Public Address | Cafe | Southerly: Summer of The L.e.d.s https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/ en-us Copyright (c) 2026 Public Address David Haywood https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=7087#post7087 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=7087#post7087 Marcus Turner wrote:

I'd still quite like to know more about the concertina...

I honestly don't know if there's much more I can tell you, dude. Did you see my reply the first time you asked this question?

Assuming that you're not taking the piss, I can tell you that…

]]> Fri, 09 Feb 2007 21:13:45 +1300 Marcus Turner https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=7083#post7083 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=7083#post7083 Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:29:27 +1300 Tom Beard https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6531#post6531 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6531#post6531 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:43:23 +1300 Simon Grigg https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6513#post6513 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6513#post6513 Fair enough Tom, although just as a last thought, I, when in Auckland love to walk and I do it for miles. Always have..

Last time I was there in November I took a stroll along k Rd from the top of Queen Street, stopped in at couple of second…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 19:48:39 +1300 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6512#post6512 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6512#post6512 I agree with the first part, and what appealed most to me [about London] is not what most people would call "beauty", but the messy everyday reality, the people, the mix of cultures, and the layers of history; and certainly in the sorts of places you mention rather than the… ]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 19:36:16 +1300 Tom Beard https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6504#post6504 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6504#post6504 London, I lived there for three years and know it well, has great physical beauty in places but often only street deep. The essence of London, and the part I actually enjoy the most exists beyond the tourist facade, away from Piccadilly, or even Soho, in places like Brixton or… ]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:57:59 +1300 Jackie Clark https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6491#post6491 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6491#post6491 Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:35:06 +1300 Simon Grigg https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6486#post6486 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6486#post6486

I think you have a different view of what constitutes a "city": I'd hardly count LA as one

perhaps so, but having lived in London, and spent long periods in NYC I would counter that you perhaps you are confusing the idealism of what you would like a city to…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 14:46:12 +1300 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6478#post6478 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6478#post6478

Yes, the whole High St/Vulcan Lane/Lorne St was my refuge when I lived in Auckland: now that feels like a city!

Actually, a small part of it was made to pass for New York City when Mick Jagger filmed his cameo for 'The Knights of Prosperity', which recently debuted on…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:35:21 +1300 Tom Beard https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6476#post6476 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6476#post6476

Auckland at least used to have Farmer's and now all we have is Whitcoulls and Borders and the coolness around High Street/Vulcan Lane.

Yes, the whole High St/Vulcan Lane/Lorne St was my refuge when I lived in Auckland: now that feels like a city! That and bits of K Rd,…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:27:48 +1300 Scott Fannen https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6471#post6471 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6471#post6471 PS: I like the zoo too. I went back with a friend and her kids a couple of years back and it is a small treasure as is the Auckland Museum.

Reminds me of when I was young and not cynical too!

:)

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:55:32 +1300 Scott Fannen https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6470#post6470 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6470#post6470 I agree that Wellington (despite being small) feels like a proper city. In fact it reminds me a little of Hong Kong (big city squeezed between a mountain and the sea).

I'd defend Auckland though – it's architecture has improved over the years and the CBD looks much more modern…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:53:59 +1300 Don Christie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6468#post6468 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6468#post6468

The zoo is over rated? Are you mad? I LOVE the zoo. And that's all I have to say

I guess it got off on a wrong note when having just paid a hefty entry fee I forked out another two bucks for a crappy map of the place that…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:44:17 +1300 Tom Beard https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6461#post6461 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6461#post6461

And, frankly, sit on North Head on a sunny Regatta Day and try to tell me that it is not as astonishingly beautiful in every direction as any urban area anywhere.

True, but I think that what would make that beautiful is not what makes it an "urban area", but…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:42:44 +1300 Jackie Clark https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6459#post6459 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6459#post6459 Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:38:54 +1300 Don Christie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6454#post6454 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6454#post6454

And, frankly, sit on North Head on a sunny Regatta Day and try to tell me that it is not as astonishingly beautiful in every direction as any urban area anywhere.

North Head was just what I did with my little girl as a "tourist" a couple of weeks ago.…

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:02:05 +1300 Helen Greenfield https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6450#post6450 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6450#post6450 ahem, at the risk of appearing narcissistic, but in the interests of correctness and avoiding public embarrassment to possible future l.e.d.s fans:

l.e.d.s is pronounced 'el eee dees' and not leds (as in rhyming with heads)

Muriel, I know how you feel regarding the whole Inks/INXS thing- heh heh

]]> Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:17:44 +1300 Jackie Clark https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6431#post6431 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6431#post6431 Sun, 28 Jan 2007 09:42:09 +1300 Muriel Lockheed https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6430#post6430 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6430#post6430 Love that track by the L.e.d.s. Now at the risk of exposing myself as an ignoramous how do you say that name is it Leds or L e d s or in the age of the web L dot e dot d dot s dot? I ask because......

Years ago…

]]> Sun, 28 Jan 2007 09:13:45 +1300 Simon Grigg https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6422#post6422 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6422#post6422

Wellington feels like a proper city: the sort they have in other countries. In comparison, Christchurch and Dunedin are merely towns, and Auckland is just an oversized suburb.

I have to beg to differ, Auckland does feel like a city. As a voluntary expat who sees a lot of big…

]]> Sat, 27 Jan 2007 15:15:14 +1300 reece palmer https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6418#post6418 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6418#post6418 Sat, 27 Jan 2007 11:22:40 +1300 Kumara Republic https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6414#post6414 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6414#post6414

Wellington feels like a proper city: the sort they have in other countries. In comparison, Christchurch and Dunedin are merely towns, and Auckland is just an oversized suburb.

I mostly agree. But if there's only one very important thing Wellington's missing, it's an airport runway.

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 23:42:40 +1300 Zippy Gonzales https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6413#post6413 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6413#post6413 Bravo dude. That was beautiful. Viva la rumba.

I get frustrated with Orkland the way I get frustrated with the Yanks. The Yanks, once reaching the pinnacles of liberal western thought thanks to the likes of Jefferson, etc have now devolved to the current primate. Orkland, with so much natural…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 22:41:16 +1300 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6411#post6411 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6411#post6411

Hills don't really matter if you do all your travelling by car, but if you do a fair bit of walking, you soon come to realise just how hilly Auckland is.

I recall being quite shocked at that very fact when my bike finally arrived from London. There are hills…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:47:04 +1300 Robyn Gallagher https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6410#post6410 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6410#post6410

Anyway, here's a thought: imagine how cool it would be to still have a tramway connecting K Road, Ponsonby and Queen St ...

Yes! The Link bus is cool, but there's something really personal and friendly about light rail that buses just can't offer.

I get the feeling that Auckland's…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:31:46 +1300 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6409#post6409 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6409#post6409

I have this theory that because so much of New Zealand's national identity is based around mountains, rivers, and oceans, we tend to ignore cities. They aren't considered important, so we just build any old crappy buildings.

Our colonial planners did try in some cases. They had a lovely design…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 17:48:59 +1300 Raffe Smith https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6408#post6408 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6408#post6408 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:54:47 +1300 Robyn Gallagher https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6407#post6407 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6407#post6407 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:26:18 +1300 David Haywood https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6405#post6405 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6405#post6405 David Slack wrote:

Have you checked inside for American banknotes?

A tempting idea (even though it would involve destroying the instrument) — Jennifer is playing Jerusalem as I type...

Raffe:
Love your thinking. We've become way too timid with our engineering in this country.

Oh... and I bet we could…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:11:58 +1300 Raffe Smith https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6404#post6404 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6404#post6404 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:11:10 +1300 Che Tibby https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6403#post6403 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6403#post6403 raffe, you don't have to loose two lands of traffic to get your trams.

did i already get gushy about melbourne?

oh yeah...

post link

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:04:13 +1300 Raffe Smith https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6402#post6402 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6402#post6402 Delusions of grandeur are great, especially for muggy Friday afternoons at work.

I would remove two lanes from Queen Street and replace them with an electric tram system, at grade, ala San Francisco. Give the system traffic priority, extend a branch across Grafton to the Domain at one end, and…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:56:04 +1300 David Slack https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6401#post6401 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6401#post6401

David, how about a stadium where all those cranes and containers are?

I quite liked the Volcadium, you know...

If I were having an Albert Speer moment in the city....

...and I like every part of this.

A pink stucco building about halfway along Tamaki Park would be nice, too.…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:51:29 +1300 David Haywood https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6398#post6398 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6398#post6398 Tom Beard wrote:

Brilliant! Can I steal that as a tagline for my blog?

By all means (if it's not too long for you) — I'd be terribly flattered.

And I totally agree that 'We are The L.e.d.s' is a real progression from 'Thomas:Parkes'. I really like the addition of…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:38:06 +1300 Don Christie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6393#post6393 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6393#post6393 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:10:30 +1300 Simon Grigg https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6392#post6392 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6392#post6392

What do you think of the Nouvelle Vague albums?

the first one was great when it came out a few years back, but I think the second, aside from the great Heaven 17 cover, is a case of overstaying your welcome...the joke only worked once.

They've done some quite tasty…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:03:48 +1300 Don Christie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6391#post6391 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6391#post6391 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:58:36 +1300 David Slack https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6383#post6383 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6383#post6383

Given Auckland's natural features it should be the most beautiful city in the world, but it's only mildly pretty at best.

Nailed.

Given that great tracts of it have been built in a disposable fashion, how might you go about remaking it, I wonder?

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:37:28 +1300 Marcus Turner https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6380#post6380 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6380#post6380 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:16:40 +1300 Emma Hart https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6378#post6378 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6378#post6378 I went to a cricket game at the Cake Tin once, by train. I was awestruck by the ease and efficiency of Wellington public transport. Despite the fact that the Black Caps lost (shock horror etc) the queue for the train afterwards was good-natured and fun.

Man, I wish I…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:03:23 +1300 Tom Beard https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6375#post6375 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6375#post6375 I love the staid bustle of Lambton Quay and the Wellington waterfront. I love the trolley buses, and the cable-car to the botanic gardens. I love the green belt that swaddles the city. And I love the commuter rail system — public transport that actually works! Wellington feels like a… ]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:37:24 +1300 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6372#post6372 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6372#post6372

Isn't it great that the Gang of Four, Bow Wow Wow, the Cure, Adam and the Ants, New Order are having their day in the sun again?

Not to mention the rather lavish tribute being paid to some of them by the current crop of new bands ...

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:24:17 +1300 David Haywood https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6370#post6370 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6370#post6370 Charles:

You're quite right about Auckland's multiculturalism being another big point in it's favour — and something that I really missed when I moved to Christchurch.

But, of course, as the South Pacific's biggest city, it's yet another reason that I wish Auckland's architecture and town planning had a little…

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:21:14 +1300 Charles Mabbett https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6364#post6364 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6364#post6364 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:31:37 +1300 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6347#post6347 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6347#post6347 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:45:52 +1300 Public Address https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6346#post6346 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/southerly-summer-of-the-leds/?p=6346#post6346 Discussion from blog post.

]]> Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:45:52 +1300