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the Waikato and commercialisation of Hamilton nightclubs. And it was our home. For the next three years the roster of regulars expontentially increased and genres died – electro DJs played dubstep, dubstep DJs played hip-hop and hip-hop DJs played whatever. For three perfect years a small group of diverse Hamiltonians grew into a closeknit family. But it wasn’t just the DJs and bands who became close - the crowds became just as involved as any of the acts. They named themselves Flowcals and valiantly defended the reputation of the bar, which was all to often overlooked by the mainstream. They would stumble down the stairs en masse every weekend to act like manatees, supporting whatever act had taken the stage for that one night and making each event a unique adventure. It’s three years later and I’m 27. Since those beginnings at Flow I’ve traveled New Zealand playing everywhere from Vecter Arena to back alley Wellington bars. I’ve been honoured to DJ with acts like Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, Afrojack, Borgore, Datsik, Caspa,
Vandalism and so many more. Along with James Lawless I created the music festival Soundscape and with new business partner Scott Tindale (Piece) we created a sister brand named Homestyle – all of which is possible because of Flow and it’s managers and staff. And it wasn’t just us who’ve done well. Many of the other regular Flow DJs and bands have gone on to do amazing things as well; Knights Of The Dub Table and Tui Soundsystem have put out amazing albums and toured New Zealand, William Munro (Willapede) and Sam Taylor (together called Reservoir Dogs) are now getting bookings in Australia, Chris Taucher (who is a resident at Agenda and plays under the name Bones) is often found supporting huge internationals around the rest of the country, Diaz Grimm is recording his debut album and all of the members of The Collective are pretty much single-handedly responsible for bringing Dubstep and DnB back to the Waikato. The death of Flow is bitter-sweet, the owners deciding not to renew their lease due not to a drop in business but because they have decided to move away and explore new opportunities.
Like many great things in the Waikato Flow has fallen victim to the transient nature of our city. With over 18,000 students Hamilton breathes people drawing and pushing away so much talent. In a single breath it pulls in so many amazing minds, creative geniuses and sporting stars, then a year later the city exhales and they are gone - to Auckland, Australia or anywhere. Flow is no different, it lasted four years – twelve months longer than a standard student life cycle. However, the impact on Hamilton is far greater than the loss of a home for a minority of talented misfits. The city is now in dire need of a liberal venue large enough to take international and the many national acts but small enough to allow a new generation of bands and DJs to use the space without having to rely on commercial music to bring in punters. What Hamilton needs now is a blank canvas – for a new generation, for the good of the whole city, for a new mural. We already have the paint. RIP Flow.
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