Folk club searching for a new place to call home

The Moroney Family, comprising (from left) Bernadette Berry, Siobhan Dillon, and Mike Moroney,...
The Moroney Family, comprising (from left) Bernadette Berry, Siobhan Dillon, and Mike Moroney, performs at the Dunedin Folk Club in Dundas St. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
After six successful years in Dundas St, the Dunedin Folk Club is on the hunt for a new premises.

Club president Bernadette Berry said the club’s headquarters and performance venue, located within the historic church complex at 50 Dundas St, had been sold.

"We understand that our tenancy cannot be renewed, so from July we will no longer have a home," Berry said.

"It will be sad to move on; we have hosted a lot of great touring performers and club nights there — it has been a great venue."

Touring international musicians had been able to hire the space, and local dance groups had also used it, and would now need to find somewhere new.

"It is a big loss to us and to Dunedin."

The Dunedin Folk Club (formerly the New Edinburgh Folk Club) was established in the late 1970s, and had its own premises for many years.

After giving that up, the group shifted around a lot, which made it difficult to maintain consistency, Berry said.

"We are definitely stronger when we have a stable premises, in which we can set up as a club-cafe, and where we can host performances."

The club needed a space that was relatively quiet and could host 100 to 150 people.

"We don’t run the club as a bar, it is a friendly, comfortable space, where people can sit down and experience different styles of music.

"We also aim to foster the performance abilities of young people.

"Our performers, whether visiting or local, really appreciate the focused attention of the audience."

The club would prefer a venue that included toilets and a kitchen, and would like to administer the venue for itself, she said.

It would also be happy to share the space with other groups.

"It is important to us to hold club nights and host performances, as it is a really cheap way for people to have a good night out, and to enjoy some great music."

The Dunedin Folk Club hosts club nights on Sundays, open mic nights on Thursdays, and touring performances at other times.

It also organises two major folk festivals: the Whare Flat Folk Festival at New Year, and the Whitestone Festival, held in Waimate at Queen’s Birthday weekend.

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