About

Capital Blues Inc. is an incorporated society managing the Blues Music Nights every Friday starting at 8:30 pm at Jack Hackett’s Irish Pub, Wellington, New Zealand. There is NO COVER CHARGE for your weekly dose of blues and roots music!

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2024/25 Capital Blues Committee

President: Damian Forlong

Our Mission!

The club’s mission is to promote interest in blues and roots music throughout the Wellington region. The weekly gigs feature local bands and artists as well as hosting national and international acts. Paul Ubana Jones, Marg Layton, Darren Watson, Dave Murphy, Wayne Mason and The Warratahs have all played at the club as have Auckland-based Darcy Perry and Gary Harvey. International acts such as Pugsley Buzzard from Australia, Doug MacLeod, and Lightning Red from the States have also graced the stage over the years.

It’s the club’s reputation as a good venue for the blues that has kept it in the forefront of the local scene for so long. “There aren’t many venues where a band can come in and play to such a receptive audience and also have a good sound and light system provided, complete with engineer to help them get the very best sound to the audience”.

We aim to showcase the widest range of blues and roots music in the region. Other clubs focus on one musical style – whether that’s folk, bluegrass or country. We try to cover as wide a range of music as possible. If an artist contacts us we’ll consider almost any format or musical style so long as it fits within the category of ‘blues and roots’ music.

There might be a Chicago-style blues band on this week, followed by a country rock or Western Swing band, and then a solo performer with a guitar performing original material. The variety keeps the club interesting.

We have a policy of not having a door charge so anyone can walk in off the street to hear what’s going on. This works well as most clubs rely on members attending gigs to support the club and artists, but, being open to the public, anyone can come in and decide whether they like what they hear or not. Club members come from all walks of life, from full-time professional musicians, to lawyers, civil servants, and tradesmen – they mix together with no airs and graces. Music is the common denominator here.