Bodega in Wellington to close at end of year

Buzzcocks performing at Bodega earlier this year - photo by STELLA GARDINER

It's been announced that iconic Wellington music venue Bodega will be shutting up shop this December. 

You can read the statement from Bodega below. 

From the owners of Bodega - Murray Hepple and Catherine Popert.

It is with considerable sadness that, for reasons beyond our control, we regret to announce the closure of Bodega's doors at the end of this year, after 25 years of faithful and committed service to live music in Wellington. Whilst unhappy at this turn of events, we are proud of our history in bringing so many and such a wide variety of seminal, local, national and international acts to the Bodega stage.  We are of course indebted to the loyalty of our patrons, our fabulous staff, and the exceptional talent that has graced our stage over the years. It has been a privilege to bring internationals as varied as The White Stripes, Steve Earle, Killing Joke, ASAP Ferg, Midge Ure (Ultravox), Tech N9ne, Bad Manners, The Melvins, Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lloyd Cole, Roni Size, The Misfits, Ghostface Killah, Lydia Lunch, Nik Kershaw, Ace Frehley, The Fall, The Selecter, Earl Sweatshirt, Everclear, Peter Murphy (Bauhaus), The Beat, The Buzzcocks, to name but a few, some of whom e.g. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, KT Tunstall, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Pokey La Farge, Kitty Daisy and Lewis, have returned repeatedly and are kind enough to have listed Bodega as one of their all-time top ten gigs. Likewise, we are proud to have played host to so much exceptional local and national talent, including the likes of Tim Finn, Fur Patrol, Gin Wigmore, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Hollie Smith,  Fat Freddy's Drop, The Chills, Avalanche City, Opshop……….the list goes on. In light of all of this, we will finish off the next 6 months celebrating these 25 years of magical live music in Wellington. We will start to announce some great gigs in the coming months. Watch this space.