The Penguin Entertainers Club in Oamaru continues in the same way as it started - with an idea, a need and a group effort. Rebecca Ryan reports on a true ''musicians' own'' venue as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
As soon as you enter the Penguin Entertainers Club, you are confronted with its rich history.
The walls are plastered with 25 years of posters of past gigs featuring acts such Supergroove, the Exponents, Anika Moa, Elemnop, the D4, Steriogram, Tami Neilson, Nathan Haines, the Feelers and many international acts.
It all started in 1990, when a group of Oamaru musicians identified a need for a space to call their own - a space where they could practise, chill out after gigs, have a few drinks and channel local talent.
A gig at the Five Forks Hall, featuring local band RAGZ, was put on as a fundraiser, and about $150 was accumulated to get the ball rolling.
On November 27, 1990, an open meeting was held and a week later the Penguin Entertainers Club was formed.
What was the annex of a grain store in Emulsion Lane was transformed using borrowed and acquired materials, straightened nails and severely diluted green paint - ''fortified by an abundance of enthusiasm''.
The decor was a ''conglomeration of borrowed armchairs, sofas and corrugated iron''.
One of the founding members, Bill Blackie, provided most of the sound equipment and Wednesday nights became the first ''open-stage jam nights''.
Initially, patrons brought their own drinks, but as the club grew and more money was raised, a basic bar was constructed using timber left over from an old movie set. Food was provided outside by Oamaru's landmark pie cart.
The Pog 'n' Scroggin Bush Band was one of the major acts to play under the club's banner in the first year and before long word spread about the club.
In 25 years, about 900 local and touring acts have performed on the Penguin Club stage, 1000 jam/club nights have been held and 36,000 hours have been put in by the elected committees and volunteers to ensure its success.
Ethos unchanged
President Gary Hansen has been involved with the Penguin Club since its early days, stepping in for Mike Conlan as vice-president in 1991.
''I used to go down and help out on the door, then I got roped into being vice-president.''
He subsequently served as president until 1993 and has been a member on and off ever since. He was re-elected as president last year.
The club had seen many changes, but the ethos remained the same, he said.
''The reason the place is there is music. It's not a pub, it's a members' club for musicians and entertainers.''
At times, those values had been lost, but the club had always returned to its roots, which were ''all about the music'', committee member and past president Dave Snow said.
''It's seen good times, it's seen bad times - it's seen times where you'd open for a club night and there'd only be the bar staff there.''
The club's location and atmosphere meant it sold itself.
Hansen said while it was a little off the beaten track, it had loyal audiences and most visiting acts returned.
''They might not have earned a lot of money, maybe just enough to pay for petrol to get to Dunedin - but they still come back.
''Visiting acts like it for what it is. People come down to listen to their music, not to get pissed ... [and] they like the simplicity of the place.''
World-famous 'little club'
The club is not only unique to Oamaru - it is different from anything else in New Zealand.
Musicians from around the world asked for the opportunity to perform there, Snow said.
''It's world famous, this little club.''
The committee tried to offer a wide range of gigs, and over the years had gone from one end of the spectrum to the other: ''From symphony quartets to full-on punk, to comedians, to burlesque shows,'' Snow said.
At present, the club had about 240 members, membership costing $25 a year.
Jam nights are for members and invited guests only.
Invited guests are charged $5.
Touring gigs are open to all, with a discount for members.
The Penguin Entertainers Club also offers members a practice venue and instruments to practise with.
Hansen said there was a great feeling of having helped a local venue that supported local musicians.
When it first opened it cost about $2000 a year to run. Now it was about $13,000.
''It was a very different flavour back then ... We could operate on temporary licences ... These days, you have to have managers on duty, at a huge cost; the rules have just changed so much.
''But if that's what you've got to do, that's what you've got to do.''
Administered by an elected committee, and staffed solely by volunteers, the Penguin Club would continue to thrive, Hansen said.
''Oamaru is just that full of world-class musicians and it needs a place to channel it.
''If the club is half decent it will carry on forever. No-one is irreplaceable. No-one is the club.''
