We Love Smash Palace

#WELOVESMASHPALACE #SAVEOURVENUES #SAVEOURVENUESNZ

At Smash Palace we just freaken love music - we’re a venue that celebrates it in all its glory, creating a space that welcomes diverse communities of music fans.

For the past 30 years, Smash Palace has been hosting the hottest live sounds and turning on huge nights for music lovers. Our high energy, small venue has been home to many epic gigs with acts like Head Like A Hole, The Schizophonics, The D4, Ladi6, Temtris, Jordan Luck Band, Paua and Lost Tribe Aotearoa, and festivals like Smashfest, all creating special memories - for us and our loyal audiences.

We’re fierce champions of local music with Lazy Fifty, Sit Down In Front, Uni-Fi and a tonne of other local artists regularly taking the stage. We’re also about creating connections through, and fostering a love of, music. Tuesday nights, Pub Choir Gisborne raises the roof in song - it’s free to join and you even get a free singing lesson. Friday nights are a regular live music must-do as Gizzy's finest musos and visitors from around the world get together for Build-A-Band - jamming up a storm.

And we throw a pretty mean party. When it’s warm, we use the iconic outdoor stage beneath the wings of our vintage DC3 plane. Otherwise the indoor stage at Smash Palace is pumping every Saturday night with local, national and international acts !  

Darryl and Kerry and the passionate Smash Crew of bar staff, security, and light and sound professionals are keen to get back to work providing our unique brand of entertainment and hospitality. But the fact is, the lockdown has put the Smash Palace legacy at risk.  We need your help to keep the doors open until we can operate at full capacity once more.  Hopefully that won’t be too far away - but realistically we may be looking at many months before we are back to choking the dance floor with happy party people enjoying live music, loud.

We know many businesses in our region and in our industry are doing it hard, so we’re super grateful for the nomination. 

This Boosted campaign is part of a nationwide awareness drive under the banner of Boosted LIVE presents #SAVEOURVENUES.

Run by a dedicated committee of music lovers - including Reb Fountain, Matthew Crawley (Golden Dawn / Strange News), Lucy Macrae & Tom Anderson (Whammy Bar), Rohan Evans (The Wine Cellar) and Reuben Bonner (Banished Music) - the #SAVEOURVENUES team seek to unite in support of Aotearoa's live music venues and music scene. #SAVEOURVENUES aim is to help generate support for crucial, original, small live music venues right across New Zealand, in cities and towns. And they are calling on everyone to help to raise awareness and funds, and trigger a national response strategy in support of a thriving musical culture in New Zealand.