8 June 2024
Hi Folks!
Its been an incredible few years indeed!
With your help, together we have established Mike’s – St. Leonards as an under-the-radar spot to listen to live music in a uniquely intimate environment, we have revived Henry Ward Hall (formerly Opus Theatre) and laid a solid foundation for it’s future, and we’ve begun to see that Hastings could be a playground for arts and culture where creators, audience members and businesses can work in harmony with each other.
For those who are just joining us, a brief history… During the doldrums of Covid and the corresponding lockdowns. In my antiques/retro shop I started hosting “Secret“ shows to help my family survive. These events were all ticketed and marketed first by word of mouth and eventually through a small organically-formed WhatsApp group.
”Secret Shows” became “Mike’s List” in 2022 and the experiment has expanded steadily since. With our subscriber numbers now approaching 1,000, we have been able to host several events per month
In just the last year, this evolution has given rise to “Check the 411” announcements and a small regular published section in the HIP List, tickets offers from our promoter friends, and our continuing Band Beer pilot.
Hastings is indeed fertile ground to plant ideas like these. There’s a real creative buzz here, and an enthusiastic community who are eager to look, listen, dance, and sing along.
There’s much work to be done, but before diving into that, I wanted to say Thank You and well done. Well done for trying new things. Well done for tolerating my at times chaotic event management. Well done for telling your friends. Well done for buying tickets, and Band Beers, and making donations.
None of this happens without you. So sincerely.. thank you.
Cheers y’all!
Mike Willis
