scene. / Bleeding Star

We need more conversations and action about accessibility, inclusivity and especially safety for both performers and the audiences. Underground and DIY/grassroots spaces are essential in enriching and supporting local artists. / Lorazepam

I see a need for more opportunities for musicians to play original music to audiences. Wellington has a great community, but I think the city needs to provide more spaces for us to play in, especially encouraging original music. / Louisa Williamson

On what it means to be a musician in this city…

The people we have met since we moved here have been so welcoming and inviting towards us. However, because of the small handful of spaces available to play, booking venues can get a bit tricky. Everything gets booked out very early in the year. / Feshh

When performing becomes a means of therapy, it is essential to feel held by an audience, as well as respected by the venue and organisers. I’ve found the audiences at venues in Pōneke very receptive and supportive, for the most part. On another note, I have also experienced feeling undervalued, belittled or not taken seriously by people within the scene (all men, sometimes those working the events), who I still fight an internal urge to have to prove myself to or gain their approval. That being said, all the opportunities I’ve received have been from other artists and peers in my community, predominantly other queer people and women. I feel a real sisterhood in that sense, and it’s beautiful to be doing it all and sharing it. / Lorazepam

Wellington is an amazing community. We have been so well supported by the scene and those that have gone before us. Having said that, we recognise it can be quite challenging for young artists to find their footing in Wellington without the support from groups and venues that we were lucky enough to have had. / Bleeding Star

On the importance of existing venues…

The Rogue and Vagabond is the busiest venue for my scene (jazz-adjacent music). We all love the Rogue and the people that work there. There are gigs there every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. / Louisa Williamson

Technically, not a venue, but the flat/house party shows that we’ve played or I’ve attended have been really special. Being able to go into someone’s living room and watch amazing music is so cool. That kind of intimate environment tears away the barrier between gig attendees and the hierarchy of being the artist on a stage, which allows for friendships and connections to arise. / Feshh

I am grateful to be involved in Pyramid Club, a space that highlights experimental music. It has been home to many of the best and craziest sets I’ve seen, encourages first-time performers and lesser-known artists, and hosts events like Techno Echo – a monthly meetup for women and trans creatives to come together and talk about our processes and experiences as musicians. Another venue that has been important to me is Vogelmorn Bowling Club, for its real sense of care for the community, with all the workshops and events they facilitate and smaller-scale gigs in a warm, comfortable space. It is run by a charitable trust and has been built into what it is as a venue through community-led action and true care for the arts. The moment you walk in you can tell it’s run by people who care a lot – I think there we need more spaces like that. / Lorazepam