thebigcity

Entry 01,425 · Est. 2002

thebigcity

New Zealand Music and Christchurch Culture

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The Lovehorror Web

Biography George Churton formed high-octane rock group The Lovehorror Web around 1987 with an initial supporting line of Mick Elborado, Phil Hubbard and his…

Venues

Southern Blues Bar

The Southern Blues Bar at 198 Madras Street was a beloved Christchurch institution that grew from a musicians' club founded in the 1980s into one of the city's most distinctive live music venues. With a 24-hour licence and a clientele that ranged from bikies to librarians, it hosted international blues legends alongside a thriving local jam scene before being demolished in December 2010 following the September earthquake.

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The L.E.D.S

Christchurch electro-pop trio active 2006–2011, featuring Blair Parkes, Marcus Thomas, and Helen Greenfield. Their self-described 'pop-tronica' sound reached TV audiences nationwide through Outrageous Fortune and Go Girls placements.

Studios

CPIT School of Jazz

New Zealand's only dedicated tertiary jazz school, founded in 1991 at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology by Neill Pickard. Now operating as Ara Music Arts at 130 High Street, Christchurch, offering a Bachelor of Music Arts through the Ara Institute of Canterbury.

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Lo Liners

Gritty Christchurch garage rock band active from 2003 to around 2013, centred on Lisa Preston and a rotating lineup drawn from the Snort/Thee Tryhards scene. Regular performers at the Christchurch Media Club before the 2011 earthquakes.

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Like Water

Biography Supported Swervedriver at The Edge in 1998, and played down at Arc Cafe in Dunedin with indie rock groups Lesley Speaker and Beckoning…

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Sleepy Age

Sleepy Age were a Christchurch indie pop band formed in 2009 by Josh Burgess, who went on to co-found the internationally recognised group Yumi Zouma. The band won the RDU Round Up competition within weeks of their formation and released music on Christchurch label Gold Sounds before dissolving around 2011.

Live Music Reviews and Photos

Mumford and Sons

FLASHBACK to July 2022 — Mumford, Sons.

Venues

Star and Garter

The Star and Garter Tavern was a long-running Christchurch pub on Oxford Terrace, demolished following earthquake damage sustained in the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence.

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Leadleg

Sydney-based post-punk band formed by Christchurch veterans Jonathan Ogilvie and Michael Daly (both of YFC), active in the late 1980s. Their track 'Caboose' appeared on Failsafe Records' South compilation documenting the Christchurch alternative scene.

Radio Stations

The Attic 96.1FM

The New Zealand Broadcasting School (NZBS) at Ara Institute of Canterbury has operated on 96.1FM in Christchurch since the mid-1980s under a unique model: second-year radio students create an entirely new station brand each year, from concept and pitch through to on-air launch, advertising sales, and multimedia expansion. Known brands include The Attic (2013), Waves (2023), Bassline (2024), and Kokako 96.1 (2025). Alumni include Mike McRoberts, Kris Faafoi, Clarke Gayford, Jack Tame, and Miriama Kamo.