Issue No41 — Our Neck of the Woods

Small music venues like Neck of the Woods are incubators for the arts. We’re the stepping stone for artists who have their first big show here before going on to play stadiums and book international tours. We support a sprawling network of trades: bar staff, sound engineers, cleaners, plumbers and lighting designers. We give people something to look forward to at the end of the week. We provide opportunities to create and grow strong, thriving interconnected communities. We are an underground third space for so many.

But, like every other small music venue in New Zealand, we have been really struggling to keep our head above water. We barely survived Covid, only to get hit with a loss of arts funding across the board, a cost-of-living crisis, and our longtime loyal community with a lot less money in their pocket when the weekend rolled round. 

When we announced last week that the current climate and climbing debt were forcing us to close the club, there was an immediate outpouring of love and support from the community. And, most importantly, they refused to give in and see our closure as a done deal. It was overwhelming. We got countless messages from people telling us how the safe and inclusive environment they found at Neck of the Woods had dramatically changed their lives for the better. They told us if we closed they would be losing community and a reason to leave the house on the weekend. This response immediately reaffirmed how important and necessary it is to provide a space for people to come together. 

The queer club night collective Nympho immediately jumped into action and organised a Givealittle with the goal of raising $150k to save Neck of the Woods. Within hours we had $15,000. By Monday morning it was at $60k and still rising. By Tuesday afternoon it reached $100k. The people are speaking.

If we actually succeed in our goal of reopening, we will have the opportunity to reimagine how we do things and put in place more sustainable models of operation not so tied to bar sales. We’ll be in a position where we can actually work with the community to come up with radical new ways of running small music venues and keeping them alive; Nympho have created a Google form to crowd-source ideas and people are starting to fill it up. 

If we reopen, we’re going to be able to hit the ground running – all thanks to the people who call Neck of the Woods home. 

Rebekah

Ko Rebekah toku ingoa. Ko Ngāpuhi toku iwi. I’ve been with Neck of the Woods since 2015 and I’ve never had an official job title, but on top of running all socials and comms, I manage our Safe Space policy, making sure our venue is safe, inclusive and connected to the community. 

HELP SAVE NECK OF THE WOODS
DONATE TO THEIR GIVEALITTLE HERE.

By Jean

NEW OPENINGS

LIQUID LIGHTING has just opened in the city centre on Hardinge St. If the name sounds familiar, you might know them from a previous pop up on Jervois Rd. The vibe is glass-skin smoothies, bone broth and freshly squeezed juice. Cheaper than flying to LA for a trip to Erewhon.

If you’ve been seeing BAHN MI KING over your socials, you’re not alone, king. In fact, Cringe walked past them the other day on Queen St in the middle of a photoshoot featuring a man in sunglasses holding a banh mi above his open mouth. I guess they know what they're doing. To celebrate its grand opening this Saturday, they’ll be giving out 100 free banh mi for the first 100 guests from 10am.

COMING SOON

A new coffee shop on Hurstmere Rd, STEADS COFFEE, is on the way in the old Moak spot. The wood-and-steel benchtop fit-out is a clear indication of what type of place this will be; one of the owners was previously involved with the Seoul Roastery/Stroll/Bricks coffee group. 

Speaking of Bricks, it will be closing at the end of this month due to its building being demolished – no word if they've found a new spot.  

EVENTS

Emily from Off On Wednesdays is having her LAST EVER POP-UP at Millers Coffee on Cross Street tomorrow morning (though the web shop will remain open). These are the BEST biscuits in town so if you wanna avoid the shipping costs, you know what to do.

Baby Buck Baking has a POP UP in the Remuera train station this Saturday to celebrate its first birthday from 9am to 12pm. One of the things on the menu: a small slice of the Baby Bruce cake, topped with salted dark chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge sauce, and sprinkles. 

It’s apparently Auckland Cocktail Week and there are actually A LOT OF EVENTS, some of which you’ve already missed (sorry). Coming up on Friday is a Hendricks thing at Curio called “Hendrick’s Cabinet of Curiosities”; a Sante Wines (French) and Bar Magda (Southeast Asian) collision; and a choose-your-own adventure cocktail event by Suntory and ACS. 

The Food Truck Collective is hosting a new event called TUNNEL CLUB EATS on Friday, which appears to be a valiant effort to just get somebody, please, anybody, to go to Eden Park.

San Ray is turning one and is having a birthday event with Mexican food on Tuesday July 7. $75pp for 6 courses.

NEWS

Despite news that Burger Burger owes $1.8 million to creditors, five stores are still trading. Unsure how long for the world they will be, so get your bunnuce-wrapped patties in while you can.

Cafe BBQ Duck on Lorne St has closed, seems like overnight with hoarding up around the space now announcing that OODLES from Kitchener St is moving in.

And, of course, a big sad goodbye to Flying Out, which has been on Pitt St since 2013. They are having a CLOSING SALE if you want to help them settle their books and get a bargain at the same time.

By Mike

There are 50 Business Improvement District programmes in Auckland that represent the interests of more than 25,000 landowners and businesses. While BIDs are run by local business associations and are formally independent of the council, almost all of their funding comes from targeted rates that must be paid by commercial properties in proportion to their value. Alongside promoting their local economies, much of what BIDs do is to advocate for their members’ interests with local government so, in effect, Council facilitates the lobbying of Council by businesses, an oddly circular arrangement.

Heart of the City is the most well-known example, representing the city centre core that generates its $5M of rates income annually, about a third of which goes to staff salaries. There’s some consternation over the remainder, with SIX OUT OF SEVEN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBERS RESIGNING this week amid an ongoing employment contretemps with long-time CEO and one-time mayoral candidate, Viv Beck. The departing committee members have raised concerns around governance, value for money and policy compliance, recommending that Council freeze all funding; supporters of Beck question the competence of the outgoing board. Council’s CEO says they “share the concerns raised and will consider the next steps urgently,” and, pointedly, that BIDs must “have strong governance, transparency and accountability mechanisms.” As the focus on central Tāmaki increases with the it-must-be-soon launch of the CRL drawing ever nearer, it’s quite an unfortunate time for Heart of the City’s organisational in-fighting to be their biggest PR story.

Choice items from the liquidation sales of Auckland’s two-speed recovery.
By Simon

A HUGE AMOUNT OF DVDS AND BLU-RAYS
Current bids from $10 (for a box lot), Closes Wednesday
That JB Hi-FI insurance auction has reached the video department and there are lots of new box sets and piles of new DVDs here for varying degrees of basically nothing.

MULTIZONE BLU-RAY/DVD PLAYER
Current bid $10, Closes Monday
There is a non-zero percent chance that the arrival of the HBO Max platform here, on top of the TVNZ+ paywall and the resultant fragmentation of the world’s entertainment, sends everyone running for the exits from the streaming world and back into the warm, welcoming and free arms of bit-torrents. However you wouldn’t do that due to your love of Copyright law, so here is the physical media player you’ll be needing for the next few years. Also it will be useful if you buy all the DVDs from the link above.

THE BBQ SMOKER FROM NANNY’S
Current bid $990, Closes tonight
The jerk chicken that came out of this thing was delicious.

HERMAN MILLER NAUGHTBONE BUSBY CHAIR
Current bid $10, Closes tomorrow
If you are sick of your flatmates trying to peek over your shoulder while you are taking care of sensitive business on your phone, this is the chair for you - total phone privacy assured, apart from your Chinese spy watching on, as always, from Beijing.

CHEESE DOME
Current bid $15, Closes tomorrow
Ownership of a dedicated cheese enclosure sends all the right messages to any future visitors to your kitchen.

By Simon

FRIDAY 26TH

OBJECTSPACE: WINTER SEASON PREVIEW
Objectspace, Free
Opening night for Objectspace’s next set of shows with a retrospective of furniture maker Carin Wilson’s work, a walking sticks show curated by Keiji Takeucho and some undulating ceramic tiles by Iza Lozano. They have assured us of good catering.

MAYNARD LARKIN WITH FULL BAND
Whammy, $25
Album release show for Rattlesnake Boy. Support from Vida.

THE LOOM
Audio Foundation, $15
This fortnight's instalment of the regular jazz show has a spacey theme with Allana Goldsmith, Rosie Langabeer and Neil Feather with an early Matariki inspired set. Then Whipping Star (Matt Gun and Anita Clark of Motte) play ‘musical messages to the cosmos’.

SATURDAY 27TH

CLAUDIA KOGACHI
Gow Langsford Onehunga, Free
First solo show for Kogachi, Another Day at her new(ish) home at Gow Langsford. Her painting seems to have gotten a bit more textured, detailed and wildlife focussed. The gallery should be feeling pretty flush after Pierce Brosnan’s recent shopping spree so no excuse for the catering to be lousy. Runs till 25 July.

THE VEILS
Powerstation, $60
Finn Andrews is back for a tour supporting the new album Fragile World. Support from Jazmine Mary.

GOBLINS MASQUE FANTASY BALL
St Matthews, $155
A costume ball to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Labyrinth! Costumes are mandatory but it’s doesn’t have to be from the movie - it can be anything fantasyish - but NO fetish gear for you freaky–deakies trying to lower to the tone.

DOC SCOTT
Mothership, $40
Drum and Bass gig of the Week with the granddaddy of them all! Support from Dylan C, Levi and Undergrowth Crew.

TEKNOTITTS ONLY
Whammy, $15
All-female techno DJ takeover with Mrs Fish, Malware, Nixen, Dilicious, Miss Doodles and Millzy.

SUNDAY 28TH

DAYBUS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Goblin, $20
Your semi-regular reminder that every monthish you can squeeze into Goblin with 18 musicians and watch them play big-band jazz.

TUESDAY 30TH

LOW-SENSORY HOURS AT ARTSPACE
Artspace, Free
I see this is happening every week and I never say anything but I cannot stay silent any longer. If you have a sensitivity to crowds or sounds or bright lights you can literally go to Artspace any time you want and it will be fine. I’ve only been there once before when there was another person in the gallery and they were very quiet and respectful.

WEDNESDAY 1ST

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MYTHS AND MONSTERS
Parnell Library, Free
Post-grad Archaeology researcher George Wing presents a background of the first mythological creatures of pre-dynastic Egypt, a thousand years before the Pyramid at Giza. Fascinating!

TOTAL CRASH
Whammy, $10
Grungy post-punks with what is billed as a high-energy show filled with madcap antics! Support from The Bright Ideas and Stamp Fair.

THURSDAY 2ND

ORO NGĀTAHI HAERENGA
Audio Foundation, Free
Mini-documentary screening and taonga puoro performance from WAIWHAI.