Audio Avenue: Behind the scenes of all your favourite gigs
Wellington is the heart of the country’s live music scene, with gigs featuring performers both local and international popping up in all corners of the city almost every night. Plenty of Wellingtonians love attending live shows, but how often do we wonder what goes on behind the scenes to make these gigs possible? This is where Audio Avenue comes in, supplying gear for events and setting up gigs in all of your favourite Wellington bars.
Karl from Audio Avenue is well versed in all things tech and has been treating Wellington to some incredible gigs throughout his career up until he bought the place. He’s put on gigs all across town, in some of Wellington’s most infamous event spaces like Shed 6, Lacuna, The Grand, and Brewtown, as well as a number of festivals. With all of the top-of-the-line gear, it’s no wonder they’re such a popular pick to throw these types of events. According to Karl, “We’re the only ones in New Zealand with this set-up.”
On top of this, Karl is a passionate music lover, with a love for many different genres that he hopes to share with Wellingtonians. When asked about his upcoming events, Karl shared that he and fellow music enthusiast DJ Shan are putting on a gig called ‘Mad House’ at the Grand, where each room will have a different set-up and artists performing different genres. “Wellington has too much drum and bass, everyone just goes to a gig and it’s all one genre – which I hate. If you’re playing different genres, people do start to listen to different music. They might be a hard-out drum and bass head, but then they wander off somewhere else and they go ‘hey this is really cool, I like it.’”
Audio Avenue not only throws an amazing gig but has spaces for up-and-coming local artists to rehearse and promote their music. At a fairly low cost to make the space as accessible as possible, Karl will rent out the studio at Audio Avenue for smaller performers to live stream themselves to promote their upcoming gigs. With all of the audio and tech equipment you could possibly imagine, they are more than capable of facilitating a large number of people – this really is a one-stop shop for putting on a gig. Giving smaller artists the opportunity to perform live and play to a crowd is truly incredible, and people like Karl and Audio Avenue are such an asset to Wellington’s live music scene.
The behind-the-scenes of a gig are truly complex, but Karl and Audio Avenue make things easy and accessible so that nothing will get in the way of someone wanting to share their passion for music. Next time you’re at a gig, take a look at all the equipment you can see on stage and back to give you an idea of just what goes into them. The space at Audio Avenue is able to be rented at any time throughout the week, and if you’re looking to put on a gig, be sure to keep these guys in mind!
