Currently mired in a music festival wasteland, the latest casualty of Australia's worsening local live music sector is Brisbane grassroots institution The Zoo.
The landmark venue on Ann St in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley has operated for nearly 32 years, but has succumb to the financial pressures of running a live music venue in 2024, despite registering their highest ticket sales in 2023."The financial reality of keeping music venues afloat in 2024 is all too stark," the venue posted to its socials.
"The hard truth is that we've been running at a loss for over three years. Despite exploring every avenue available to us, we could not secure the level of support needed to surmount the continued financial strain.
"We have no choice but to call last drinks for both of our beloved music venues." The Zoo's sister venue Stranded Bar will also cease operations, with its final day 6 May. The Zoo will continue trading until 8 July.
Originally founded by Joc Curran and C. Smith in 1992, The Zoo has been independently owned and operated throughout its entire history, hosting such iconic acts like The Pixies, Powderfinger, Silverchair, Nick Cave, Lorde, The Black Keys, Violent Soho, Ben Harper, Paul Kelly, Dirty Three, Mogwai and so many more.
"To our loyal punters and past performers, we thank you for the great times we've shared; the decades of dancing, singing and moshing. The kindness of our community of music lovers is a gift The Zoo team has cherished.
"We hope you'll join us for one last dance over the next few months. We want to make the last shows very special and will be looking to add extra shows while we can!"
A venue that commenced the same year this publication began trading, scenestr and The Zoo's relationship stretches back throughout the past 32 years, the venue regularly advertising their gigs in our pages.
