Article written by Lauren Johnston.
Brisbane is a city full of many facilities and a numerous range of activities to do, but, aside from all the big music festivals that are held, do we really hear about the Music scene in general? Not really, that’s due to a number of reasons, number one, like everything else in this world, sometimes there is a flood of new bands, music and shows held over a few months and then there’s the other side, where it’s basically completely dead quiet. Don’t get me wrong there’s an abundance of venues around Brisbane that host different genres and bands and I’ll get more into.
In an interview between John Collins and “The Traveller” website, he explains what makes a venue, the different venues around Brisbane, and music in Brisbane in general. John Collins, was formerly in the Brisbane band Powder Finger and after performing their last show five years ago, John then took everything he had learnt with the band and put that into creating a place for bands to perform and mainly focusing on up and coming bands. After Powder Finger John then became the co-owner of the Triffid, which is a pretty big venue. Brisbane’s music scene is being revived with the help of new venues such as the 800-Capacity Triffid, Lefty's Old Time Music Hall, and a few in the lane way of Brisbane CBD on top of such venues like Tivoli, The Zoo, Blackbear lodge, Brooklyn Standard and of course Ric’s Bar. All of these venues have had some effect on the Brisbane music scene, whether it’s the way the promote music, helped bands rise and become more known then what they were before setting foot on stage or if it’s their customers having a good night and talking about it on social media. Each of these venues also have websites that I’ll add to the end of the article for you to browse at your leisure.
Even though there is a number of venues that are up and running and new ones coming to the scene there have also been a few closures of venues, especially all ages venues, venues that allow people of all ages to come and experience the music that this city has to offer. ‘The Lab’ was a big one the negatively affected the music scene, this was a venue that held constant post hardcore to hardcore shows every single weekend, and now it’s just a mere memory in the history of music venues. “The Lab” underwent a renovation, new management and still failed to remain open due to the lack of funds made off the shows, which is fair enough, but I was told one of its main purposes were to get kids off the street and into a safe place where they can enjoy the music they listen to and invite their friends and get away from the stress of their personal lives.
I was curious as to what others thought of the All Ages scene and the venues that host these gigs. I spoke to Russel Brown the other day, who is from the band ‘Promethean” and this is what he had to say when I asked him, “What is your opinion on the Brisbane Music Scene, the different venues and do you think it’s fair that there’s now very limited All Ages venues/gigs?” He thought for a while then continued with “I’ve been out of the music scene for a while but still have close mates in it. Honestly, All Ages Brisbane Hardcore really died out when ‘The Lab’ shut down. Unless big named bands rolled through, from my experience I’ve never really seen big All ages shows. The difference between All Ages and 18+ shows is that there is usually a guaranteed turnout at 18+ shows, especially the ‘Crow Bar’, ‘Brightside’ or anywhere similar, because people can head out and have a good time and watch some bands while they do that. Although I haven’t been to a heavy show in about six months or so and I’m not 100% sure if it’s the same but I do think that’s what the go is.” He chuckled. It’s all about profit, without money you can’t put on a show that people are going to enjoy, without money you can’t supply the bands, you can’t provide the drinks and food that draw people to shows. Which is fair enough, if you can’t make money off something then what is the point in continuing in doing that. It’s a shame that something that was trying to help the community is now no longer but maybe one day, someone might find a way to make the All Ages scene a success and keep it alive.
As I mentioned previously when talking about venues earlier on in the article, All the venues mentioned have their own website if you would like more information about any venue. They all have different vibes and styles, all have different genres playing throughout the week and its never the same thing every week. If you are looking for a good night out with friends or just want to chill out then experience what Brisbane’s Music Scene has to offer, and support the local up and coming bands. Checkout the websites here:
thetriffid.com.au; brooklynstandard.com.au; leftysmusichall.com; sonnyshouseofblues.com; blackbearlodge.com.au; ricsbar.com.au; thetivoli.net.au; thezoo.com.au and greaser.com.au
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