Skip to content

Metropolis / Green Room

NOTE: This post probably contains quite a few errors and an inaccurate timeline – there is very little info online about old Christchurch venues, so I welcome all corrections and additions!

Biography

Though I have no experience of 112a Lichfield Street when it was in its prime as a venue – i.e. when known as Metropolis – I did see a couple shows upstairs from the Honeypot Cafe when the venue was known as the Green Room.

112 Lichfield Street from Kete Christchurch

In fact my debut as a performer was here in 1998, playing Bass guitar in Mysterioball – a grotty punk band that at that stage was just a duo (along with guitarist/vocalist Kyle Denovan). We had been invited to perform by our pals the Davidson Collective, in a show that was part of Christchurch Art Week – somehow we came on after a stage-play!

The Green Room (and presumably both Hofbrauhaus and Metropolis before it) was a tiny upstairs Cafe/Bar, with a small area in the corner allocated for performers. Eventually the Cafe would become the Honeypot Pizza Bar before being claimed by the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010/2011.

The live music performance that sticks out in my memory was that of Nick Hodgson (later Harte) in his pre-Shocking Pinks group The Incisions, absolutely TEARING THE ROOF off the place by double-amp’ing his guitar in such a tiny space. Needless to say The Green Room had noise complaint before the first song had even ended, presumably from the Honeypot downstairs.

Details

Also known as: The Green Room, Hofbrauhaus Restaurant, Honeypot Pizza Bar

Location: 112a Lichfield Street, Central Christchurch – Above the Honeypot Cafe

Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand

Current Status: Demolished post-earthquake

Active as a live music venue: Early 90’s (Metropolis), 1997 – 2000 (The Green Room)

Capacity: 50?

History

  • ?: Hofbrauhaus Bar
  • ?: Metropolis
  • 1997: Venue becomes The Green Room.
  • 2000: The Green Room shuts, becomes Honeypot Pizza Bar / Hofbrauhaus Restaurant.
  • 2010: Building damaged and eventually demolished after the Canterbury earthquakes.
  • 2013: Owner Rob Gould attempts to move the Honeypot Cafe to 458 Colombo Street (Sydenham), but goes into liquidation with debts amounting to $600,000
  • 2015: Honeypot Cafe goes into liquidation for a 2nd time

Links

1 thought on “Metropolis / Green Room”

  1. Upstairs was an interesting share house – home to Very Impressive (Tony Greer) and a hotspot of McGillicuddy Serious Party activity in the early 90s. Later it hosted gigs which I vaguely recall including the likes of Snort or The Strap Ons or Hi Tone Destroyers, can’t remember exactly but what I do remember is the giant pentagram laid out on the floor of the main room at the front which always intrigued me. The Hofbräuhaus was super popular with students just when Lordies was taking off too. Cheap beer, Ness & Tony and their German shepherds that drank the beer tap dregs. Good times. By the way I ended up playing sax with Mysterioball when Terry joined on drums. *waves*

Leave a Reply