Also known as: —
Location: 110 Lichfield Street, Christchurch Central
Current status: Demolished
Active: 1962–1972
History
The Plainsman was a no-alcohol coffee lounge, steakhouse and live music venue that operated from 1962 to 1972 at 110 Lichfield Street in central Christchurch, occupying the upper floor of a building designed by the Luttrell brothers. Opening in June 1962 under the proprietorship of Doug “Hank” and Heather Cowan, the venue quickly became one of the city’s most important musical proving grounds during the beat era — a decade-long run that produced several of New Zealand’s best-known pop musicians of the 1960s.
From its opening night, The Plainsman featured Ray Columbus and his ever-evolving backing group — known variously as the Drifters, the Downbeats, and the Invaders — as the resident house band. The venue ran on a no-alcohol model, sustained by entry fees and food sales from its steakhouse and coffee lounge. Despite its dry policy, the Plainsman drew large crowds of young Christchurch music fans throughout the 1960s, establishing itself as the beating heart of the local beat scene.
The room was rectangular, with an L-shaped bar, alcoves running down each side and a sprung dancefloor at its centre. A basic PA system with column speakers served three or four microphones. Air conditioning was provided by alcove fans and a ceiling extractor. The venue started with a semi-formal dress code that relaxed as the decade progressed, and by the late 1960s the walls had been repainted with black-and-white spiral patterns and rotating coloured spotlights transformed the dancefloor on weekend nights. The Plainsman even advertised itself around town using a hot-pink Mercury vehicle decorated in op-art designs.
One of the Plainsman’s most significant connections was with American servicemen stationed at Operation Deep Freeze, the United States Antarctic research base at nearby Harewood Airport. These men brought access to the latest American records, equipment, and musical knowledge unavailable in New Zealand shops. Drummer Wayne “Biggy Rat” Allen of The Dynamics recalled how the band acquired Fender amplifiers and Stratocaster guitars through the base before they were available through any New Zealand retailer — equipment that gave the Plainsman bands a marked edge over their contemporaries.
The Plainsman was a launching pad for a cluster of bands who went on to national and international careers. The Dynamics were among the first resident groups alongside Ray Columbus, with Wayne Allen on drums. The Secrets became the most celebrated act to emerge from the Plainsman, evolving at the venue from a straight rock’n’roll outfit into a soul and Motown-influenced group. Two of their singles — “Soothe Me” and “Fool on the Hill” — entered the New Zealand Top 10 for Festival Records. Bass player Gary Thain cut his teeth at the Plainsman before later joining the Keef Hartley Band, who played Woodstock in 1969, and subsequently replacing Mark Clarke in Uriah Heep in 1972.
Other regular performers at the Plainsman included Dinah Lee (then performing as Diane Jacobs), Rochelle Vinsen, Phil Garland and the Playboys, Christine Smith, the Band of Hope Jug Band, Chants R&B, and a young Australian singer named Johnny Farnham, performing years before he would achieve fame as John Farnham. Peter Williams, guitarist with Max Merritt and the Meteors, was also among those who attended the early Ray Columbus performances in the club’s opening months.
Sunday afternoons at the Plainsman were given over to jazz workshops hosted by Chuck Fowler. The Press praised these sessions, describing the Plainsman as “a place where audience and musicians can share the joys of spontaneous composition.” The jazz workshop format attracted a different crowd from the weeknight beat shows and reflected the Plainsman’s ambition to be something more than a straightforward dance venue.
In 1966, Doug and Heather Cowan sold the Plainsman to Leo Jensen, who ran it with assistance from Peter Sowden through to 1972. Jensen’s tenure carried the club through its psychedelic phase and into the early 1970s. Chris Fox briefly took ownership in 1972 before the venue closed — a ten-year run that coincided almost exactly with the duration of Christchurch’s beat era. Wayne Allen relocated to Sydney in 1969, joining The Simple Image, while The Secrets recorded their Festival hits and Gary Thain departed for the UK. The building at 110 Lichfield Street no longer stands, having been demolished in the aftermath of the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
a place where audience and musicians can share the joys of spontaneous composition
The Press, describing the Plainsman jazz workshop, via AudioCulture, February 1964