This evil however, seems to be supported by the people running the show. There used to be a flourishing music scene here that was renowned across the world.
Why has it changed? How can a human being choke culture so violently?
Frankly, I think that the people running this city are more concerned about indoor stadium sausage sizzle fireworks displays than an identity that makes Dunedin stand out from the crowd. And by that I don't mean the Friday night rock covers band at "Pub X".
In recent years, a couple of precious venues of the Dunedin underground music scene were shut down.
"The Backstage" on Bath Street was a great venue and they were very supportive of the underground scene going on. They got shut down.
The same happened to the once famous "Arc Café" who were equally if not more supportive of the alternative music happenings.
Now my bandmates and I along with countless others trying to bring a unique vibe to culture in Dunedin are stuck as to where to play.
Chicks hotel is an option, but that's all the way out in Port Chalmers (that's probably the reason it's not closed; nothing in Port Chalmers gets noticed too much).
Who's going to let an artistically inclined band play at a regular pub? Punters are not typically inclined to listen to that sort of music, and bars love punters.
So there you have it, a brief introduction to the sort of evil I'd like to dedicate my life to stopping.
As a city, we can progress and gain from independent artistic endeavours, so that the world can see that we mean business! I mean art.
- Lisandru Grigorut and fellow Logan Park student Sam Longmore have launched their own record label, "Proxy Music." Lisandru plays in the band "TFF" and their debut album "Irregardless" is out next month.
