Dux de Lux is coming back! A group of dedicated people are putting their heads together to restore the legendary Christchurch music venue. Cityscape is 100% behind this idea, so here’s the story of the new Dux, and how you can help.
James Stewart had a light bulb moment when he saw a famously optimistic friend of his down in the dumps in central Christchurch. “I’m just pissed off,” the friend said, “because every time I walk past the Dux, I get really disappointed that we’re a decade on from the earthquakes and nothing gets done about it.”
The friend went on to talk about how he’d met his wife at Dux de Lux, and how he had a lot of good memories tied up in the establishment.
“I got thinking,” James says. “I’m the same. I’ve got so many memories in that place. I wished there was something I could do.”
James is a social enterprise specialist. His firm Gemelli Consulting backs projects that make commercial sense, but that have a primary purpose of unlocking returns for good causes such as the environment, or social infrastructure.
“If the Dux held just two music nights a week, with two bands each night, that’s 200 bands a year, 2000 gigs in the last decade that have missed out on performing on the stage in Christchurch. They’ve missed out on getting paid, and the experience and exposure.”
Cue the light bulb.
James looked at the cost structure of restoring and running Dux de Lux, and saw that the revenue wouldn’t stack up to provide a financial return on the $12 million outlay required to restore the building, but it had more value as part of the social fabric of Ōtautahi.
“So I thought, what if we reduce the cost of capital? There’s got to be a truckload of other people out there who are passionate about the Dux. First of all, we went to [original Dux de Lux owners] Richard and Lisa Sinke, and they got quite emotional that there could be something that could bring back the Dux.”
Their collective vision is for the classic Christchurch experience. “What we want to achieve is, when people walk in they feel like they’re in the old Dux,” James says. “If it all looks new and modern... we'll have failed in our job.”
James then took the concept to a few businesses Gemelli works with and an investor group, and asked if they’d jump on board. “Every single one said ‘give me the bank account details now and we’ll chip in’,” he says. “Every single person we talked to said at a drop of a hat they would get involved in this.”
Next stop was The Arts Centre, which owns the building, to talk to the chief executive. “Philip Aldridge stuck out his hand and said ‘Let’s work together.’ So we’ve been working with them for the last year on how it might come about,” James says.
Dux de Lux founder Richard Sinke says some of his biggest memories of the establishment were the big acts that packed out the house: the Dance Exponents, Dave Dobbyn, Shihad, The Mutton Birds, Salmonella Dub and Shapeshifter.
“Then there were some of the gigs we had in the wee bar, absolutely packed. You could fit 150 people or so in that little tavern bar. We had Chris Knox and he was crowdsurfing above everyone's heads. We had one of those spinning fans in the bar and every time he was just underneath it, I was like ‘Oh my god’.”
Richard says he met people there who he’s known ever since, including long-term staff who now work at his other establishments.
“It's got so many facets. It's got the music, it's got the food, it's got the beer, it's got the people, it's got the customers you get to know and meet. I think that's the reason it's got a place in people's hearts and minds. I've got so many friends who met their partners there,” he says.
“There were university students who came for the music then they got careers and they came with their families, with their kids. It was a great place for the people.”
So how can you help get this going? The project group which includes James, Richard, heritage building restoration expert Shaun Stockman, and property investor Tim Weston, are looking for investors who want to support the project in return for a ‘modest’ dividend. There will also be a philanthropic fundraiser where anyone can donate money, and an option to ‘pre-pay’ for your food and drinks to get construction under way.
You can be a part of the campaign to bring back Dux de Lux. Head to savethedux.co.nz and sign up for updates.