For one closing night time, a seemingly unusual Sunday night time in early 2022, music echoed from Sammy’s as soon as extra.
Solely this time, it was towards the legislation.
The story goes some city explorers had discovered an unlocked entry level into the enduring Dunedin leisure venue, closed since 2017, just a few months earlier.
Native bands Scorching Sauce Membership, Sunflower Scent and The Beatniks took to the identical stage as soon as utilized by their predecessors, The Clear and The Verlaines — The Beatniks even protecting The Clear’s Something Might Occur.
Fraser Thompson was there that night time and says he captured “probably the most spectacular act of vigilante problem-solving I’ve ever seen”.
“Probably the most shocking half was how wild it wasn’t,” Thompson says.
“For an unlawful gig in an deserted constructing, every thing was very calm and properly organised.”
Images and movies of the illicit Sammy’s gig — the faces of the gang blurred — may be discovered on Thompson’s web site dunedinsound.com, described as a everlasting and non-commercial media archive for gigs occurring in Dunedin.
The broader kaupapa, Thompson says, is “to doc as a lot of the music scene as I can over time”.
And that he has carried out, having documented almost 450 gigs for the reason that web site was launched in 2014.
“In line with the shutter counts on my cameras, I’ve taken 126,538 photographs in complete.”
The unique concept was to report simply the audio of reside performances utilizing a “stealthy recording rig” within the custom of tape bootleggers from the 1970-90s.
“I constructed these microphones that go on my ears so I can report, and I constructed a bit of field which means they will face up to actually excessive volumes.
“I am going to the gigs and I report the complete units of everybody who performs with audio.”
He started taking photographs and movies as soon as he acquired a good digital camera, recording audio individually and syncing it with the visuals to realize a better high quality.
Thompson, who has a background in internet growth, constructed this “little house” on-line within the hopes the fabric may very well be accessed perpetually.
In addition to the one-off Sammy’s gig, Thompson has documented occasions together with Shayne P. Carter’s latest South Island tour, the opening of worker-owned Moray Pl cafe Yours Ōtepoti (which concerned a road procession full with brass devices and an accordion) and even a gospel choir efficiency on the Dunedin Public Artwork Gallery.
The entries are catalogued by gig, artist and venue.
Naming the web site after the Dunedin Sound — synonymous with music made within the metropolis in the course of the Eighties and bands together with The Chills, Straitjacket Matches, The 3Ds and Tall Dwarfs — was initially simply because the area title was obtainable, Thompson says.
“However now, I assume you can see it as like reclaiming the time period, or no matter, however I don’t actually take it that critically.
“I don’t wish to be disparaging or something, however [the Dunedin Sound] is type of a bygone period.”
Every so often, folks declared one thing as “the brand new Dunedin Sound”, typically the title being bestowed by the media.
It had occurred many instances over the previous decade.
“It’s type of only a advertising and marketing buzzword, and it has worldwide recognition.
“I’ve heard that artists who go abroad, after they point out they’re from Dunedin, individuals are all the time like, ‘oh, yeah, Dunedin Sound’.
“It’s positively priceless for that — it offers us a bit of little bit of a leg-up over different small cities.
“If it helps artists right this moment get larger audiences internationally, then yeah, go forward and exploit that.”
A part of the explanation he started documenting gigs was to really feel a way of belonging, Thompson says.
“I really feel like a part of why I began doing it was as a result of I felt type of uncomfortable at gigs.
“It type of gave me a purpose to be there, made me really feel like I match in additional — which is type of ironic as a result of, clearly, you stand out extra you probably have a digital camera.”
He reckons he’s now fairly recognisable throughout the Dunedin music scene, notably amongst common gig-goers whom he considers buddies and venue workers.
Most individuals know what he will get as much as, and he likes to think about himself as a “pleasant presence” at gigs.
Individuals have even come as much as him throughout gigs to thank him, or have donated by the web site.
Whereas good, what he’s doing is “an even bigger factor than simply folks giving me props”, Thompson says.
For the primary 12 months or two, he largely coated open-mic nights the place his buddies have been enjoying.
Among the most memorable experiences he has had at gigs have been in rooms with as few as 30 folks.
“I assumed that it deserved to be recorded not directly.”
At even smaller gigs, as little as 10 folks, he says there’s “a shared feeling of witnessing one thing particular”.
“Among the ones at Pearl Diver I’ve been to have been very quiet however very nice.
“However then additionally the ragers on the Crown are all the time good.”
Thompson admits he’s “not a professional photographer” and ensures he goes to each gig with a number of lenses packed.
From huge pictures of the gang to showcasing every of the artists on stage, the objective is to seize the whole feeling of the gig “as fully as I presumably can”.
The logistics of truly navigating a gig is a complete different can of worms.
“It’s locations just like the Crown — when it’s actually full it’s troublesome to maneuver round.
“I additionally don’t wish to be actually annoying. I don’t like being the intrusive digital camera man who stands in entrance of everybody.”
At quieter gigs, he’s much more acutely aware about not getting in the best way, and of the noise he’s making.
Thompson units the objective of getting his content material uploaded to the web site inside 24 hours of a gig, besides in uncommon instances equivalent to experimental music pageant Traces of Flight.
In relation to these bigger occasions, he looks like he’s “losing” them if he doesn’t {photograph} each artist performing.
“Typically I’ve left early and it has aggravated me that I’ve missed somebody.
“I don’t need artists to really feel like I’m snubbing them or something.”
Some nights, there’s nothing on.
However on nights when a number of gigs are enjoying directly, Thompson is confronted with the troublesome determination of what to prioritise.
It typically comes right down to his personal private desire, however different instances a “sense of duty” informs the choice.
“Typically I’ll choose one thing that I’d normally be much less inclined to go to, however it looks like I ought to.
“Though clearly I’ve been to the Crown far more than in all places else, I attempt to unfold across the venues.
“One factor that actually felt unhealthy was when Canine With Two Tails closed.
“I used to be like, ‘rattling, I haven’t been to sufficient gigs but — and now it’s gone’.”
Urgent a tab on the web site produces a map displaying venues round Dunedin, previous and current.
Crosses, 23 in complete, symbolize venues which might be “useless” — Sammy’s, Canine With Two Tails and Starters Bar amongst them.
However these crosses additionally mark the areas of DIY venues together with The Attic in George St, Stafford St’s former None Gallery and Jutland St.
Thompson says such venues are “so immensely priceless to music”.
“Creativity thrives in unsanctioned areas which aren’t tied to commerce.
“But in addition by their nature they’re in such precarious positions.
“At present, there’s an enormous void left by the lack of these areas.”
Shopping the entries for None Gallery reveals a photograph of amplifiers and outdated tv units stacked up towards a brick wall, behind an ironing board.
A portrait of David Lynch hangs from the wall in a single photograph, a dimly lit staircase in one other.
Thompson says None Gallery, on the time, was the longest-running DIY gallery within the nation, lively from 2003 to 2019.
It’s now a jujitsu health club.
He remembers the ultimate gig held at None.
“Individuals ended up within the basement simply throwing stuff at an enormous trash pile in the midst of the room whereas a few of the residents sat on prime of the pile observing the chaos.
“I don’t suppose I’ve ever felt power like that since. It was like a cathartic launch of frustration at yet one more venue loss.”
What makes a superb venue is usually some intangible combination of qualities.
It isn’t simply in regards to the house itself, however “the sum of the folks and the vibe, no matter that’s”.
“The fondly remembered venues aren’t essentially probably the most profitable or the most well-liked, and it requires greater than only a monetary funding in an area to make a legendary venue which fosters a scene.”
Thompson says one factor he has realized from his time documenting gigs in Dunedin is the significance of the Crown Resort.
With greater than 120 recorded entries, it’s his most documented venue and what he says is “on the centre” of all reside music within the metropolis.
“All reside music in Dunedin comes again to the Crown Resort.
“The risk to it from the constructing subsequent door, it ought to be thought-about an existential risk to Dunedin music.”
Thompson admits there’s a weight he feels to what he does.
“Once I don’t go to gigs, I really feel type of unhealthy for lacking them.
“But in addition, on the identical time, no-one is asking me to do that.”
He says he’s all the time analysing why he’s doing it.
“It’s type of a bizarre factor to do.
“It’s fairly uncommon to place this a lot time into one thing like this.”
He plans to maintain doing it till both he can not any extra or doesn’t wish to however “I don’t see that taking place”.
The web site, at current not-for-profit, has prior to now been drawn on by the Dunedin Metropolis Council.
A handful of photographs adorn the pages of the Ōtepoti Stay Music Motion Plan, and a few have additionally been utilized by others to advertise their very own music.
However Thompson says he has “no curiosity in any respect in creating wealth off any of this”.
He doesn’t need the web site to morph right into a industrial entity.
“I’ve little interest in that.
“There’s so little cash within the music scene and musicians are sometimes getting, like, $30 a gig or one thing.
“Why would I take something from that?”
There’s a mythology in Dunedin centred on music from across the Eighties, Thompson says.
The Dunedin Sound as an concept can be topic to lots of romanticisation.
He has observed from speaking to older folks a perception that reside music shouldn’t be occurring as a lot because it did throughout their 20s.
“Nevertheless it by no means stopped.
“Individuals by no means stopped making good music and going to gigs.”
The web site is proof of all the great reside music nonetheless being made within the metropolis.
Because the recording high quality of cellphones continued to enhance, extra worth was being positioned on the best way media was catalogued and the benefit at which it may very well be accessed.
Thompson hopes his web site will function a reminder that reside music “is rarely going to cease being made”.
“People are all the time going to maintain forming bands and enjoying music.
“Even if you happen to don’t go to it any extra, it’ll preserve occurring — and it must preserve occurring.”
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