To say there were mixed emotions entering the Kings Arms for the last time yesterday afternoon is an understatement. My old band played their first ever Auckland show here, and I've lost count of how many mind blowing gigs I've attended.The bar opened almost 120 years ago but in my lifetime it has always been known as the go-to venue for artists on their way up. Every generation's new wave of musicians cut their teeth at the Kings Arms, and sometimes their foreheads or broke their arms—I’m looking at you Andrew Wilson and Nick Johnston.
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First kisses, weddings (yesterday saw vows renewed), lost nights, a venue of so many firsts, finally saw its last. As of today, it's a development site for a new apartment block.So with memories both hazy and true of some of the best nights of my life, I—along with pretty much everyone else in Auckland it seemed—sadly bid the Kings Arms farewell. RIP you shall not be forgotten.Check out the night in photos by Connor Crawford. See more by Connor here and follow him on Instagram.
