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Wayne Allen

The Secrets at The Plainsman, Lichfield Street, Christchurch, 1964

The Plainsman

The Plainsman was a no-alcohol coffee lounge, steakhouse and music venue that operated from 1962 to 1972 at 110 Lichfield Street in central Christchurch. One of the city’s most important musical venues of the beat era, it launched the careers of Ray Columbus, The Secrets, and Gary Thain — later of Uriah Heep — and hosted Dinah Lee, Chants R&B, and a young Johnny Farnham.