Raglan’s favourite nightclub, the YOT Club, has been nominated by members of the Music Manager’s Forum (MMF) as one of the best venues in New Zealand.
A new category in the annual Music Manager Awards, the finalists were announced last week with the YOT Club being named ‘one of the best,’ alongside the likes of the iconic Leigh Sawmill and San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington.
“I’m honoured to be chosen, I didn’t actually know about the awards so it was a bit of a surprise,” says owner Peter Coddington.
Around 150 MMF members voted to recognise the venues in New Zealand that “worked in a dependable, honest partnership with an artist and its management to put on a successful show.”
Since opening their doors at the end of 2007, the YOT Club has hosted some of the country’s hottest musical acts including artists like Tiki Taane, P-Diggs of Shapeshifter fame and more recently, Hollie Smith.
While hosting some of New Zealand’s biggest names, the YOT Club has also been instrumental in supporting local Raglan musicians giving them a springboard to launch live performances and regular gigs.
Originally starting out as a bar, Peter’s initial aspirations for the YOT Club were inspired by his travels to places like Bali and seeing the nightlife. He also wanted to create a place for young people in Raglan after seeing his own children going to Hamilton on the weekends.
“When I first opened I never realised it was going to become a ‘venue,’ but that’s pretty much the way it’s turned out. We’ve had a lot of gigs and everyone always wants to come back to perform,” says Peter.
He also credits the Raglan crowd for supporting the club and creating a welcoming atmosphere for the artists to perform. Now in their fifth year of operating, the YOT club has firmly established themselves as one of the best little venues in the country.
With the finalists announced, Pete will be looking forward to attending the awards night with his family on Wednesday 16th May at Auckland’s Backbeat Bar, and if they win?
“We haven’t planned anything but we’ll be celebrating for sure.”
