Moon 1

The rise of a new live music venue in Newtown should be taken as a particularly auspicious sign for Wellington’s treasured gig scene, especially as lift-off comes courtesy of Lyttelton export Benjamin James, of Death Ray Records renown.

Moon 1 may well be in its first phase but with regular pinball and dart champs on the go, it’s already got a strong community vibe that attracts young and old, off the back of James’ previous ventures. True to name, things gets pretty cosmic inside with old-school spacies, celestial panoramas, and custom gramophone-inspired speakers.

The stage set against the front window leaves plenty of room to groove up front, with more settled seating arrangements to be found at the back next to the kitchen where tasty $10 pizzas are born (vegan-friendly on demand).

Local hopheads Panhead, Garage Project, and Parrotdog get a good showing on the tap list and whiskey gets a good nudge too, with no fewer than 30 drams ready and waiting to take the edge off your night. Cider and vino abound for those not into the brown stuff, alongside other local favourites like Lighthouse gin.