Fortitude Valley is set to welcome a new live music venue

Brisbane’s love of live music has inspired the owners of The Triffid to open a new venue in Brunswick Street Mall. When complete, it is anticipated that the 3,300 capacity venue will attract more high-profile artists to Brisbane.

There is no question that Fortitude Valley is one of the most vibrant live music hotspots in Australia. Each year it plays host to Australia’s largest music conference, Bigsound, and a seemingly countless number of gigs across its venues.

Now Fortitude Valley’s appeal to music lovers is set to widen with the announcement of a new venue at 312 Brunswick Street, beside McWhirters in the mall. With a capacity more than twice that of The Tivoli, it is expected that 312 Brunswick will fill the hole left when the 4,000-seat Festival Hall closed in 2003.

“I was in a band that played at Festival Hall and it was a shame when we lost it – we were one of the last acts to play there – so it is nice to be part of bringing something like that back,” says John Collins. He’s Powderfinger’s former bassist, co-owner of The Triffid and one of the trio launching 312 Brunswick. Scott Hutchinson of Hutchinson Builders and Paul Piticco of Secret Sounds Group are the other two behind the project, and the three also own The Triffid.

Though Brisbane currently has a vibrant live music scene, Collins admits we are missing out on a number of international touring acts. “We are looking down south at places like the Palais Theatre in Melbourne and the Hordern Pavillion in Sydney and there are acts that play in those cities and don’t play up here,” he says. “We are losing shows to southern cities purely because they have to do a small Riverstage or two Tivolis.”

In addition to live music, the $40 million venue will also have the capacity to host other forms of live entertainment and functions, and plans are also underway for a public bar within the space too. Construction will start next year and should be completed in mid-2019.

In the meantime, Collins says there are plenty of local acts to discover in Brisbane. “The local music scene is pretty healthy really and there is a really good vibe in Brisbane – the more you look the more there is.”

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