Bar Bodega

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Original site of Bar Bodega Bar Bodega Wellington New Zealand.jpg
Original site of Bar Bodega

Bar Bodega is a former music venue in Wellington, New Zealand that closed in 2016. [1] Founded in 1991, it originally occupied a house earmarked for demolition by Transit New Zealand to make way for an inner city motorway extension. Due to the continuing short-term nature of the lease, the venue continued to exist with a relatively makeshift appearance until 2001 when the motorway extension was finally started and the venue shifted into new premises on Ghuznee Street, a former Nestlé factory and warehouse. [2] The old location was later purchased by restaurateurs Lorenzo and Leonardo Bresolin in 2014. [1]

Bar Bodega was one of the few stages open almost exclusively to original New Zealand bands and has played a vital role in nurturing the highly original and unusual music scene of New Zealand's capital city.[ citation needed ]

Virtually every New Zealand band played in this venue in the 1990s, very often in front of a very crowded house. Many local Wellington bands had regular spots there: The Gardening Angels, Letterbox Lambs, Breakfast of Champion, Jahailer and Let's Planet, to name a few.

Regular appearances by Chris Knox, Martin Phillipps and The Chills, Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, David Kilgour, The Renderers and many other household names of New Zealand music ensured a wide and loyal following of this bar.[ citation needed ] The White Stripes played at Bodega on their first New Zealand tour in 2000.

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References

  1. 1 2 Matt Stewart (2016-06-24). "Wellington's renowned Bar Bodega to close its doors". Stuff.co.nz.
  2. Sharon Stephenson (2019-11-27). "New digs for Antipodes in renovated Wellington landmark". Stuff.co.nz.

41°17′34″S174°46′31″E / 41.2929°S 174.7752°E / -41.2929; 174.7752