Is Brisbane's Live Music Scene Dead?

There are lots of thing going on in the Brisbane music scene this week.

Legendary garage rockers The Scientists are playing The Hi-Fi tomorrow night to celebrate their thirty-fifth anniversary. Brisbane’s community radio station 4zzz are holding a mini music festival at The Underdog on Saturday, March 29 in support of their Live Music Week. Brisbane band Babaganouj will celebrate the release of their new single at Black Bear Lodge with The Good Sports and new Brisbane band Love Signs on Friday, March 28. There are plenty of other gigs I could list here, but does this really mean Brisbane’s music scene is alive and kicking?

I will mention one other gig. Brisbane’s weekly indulgence of free live music and cheap drinks, Trainspotters, will host one of Go Violet’s last shows on Saturday. Go Violets were one of few bands in Brisbane causing a mild stir both interstate and overseas, with plenty of potential to continue to develop a strong fan-base, and maybe even some fuel for the Brisbane live music scene. The members of Go Violets all have other side projects, Babaganouj been one of them, but none of these bands have really had the same driving force behind them as Go Violets. What this demonstrates is one of Brisbane’s core conundrums: when a band is actually good they tend to give it all up for some reason or move overseas to find ‘real’ success.

The return of The Scientists reminds of us of a better time in Australia’s music industry, a time when independent music thrived. People who were around Brisbane in the 70s, 80s and 90s boast about an exotic music scene; the gathering of a somewhat schizophrenic community of punks, swampies, rude boys, mods, rockabillies and goths to celebrate music and reject Brisbane’s encroaching government. However, it is likely that most of these people are viewing the era through rose-tinted glasses and that perhaps, our scene right now is not as different as we think it is, even if does feel somewhat deflated. Obvious parallels can be made between political state of Brisbane in the 70s, when 4zzz was founded, and the many government policies threatening live music in Brisbane, such as the proposed 1am lockout. The same violent backlash from musicians, however, is not evident. In fact, most musicians seem to be directing their hate and frustration towards each other, with plenty of music snobbery evident amongst the few circles Brisbane’s music scene has. Yes, bands frequently support other bands by attending their gigs, but this is also part of the problem with Brisbane’s music scene. There are only so many bands in Brisbane and if nobody but musicians are attending gigs, this certainly means bands are not reaching enough people.

On top of the majority’s indifference to Brisbane’s music scene is the overriding dominance of club culture, which only further destroys the meagre threads left in Brisbane’s music scene. The Valley is no longer a symbol for live music and a safe place for misfits and musos alike; it has instead degenerated into a haven for trashy nightclubs. One-by-one live music venues are taken over by club nights in a desperate attempt for venue managers to produce some revenue. Brisbane’s The Troubadour, the city’s once resident live music venue, closed down in 2003 as a result of The Valley’s ‘changing face’, as owner Jaime Trevaskis put it. It was later replaced with Black Bear Lodge, a worthy replacement venue that supports live music, however, its main focus has always been on boutique DJ nights as opposed to live music. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays are typical live-music nights at Black Bear, with an occasional Friday or Saturday gig. Woodland, another music venue accommodating independent styles of music, also closed its doors to be replaced with Coniston Lane, a venue which occasionally features live music, but seems to unfortunately be dead quiet most of the time.

Rics was once Brisbane’s go to venues for live music and cheap drinks and whilst it still features live music, it is not nearly on the scale of what it once was, and the community that used to surround the bar are long gone. Some people attribute this to the change of management that took place a number of years ago, others claim the bar’s spirit has been long dead. However, these changes cannot be linked to any one person or place: they were really precipitated by The Valley becoming a designated entertainment precinct in 2006. Noise complaints threatened the sustenance of the scene’s throbbing nightlife and these laws were meant to preserve The Valley’s music scene, but instead they invited property developers right into the middle of it. The result was a mass invasion of club culture and gentrification. 

Okay, so some new venues have popped up in the last year to the fill the void, such as The Underdog and The New Globe Theatre. The only problem is people continue to gravitate toward the many nightclubs that inundate The Valley, rather than filling out these new live music dedicated venues. And with no audience, why should a band bother putting on a gig at these venues? Some would argue it is time musicians packed their bags and headed on over to Brisbane’s other entertainment precinct, West End. However, the area does not really offer any consistent live music and is more of a casual bar hopping precinct. A gig here and there at a small bar that can barely accommodate 100 people is hardly the makings for a strong music scene. Brisbane’s music roots lay in The Valley and it is there where musicians should lay claim to their inheritance. When people are talking about music, playing music and building a real community, the venues will respond and change their face a second time.

In light of Sydney’s new lockout laws, New South Wales Police Minister Mike Gallacher declared, “I’m sorry, but the live music industry is dead.” Whilst, his statement is no justification for the new laws, and in fact, a very good reason why they should not be passed in Brisbane, Gallacher’s statement is not as outlandish as others have proclaimed. In fact, as simplified as his statement is, Gallacher is probably right on the money. The live music scene in Brisbane is dying a very slow and painful death: it is fragmented, underfunded and unsure of itself. The venues that exist for live music in Brisbane could be counted on one hand. On any Friday or Saturday night the majority of these venues are half-empty and if there are people there, half of the crowd are out the back smoking a cigarette and missing the band’s set.

This does not in anyway mean we should give up on Brisbane. In fact, now is the time we should all be putting ourselves out there to promote its growth and maturity. Bands who replicate the sounds of more successful groups played on triple j are simply not good enough. Half-hearted sets by bands disappointed by the lack of attendance, or simply too insecure to put themselves out there, is also not good enough. If Brisbaners are going to get behind a music scene in their city they need something worthy to support. The lack of community and serious dedication to music in Brisbane is why the scene currently lays dormant and this will only be fixed when someone cares enough about music to do something bold. Meanwhile, it's up to the rest of us to make a start by attending some gigs, with 4zzz's Live Music Week being the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Published by AAA Backstage.