John Collins, former bass player of Powderfinger and owner of Brisbane music venue The Triffid got our minds working and fingers typing here at scenestr, when he raised an interesting point about the nightlife of the city.
“Brisbane is a really hard place during the week, unlike Sydney and Melbourne. Tuesday is hard, and don't even mention Monday. So the stigma of going out in the week is still there.”Are Brisbanities really saving themselves for a Friday and Saturday night blow out, or is this a case of one man's opinion? Paul Robinson, owner of The New Globe Theatre gave us his thoughts, claiming that his venue was still hosting well-patronised nights throughout the week. “We have a lot success with our arts, cabaret and musical theatre shows (Wednesdays). And, we still have live music on Thursdays among other days.”
There is the obvious issue of having events that entice people out of their homes, and when it comes to live music it's always “hit and miss” according to Robinson. Matthew Dempsey, part-owner of the Bearded Lady followed a similar path with his view on the subject by saying: “while people may go out for dinner, it is a select patronage that attend events during the week which means for events to be successful they generally need to be a well known artist, and have the marketing to match.”
Branko Cosic, event booker for the Bearded Lady tried to find some reasons as to why business can be so slow during the week days. “I agree with JC (John Collins); it is tough getting people out to shows on weeknights. I can't put my finger on why it is. Maybe it's the fact that we don't have daylight savings. Maybe it's because we're all too connected through social media and don't feel the need to leave the house multiple nights a week to socialise. Maybe there's too many indoor sports comps happening on weeknights.”
Whether it's the city's desire to stare at Facebook rather than watch an up-and-coming band, or people's love of sport that keeps them away for the bars and clubs of the city Monday to Thursday, it's all down to what the working people are willing to spend their cash on. Let's hope for some of the bars and music venues' sakes, that things do get better. Even the catalyst for this article, John Collins, has an optimistic view point. “I think it's going to change. Change for the better.”
