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Crime Front

Also known as:

Location: 172 Kilmore Street, Central Christchurch

Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand

Current Status: Demolished post-earthquake

Active as a live music venue: 2000’s – 2015

Bar Manager: –

Bookings:

Website:

Capacity: –

All-Ages: House-Parties

A decrepit old wooden villa on Kilmore Street occupied primarily by Michael Boulden (who used the space as a recording studio / video editing office) and professional musician Simon Nunn, whilst other musicians (including The Pickups /  Terror of the Deeps William Daymond) came and went over the years – taking advantage of the 6 rooms and ridiculously cheap $200 rent.

Both Boulden and Nunn have strong connections to the Christchurch live music scene – particularly the Stefan van Soest Hit Machine (of which Nunn has been a long-time member), and as such hosted a large number of house parties over the years.

One room was set up as a practice space, so there was always an array of amplifiers and a drum kit available, and parties would often stretch far in to the early hours, particularly after the earthquake impacted neighbors gradually moved out.

In the early 2010’s, Boulden lent keyboards to Nunns drums, guitar and vocals, forming the duo Bergerac – an eclectic studio creation, forming the pseudo-label Crime Front Kilmore to release the material.

The house was heavily damaged in the Canterbury Earthquakes, however it was still habitable for quite a period after, until finally being marked for demolition in 2015.

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