See below for details on concerts, Society Nights and sessions and workshop.
>> Please refer to each event listing and take note of where it is taking place.
Old time and bluegrass music jam sessions and banjo workshops
These Sunday jam sessions and workshops are currently being held in different venues due to fire at Alicetown Community House in November 2025.
Society Nights
Society Nights will be held on the fourth Thursday of the month, normally at the Abandoned Taproom (but note change of venue for April Society Night only). They start with a Guest Spot by a feature artist or group. The Guest Spot is half a concert, i.e. 45 minutes. This is followed by a tea and coffee break then floorspots and a jam session for one and all. Admission is generally $20 for general admission, $15 for members or children – includes tea and coffee. Door sales only. (There is also an occasional ‘blackboard’ concert without a featured Guest Spot.)
and much more to come – keep an eye on this website for details for future events!!
Society night Thursday 28th May featuring the Kelburn Viaduct Municipal Ensemble Jug Band
When Neil Worboys chanced upon jug band music in the 1960s, his life was turned upside down and has never been the same. In 1968, on seeing Napier’s “10% Supermarket Discount Band” at the renowned Wellington coffee bar Chez Paree, he vowed and declared to “get his own jug band together”. Since then Neil has been involved in quite a few jug bands – Stupid Cat Requiem, Bulldogs Allstar Goodtime Band, The Hot Mumbles Jug Band, The Electric Jug Band, The Whakapunaki Favourites, The Ear Boggles and the Pillock Brothers, to name just a few.
The Kelburn Viaduct Municipal Ensemble Jug Band had its genesis in 2013 when Pip Payne, Neil Worboys, Bill Wood, Maurice Priestley and Steve Carlyle banded together with the avowed intention of playing jug band music, as this had played an important part in the development of their individual DNAs and a vital source of inspiration for everything musical.
Their repertoire is a mix of original songs, which intentionally and vaguely follows the styles of Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, the Jim Kweskin Jug Band and other inspirational pioneers of blues and jug band music, along with cover versions of the above-mentioned heroes.
The band spent 2014 and 2015 playing a number of Wellington venues, followed by the Wellington Folk Festival and several out of town Jazz n Blues Festivals. Their first album Stomp Around the Floor was recorded live one rainy Saturday afternoon in late 2015, followed by a stomping CD release party at the Kelburn Village Pub. The end of 2015 saw Pip Payne replaced by Carol Bean. The band maintained and built their fan base through to 2020 by adding gigs at key venues. They released their second CD and online EP album Round Your Door, featuring all original compositions, on Friday 31 July 2020 at the Wellington Bluegrass Society.
When Steve left in late 2020 they recruited Peter Gregory – bass player extraordinaire, to play tea chest bass and multi-instrumentalist Barry Carter to sing and play washboard. The re-worked six-piece band continued to perform around the capital city with irregular forays into the hinterland to play at festivals and rural pubs. 2024 saw the departure of Maurice and Peter and the arrival of Derek Burfield, who brought his jug band experience having started in Palmerston North in the 1970s with Railway Pie playing jug and upright bass.
The KVMEJB continue to build and refine their repertoire, and audiences can look forward to hearing a mix of traditional and contemporary songs from Lead Belly, Skip James, Tom Waits, Maria Muldaur and Mississippi John Hurt, as well as chosen originals.
Kelburn Viaduct Municipal Ensemble Jug Band performing If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day by Robert Johnson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3a7qnG05tA
Audioculture – The noisy library of New Zealand music:
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/the-jug-band-boom
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/wellington-s-folk-coffee-bars
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/railway-pie
Society Night – featuring the Kelburn Viaduct Municipal Ensemble Jug Band
Thursday 28th May, 7:30pm start
Door sales only, from 7:00pm.
Wellington Bluegrass Society @ Abandoned Taproom Petone
38 Fitzherbert Street
$20/$15 members or children – tea and coffee included
Door sales only
Come for dinner before the show!
Abandoned Taproom Petone have plenty of tasty treats, and grab a drink (or two) as well:
www.abandonedbrewery.co.nz/taprooms#Petone
Society nights happen on the fourth Thursday of the month. The feature act performs the first set, starting at 7:30pm;
second set is floorspots followed by a jam session.
Second Sunday each month – Jam Sessions and banjo workshop – Old Time Music and Bluegrass
Old-time Music and Bluegrass jam sessions
second Sunday of each month
2:00 – 5:00pm
Venue: Memelink Artspace, 223 The Esplanade, Petone
Free entry for jam sessions! All welcome!
Jam Sessions
The old-time jam will be the first half (2:00-3:30pm) and bluegrass jam the second half (3:30-5:00pm). You can come for one. or the other, or both! And there are also Banjo Workshops available between 3:00pm and 5:00pm – but booking is essential for these.
All are welcome to play or to listen.
Banjo Workshop
There will be a banjo workshop, for absolute beginners. Running in parallel to the jam session, at the same venue, this will cater for anyone who has either just picked up a banjo, through to getting you up to jamming with others.
Banjo workshop for absolute beginners
3:00 – 5:00pm second Sunday each month
$40 per person (or as advertised) – booking required – please book via email before the day for this event
Please bring:
+ banjo
+ tuner
+ drink bottle
+ some means of taking notes – a recording device is fine
Venue:
Memelink Artspace, 223 The Esplanade, Petone
Please email andrewbicknell2018@gmail.com to register your interest in this workshop
Wellington Bluegrass Society, Petone New Zealand
for good fun and fine music!