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Public Address
Since: Nov 2006
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Speaker: Good Times on High Street

On June 27, a remarkable lineup of DJs, performers and punters will convene in Auckland for Take Me Back, a celebration of the culture around The Box and Cause Celebre, the twin clubs that defined Auckland's High Street life in the 80s and 90s. Simon Grigg, co-founder of both venues, recalls the good times on High Street.

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Russell Brown
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 9067
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I missed most of the Box/Celebre era through being either out of the country or back with a young family, but I do recall coming back for the summer of 1989 all fizzed up with the acid house revolution.

I staged a couple of big house parties at the Power Station, under the name Housequake!, and we pulled 1200 people to the second one.

You might have expected the guy running the town's hippest club would have been a bit antsy about that (especially seeing as I was a bit "nightclubs are bullshit" at the time), but Simon's response was to warmly congratulate me. I'm sure he's forgotten it, but I thought he was very cool about it. But then, he's a cool dude.

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Whoops
From: here
Since: Apr 2007
Posts: 47

Surprisingly, this brought back some memories.

All of them happy. Thanks.

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MikeE
From: Kingsland
Since: Nov 2006
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I'ev just posted this on NZRave.com with a link back here, hope you don't mind, def think this is something a new generation of clubbers should read...

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3410
From: Auckland
Since: Jan 2007
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Those were the days, my friend. Three or four nights a week cruising downtown at about midnight with two packs of Marlboro Reds, and drinking 'til dawn. Thanks, Hat, for all the Chartreuse. Sometimes I wonder how it is that I'm still alive.

Musically, fondest memories are the Nathan Haines band fronted by Joel when Nathan was off in NY or somewhere; like a low-rent Bitches-Brew-meets-Band-of-Gypsys. That drummer Tony was a nice geezer, wasn't he?

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Alan Perrott
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
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ooo, good times indeed Simon...loved your work.

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Russell Brown
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
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I'ev just posted this on NZRave.com with a link back here, hope you don't mind, def think this is something a new generation of clubbers should read...

Thanks Mike. That's a nice thing to do.

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Millycent
From: huh?
Since: Mar 2009
Posts: 2

Ah the memories... I've got some fantastic photographs taken down at Celebre and the Box that I haven't gone through for a while, I'll have to see if I can find them this weekend. No doubt it'll bring on the 'wonder what happened to....' moments and I'm grinning already just thinking about it.

What great times we had dancing the night away down there. Makes me feel positively old just thinking about it now!

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Gareth Ward
From: Auckland, NZ
Since: Mar 2007
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As someone who came relatively late to the Box and Celebre (mid-later90s) due to birthdate can I just say a genuine Thanks for building it to such an institution in time for my poorly-botched "ID" to be usable.
While there's always great enjoyment to be had in being at the vanguard of something like that, it also meant a lot of fun to those of us who hit it at it's later peak.

Any house record I've subsequently played was kicked off by exposure to sets by the Robs, Soane, Claire, and Greg et al down there. Chur

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Tom Beard
From: Wellington
Since: Nov 2006
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Ah, so many memories. Actually, no: I only lived briefly in Auckland in the mid-90s, and combined with the fact that very few of my circle shared my love for electronic music, that meant that I very rarely made it to The Box. One moment did stand out for me though: a veritable rainstorm of distilled perspiration puring down on the dancefloor as we did our best to dance to Moby's "Thousand". I think I permanently broke something that night.

A few years later, I was staying with a friend who lived (illegally) in his small office/studio space several floors above The Box (though I'm not sure whether it had become something else by then). It was a distinctively muggy Auckland night, and the venue was hosting an album launch party for Prodigy's "Fat of the Land". I've always made a moral point of not complaining about bar noise when I live in the inner city, but by about 4am I found myself leaning out the window shouting "I know you're the f*cking Firestarter, now shut the f*ck up!"

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Tom Semmens
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 1094

Hiya Simon - could you fire me an email - tom.semmens@biggie.net.nz please?

Thanks!

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FletcherB
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 530

Musically, fondest memories are the Nathan Haines band fronted by Joel when Nathan was off in NY or somewhere; like a low-rent Bitches-Brew-meets-Band-of-Gypsys. That drummer Tony was a nice geezer, wasn't he?

Me too... they were called Freebase or Freebass ? I was not a frequent customer, only saw them 2 or 3 times

A tune would go on for 20 or 30 minutes, and they were just improvising so wildly that you could one moment be thinking "wow, this is the most vibrant exciting mind blowing thing I've ever heard in my life" and then a little later it would be "man you guys are playing dross, get your shit together" and then back to mind-blowing again... all in the same piece.

Those good bits are still the most energized I've ever been from music.

I was there one night when quite a few of the visiting professional musos from some touring Australian show came down after their gig to join in and have a blow with them.... They did add some bits but were frequently quite a bit lost as to how they could join in.... but had the sense to shut up rather than ruin it.

Good times indeed.

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Jim Cathcart
Since: Nov 2006
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Whatever happened to the Hat? First went to Cause Celebre with a band of Whangarei roughnecks with our small town attitudes and egos. I think we all went back north with a different view of the world after that night.

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Blake Monkley
From: Auckland
Since: Jul 2008
Posts: 191

Simon, you forgot to mention the pool table.

But then, he's a cool dude.

I'll second that.

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Robyn Gallagher
From: Wellington
Since: Nov 2006
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When I first moved to Auckland in 1997, I used to go out dancing at the Box. But because I was never off my face, I never really enjoyed it. It was just jigging about with a bunch of people I didn't really know very well. It seemed like following a template for a good night out, but not actually managing to have a good time. At the time, I wrote about it on my website.

But now I like having a good kanikani with my friends.

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Julian Melville
From: Auckland
Since: Dec 2006
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I never made it to the clubs themselves, but I loved the Freebass album that was recorded there. It disappeared with an old girlfriend in the mid 90's.

I managed to put it back together years later -- the cover came from the department store over the road from Sydney Town Hall (they couldn't find the CD so they gave me the cover) and the CD came from a discount store in Coffs Harbour.

A bit of persistence pays off in the end!

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FletcherB
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 530

I still play my Freebass CD occasionally... it's good stuff..... but it wasnt half as good as what I heard live the few times I saw them.

It really was special.

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3410
From: Auckland
Since: Jan 2007
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Me too... they were called Freebase or Freebass ?

I think Freebass was something different, though likely some of the same people involved. Freebass had a live tape -- from that upstairs place on Ponsonby Road (?) -- which I played a lot, before the CD, if memory serves.

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Russell Brown
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
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The earlier clubs in the lineage noted by Simon have their stories too. I remember being Christchurch and hearing and reading about A Certain Bar. David Swift of The Press came back from a holiday to Auckland and eagerly informed us of this totally-now bar where he'd heard this totally-awesome song called 'The Message'.

I went there later, after I'd moved to Auckland. I was there the night that The Body Electric played, and a somewhat worse-for-wear Barry Jenkin disapproved so strongly that he unplugged the stage power lead. I don't recall what happened after that ...

Apart from the evil prick who ran security there for a long time, Zanzibar was a fun place. I ended up there a lot after hours. The song I always associate with that place is Stephanie Mills' 'Pilot Error', as dropped by Mr Urlich.

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Simon Grigg
From: Just another klong...
Since: Nov 2006
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Cheers all.

Simon, you forgot to mention the pool table.

U2 bought it in when they hired Celebre and we argued against it but it never left

Freebass

was the band that Nathan and Joel played with before Nathan and The Enforcers. It was led by the Harrop Brothers and grew out of Jazz Committee, which the Harrops and The Haines played in as teens...Joel early teens. They released the album RAW: Live at Cause Celebre on Kane Massey and Mark Tierney's Deepgrooves label, which is long deleted now, although I managed to track down a copy on Ebay this week to replace my long missing copy.

That drummer Tony was a nice geezer, wasn't he?

Tony Hopkins, a rather legendary figure in NZ music who'd played with countless people including Johnny Devlin & The Devils. That was one of the highs of CC for me, hanging with those sorts of guys..Frank Gibson, Tommy Addlerly, Bruno Lawrence and many more faces of the NZ music scene when I was a kid. Without exception they were wonderful and Tom, Ann & I used to sit and listen to the stories for hours

Housequake!

I loved Housequake..fantastic parties which just added to the breadth of what we were all trying to do. You were able to use the 'just back from London' angle, which worked wonders back then, to take the music we were pushing to a wider audience..they were important gigs. I think when they happened we were all pretty positive about anything which pushed what we (and I mean others like Jason Miller and Grant Fell too with their parties at the Railway Station circa 89/90) saw, rightly or wrongly, as a something musically important.

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Simon Grigg
From: Just another klong...
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I was there the night that The Body Electric played, and a somewhat worse-for-wear Barry Jenkin disapproved so strongly that he unplugged the stage power lead. I don't recall what happened after that ...

I booked that gig and Alan Janson and I have been mates ever since. Barry hated it. I love Barry but his world kinda narrowed after the end of the punk thing. Apparently at the AK79 reunion he was telling me off, to my face, for bringing disco to NZ. Apart from the fact that I'm a million miles from being responsible for that, I wasn't even at the gig...he was berating an innocent party

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Ian Dalziel
From: Christchurch
Since: Dec 2006
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It does get in...

'The Message'.

that's "flashed" up on two threads in two days now - giving Oedipus a run for his money
- Ha uh hah hah ha : )

...and Russell fond memories (well fragments of flashbacks really) of the 6 Month Club after RIU deadlines, too...

But remember we had Greg Churchill in Chch for years first - I still have some of the posters (Dominator amongst others) I put together for him for those fun nights upstairs at Noahs. (and didn't Tony Peake have a club also called Zanzibar down here ...)

I guess on the planet Solaris these clubs are all still going - in space no one can hear you scream...
right?

yrs
Fayed Toogrey

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Russell Brown
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
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Simon, re Barry: LOL.

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Tim Michie
From: Auckward
Since: Nov 2006
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That combination of jazz/dance was just right for those nights. Surf the jazz at Celebre and hit the dancefloor for a bit if the energy flagged. Nothing like finding something so groovy in the early hours.

I went maybe 10 times, a real treat I had the dosh and the nerve...

Gone but not forgotten.

Thanks Simon et al.

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Mikaere Curtis
From: Tamaki Makaurau
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 297

For the longest time it seemed that whenever we went into town, we'd always seem to end up at Cause Celebre / Box. As others have mentioned, the jazz was fantastic, especially in the wee smalls. The vibe was great too, chilled and upbeat at the same time. The only thing I remember about the band was that the (very awesome) guitarist was flown of to LA to session on Tim Finn's "Persuasion" single. The lead break is very crisp.

I met my wife at a gig at Temple. After the gig, we all piled down to Cause Celebre and had a really good time. I'll never forget that night...

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Danielle
From: PAS Women's XV Strategic Headquarters
Since: Nov 2006
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I think I only went there once! I wasn't 20 until late 1994, and my fake ID only worked at the Power Station... and until 1996 I was all into moody guitar music. I missed out, clearly.

Still, since we're in a S. Grigg Appreciation Thread, Simon once dedicated a song to me in 1998, during Beats Per Minute, when I was in Baton Rouge and very homesick, listening on the tubes. Thanks dude. :)

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Danielle
From: PAS Women's XV Strategic Headquarters
Since: Nov 2006
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(very awesome) guitarist was flown of to LA to session on Tim Finn's "Persuasion" single. The lead break is very crisp

I always liked that solo! I must dig it out when I get home tonight...

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Andre
From: New Zealand
Since: May 2009
Posts: 127

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I used to hang out there far too much. I flatted with Jmmy Joy and that's how I met Simon in1987. Jimmy dragged me up to The Playground and then Berlin and then The Siren - it was like the scene just jumped clubs every six months. Then I shifted into a flat downstairs from Sasi who worked on the door at the Siren and we'd go there almost every night. We'd head to Roma a bit too, but the scene that ran the first big dance parties really revolved around High Street. De Bretts Corner Bar was the focal point. I went to Christchurch for 3 years and met up with Fish when he was setting up the Worcester Bar at Noahs and saw Greg Churchill play his first gigs there. He's still awesome. Then i came back in 1991 and hung out at The Box and Cause Celebre almost every night until 1996, when I emigrated to Wellington. Squid and The Dragon Bar were the other clubs that drew similar punters. De Bretts was asset stripped by Ken Chambers and turned into a back packers and it was like the guts being ripped out of the scene. The Escape Club and Galatos both arrived with the latter bringing the scene to K Rd mirrored by clubs like Staircase. I'd go dancing at The Box for 6 hours and then stand outside to cool down and have these drunken rambling conversations with Simon, Soane & Tim until closing. On other nights we'd play pool and drink Kevin's cocktails while listening to Nathan & Joel. We smoked a lot of weed and took acid but it was a much different scene to today's. We'd go out and get wasted sometimes but never got wasted to go out. I saw Kevin a couple of years ago and he was running functions on a boat from Princes Wharf and looked happy, dapper and much the same. I first met him at Le Bom. He was a touch of class - as where all of the crew that worked at The Box & Cause Celebre BITD...

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stephen walker
From: tokyo
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 523

Zanzibaar. i loved that place.
it was Clive's baby but Mark&Peter, Simon, Roger, et al used to do great ealry sets before Clive spun the discs.

the thing about Zanzibaar that i really liked was that it inherrited two separate strands of the dance scene and in AK with wicked results. IIRC, A Certain Bar was going on downstairs at the DB while Clive was doing his 70s disco-inspired stuff upstairs at the same time. ACB was mainly post-punk and white, while Clive's crowd was largely (but not all) brown and more US music focused.

IMO, Six Month Club, the Civic clubs, Nelson St. clubs and Asylum were all inheritors of what started at the DB and then Zanzibaar.

And of course Box/CC. great place. had forgotten all about the Hat. Great place.

(can i also put in a little plug for the original Quays? especially in its early incarnation 83/84. we went there (and the Venue) a fair amount. and Mainstreet when they had underage gigs :-)

p.p.s. and my sister would mention the Peppermill, which had a resident band around 82-83: Ardijah.

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Alan Perrott
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
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while we're reminiscing can I tip my hat to DJ Big Matt's nights at the Monitor Room on Lorne St?

top, top bloke and top toons.

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bob daktari
From: auckland
Since: Dec 2006
Posts: 42

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great music and door policy (shorts friendly)... just how a club should be.

Great post thanks Simon

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