Smash Palace is Gisborne's iconic bar and live music venue — the place music lovers gravitate to, a must-play room for up-and-coming touring acts, and a cool place to simply hang out. Some of the best acts around have played under the DC-3 mounted in the side of the building, inside a cantina/mancave-style pub that has become one of the most iconic venues in Aotearoa.
The building has lived several lives. Smash Palace has been Gisborne's home of great times for over 35 years: originally a mechanics garage, the space was converted into a winery and cellar door by Phil Parker in 1990. Phil's strong artistic streak and can-do attitude saw him amass a collection of local art and memorabilia — including the DC-3 that flies into the side of the building — and under him, Smash's reputation as a bloody good place to party was born. Successive owners have each made their own mark, taking the venue from cellar door to roadhouse dive bar to live music venue, always home to rebellious souls who love a good time.
Today the calendar runs on weekly rituals: a 50-strong Pub Choir on Tuesdays, the 200-member Handle Club draw on Wednesdays, Build-A-Band on Thursdays, an American-style Yanky diner on Friday evenings with burgers and sides from Kihini Catering, and fresh Mexican food with margaritas on Sundays.
For gig-goers, the venue's live pedigree is the draw: favourite of acts like Gin Wigmore, Jordan Luck, Jon Toogood, Dartz, Summer Thieves, Head Like a Hole and Troy Kingi, and host to international names such as Black Slate (UK), The Schizophonics (US), My Baby (DK) and DJs including Messie, Hyan and Mt Eden Dubstep. It's also a space for locals to gather and celebrate musical creativity in Tairāwhiti.
Smash Palace is Gisborne's iconic bar and live music venue — the place music lovers end up, the room up-and-coming touring acts are told they must play, and a cool place to simply hang out. Some of the best in the country have performed under its DC-3, inside a cantina/mancave-style pub that has become one of the most iconic venues in Aotearoa.
The building has lived several lives. Smash Palace has been Gisborne's home of great times for over 35 years, but the space began as a mechanics garage before Phil Parker converted it into a winery and cellar door in 1990. Phil had a strong sense of the artistic and a can-do attitude, and he filled the place with a collection of local art and memorabilia — including the DC-3 that flies into the side of the building. Under Phil, Smash's reputation as a bloody good place to party was born.
Successive owners have each made their own mark, taking the venue from cellar door to roadhouse dive bar to live music venue. What has stayed constant is the crowd: Smash has always been home to rebellious souls who love a good time.
The venue's live pedigree is real. It's a favourite of acts like Gin Wigmore, Jordan Luck, Jon Toogood, Dartz, Summer Thieves, Head Like a Hole and Troy Kingi, and has hosted international names such as Black Slate (UK), The Schizophonics (US) and My Baby (DK), plus internationally recognised DJs including Messie, Hyan and Mt Eden Dubstep.
But Smash isn't only about touring names. It's a space for locals to gather and celebrate musical creativity in Tairāwhiti — and the operation even extends to its own station, Smash 107FM.
Smash runs a rhythm of weekly nights that give the bar its heartbeat:
Smash Palace sits at 24 Banks Street in Awapuni, Gisborne. Hours run Tuesday and Wednesday 4pm–9pm, Thursday 4pm–11pm, Friday from 4pm till late, Saturday from 3pm till late, and Sunday 3pm–8pm; on Mondays, the palace rests.
For upcoming gigs, check the What's On page and follow the links, with bookings and enquiries handled through the bookings and contact pages or by emailing [email protected]. Whether you come for a headline act, a plate of Chook Flaps or a Tuesday singalong, you'll be drinking under a plane in a building that has spent more than 35 years perfecting the art of a good time.