Back and bigger than ever: Ōtautahi’s music resurgence

Ōtautahi music scene diversifies. Source: Unsplash.  

It’s no secret we cop a little bit of flack as Cantabrians. The narrative of Christchurch is ‘boring’ and ‘there’s nothing to do here’ has long existed, but since the earthquakes the rebuild in the music scene and nightlife has been slowly re-emerging.  

Now, is Christchurch the best place to be – probably not? But it’s so back.  

Live music has become seemingly more popular in the city. With a mix of bands, solo artists, DJs, covers and more there’s undeniably variety.  

Take Loons in Lyttelton – a staple. Or the Church… or even Fat Eddies – they all have the live music appeal.  

The Loons has long existed in the Lyttelton scene, starting out as the Lyttelton Working Men’s Club back in 1951. Venue manager Alex Wright commented on the resurfacing culture of live music in the Garden City which he said, “elicits a feeling”.  

Wright went on to talk about the microcosm of Lyttelton artists as having its’ own niche, and while some bars are catering to bums on seats, The Loons attracts international, national, and local artists – while hosting up to 300 people.  

In the step away from the chokehold drum and bass held over Aotearoa in 2020, the influence of garage and house is becoming more prevalent.  

Co-founder of Ōtautahi based label Redline Records, Pearce Hillier, feels the shift came post-covid, with more demand in other genres popping up.  

The record label and DJ collective (@redlinerecs) are defying typical music molds and gaining traction by regularly releasing tracks and platforming solo artists.  

Hillier (Covrs) joined Josh (Joshi) to start the label.  

Redline now boasts 11,000+ followers on SoundCloud, serving as a platform for other artists and DJs to release music under.  

Pearce explained to Canta how music released by solo artists themselves doesn’t typically get as much traction, whereas Redline supports artists.  

The process is surprisingly candid with Hillier bumping into artists frequently. 

“I was at a gig, and I asked this dude that was headlining that I’d love to hear that song released, would you be keen?” he said.  

While Tall Poppy Syndrome might tell you there are too many people wanting to become DJs with it feeling like another TikTok trend, the growth in this culture in Ōtautahi only diversifies the sounds on offer.  

And there are definitely worse hobbies, like real life Quidditch?!  (Disclaimer - Please keep playing Quidditch!)