Provenance Month Limited Edition Tea Towel

The first live gig I ever went to was at the ‘Gluepot’ hotel in Ponsonby’s famous three lamps, I was 15 and snuck in behind my older sister to hear Greg Johnson play his moody melodic ballads of the late 80s’. It was awesome and I have been a fan ever since. The gluepot hotel was a hot spot, and often more famous (or infamous) than the bands who played there. There were exceptions of course – Hello Sailor, Th’ Dudes, Straitjacket Fits – iconic New Zealand bands that could headline any venue they chose. But the Gluepot had something special, that mythical mix of edgy cool factor and downright grunginess that somehow legitimised every musician who played there. The T&D office is literally a stone’s throw from the old Gluepot site. Sadly the hotel is no more, having given way to a hairdressers, then a dentist and now maybe an optometrist (how the mighty fall), as I sit here typing, I can literally see the old outline from my window. So it’s part of our heritage and the larger Ponsonby folklore – so we celebrate it here with a nod to the dudes in a not so subtle rip off, of one of their old posters – made to a new T&D spec – we tip our hat and raise a glass to the Gluepot, th’ Dudes, Ponsonby and the bands that let it all hang out in those hallowed walls.

But why a tea towel? We could say it’s out of respect to the bartenders and staff of the Gluepot Hotel, the mess and madness they had to put up with from patrons like ourselves, but that would be a stretch. Truth is we just like it. A gift from us to you. Better than a scrap of tartan from the local $2 dollar mart and something we all might use. So here it is, The T&D Provenance Month Tea Towel, from us to you, celebrating the best of Ponsonby and times past.