Third time lucky

On Friday (and Saturday) night hubby & I were at the re-re-reopening of one of Lyttelton's few surviving drinking holes - the Wunderbar. Hopefully it proves to be third time lucky... even though each reopening party has been a hell of a good time, we're all hoping there isn't going to be a fourpeat.

The first reopening party was way back in 2010, after the September earthquake. I almost made it - I did get to Lyttelton that night, but at the exact moment I arrived in town, the Wundy was absolutely packed and heaving to a raucous heavy metal band. After bumping into a good friend of mine on the footpath, we decided to head over to the Lava Bar & hang out there for a while. It was good night, and one of the last times I set foot in the Volcano Cafe/Lava Bar before the February 2011 earthquake caused fatal damage to it, and other buildings. It was subsequently demolished, along with a large chunk of London St.

February's earthquake also took out the Wunderbar - but not for long. By the last weekend in April, the Wundy was ready to go once more, and the second reopening also doubled as the album launch for the Harbour Union CD.

The Harbour Union album is available on iTunes

(buy!buy!buy!)

And then, just when we all thought it couldn't get any worse, we had the June double-whammy earthquake and the Wundy was closed once more. This time, repairs and consent seemed to take a lot longer but finally, by the end of March 2012, she was ready to rock once again.

For the re-re-reopening, the party was two nights long, with a different line-up each night. Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be a lot of crossover in the audience over the two nights. There were a few others who we noticed were there both nights, but even though each night had its own vibe and audience, they were packed full of very happy people - both onstage and off.

If you weren't there - here's a little taste of some of the bands we enjoyed on the weekend, and a bit of a promo for some of the very talented & hard-working local musicians who've entertained many thousands of people at the Wunderbar, and around the world.

Lindon Puffin: 'Outta Reach' from the album Hope Holiday


The Eastern: 'The Letting Go' from the album Hope and Wire

The Tiny Lies: 'I Am A Ghost' from the EP Trials

The Unfaithful Ways: 'The Trouble I'm In' from the album Free Rein

Delaney Davidson: 'Little Heart' from the album Self Decapitation

A musical postcard from Lyttelton, New Zealand. Welcome back Wundy!!