The Foundry Official Launch Review

Foundry: noun (plural foundries). A workshop or factory for casting metal.

Whether it was sculpted in sound/ moulded in music/ forged in the fires of rock & roll (that’s my bad foundry puns exhausted), the newest and most promising live music venue in Brisbane has risen from the ashes (not literally) of the old Prince Consort Backpackers on Wickham Street in Fortitude Valley.

Last Friday’s official launch party (6 March) gave people a chance to check out a new and potentially important part of their social lives. Thankfully, expectations were exceeded.

The first and most important thing to note about The Foundry is that it’s not just another bar with a stage. Besides the live-music area and room for 300 punters, there’s a deck overlooking the Elephant pub, pool tables, arcade games, a creative hub of offices and studios, a spacious, green room and accommodation for travelling artists.

For those of us who care, it’s good to know there’s a sustainable plan in place to ensure The Foundry remains an ongoing concern for the long-term. But for everyone else, it’s just good to know there’s a pretty cool, new joint in which to chuck back some brews and see some bands on a Friday night. This particular Friday night would feature White Lodge, SPOD and Velociraptor.

With the words “Congratulations, Brisbane. I’m back!” SPOD bounded onto the stage and began with a rant at White Lodge’s “rookie mistake” of leaving their pedals onstage and unguarded, before dishing out bags of pork crackle to eager punters. Appropriately introducing ‘Deadshits’ as being “for all you guys up the back having chats like c*nts”, the Sydneysider made it obvious he’s in fine, fighting form, before taking a swing at Andrew WK by pointing out his second song, ‘Makin’ Party’, was written in 1996, five years before ‘Party Hard’.

SPOD - Image © Kirsten Butters

Other tidbits of wisdom from the mouth of the man include “Robert Downey Jr’s face is like my arse: perfect”, before Jeremy Neale joined in the offbeat brilliance on ‘Couple Of Drinks’ while lyrics were forgotten on his closing track. Brilliant.

I was recently chatting with a mate about the consistent quality of acts booked at the weekly Trainspotters gigs at the Grand Central Hotel in Brisbane city, and the exchange contained a sentence along the lines of “Whoever is booking the bands really knows their shit and should be bought a pint”. It turns out that info-knower is Patrick Balfe, who will be filling the same role for The Foundry as part of a three-man leadership team with building manager Brett Gibson and venue manager (and impressively-moustachioed Velociraptor geetar-guy) Corey Herekiuha. All signs point to promising.

It’s perhaps appropriate, then, that Velociraptor themselves be the band to headline. I count nine members onstage (I think), and all their usual charm and energy is present, as Jeremy Neale leads them through ‘In The Springtime’, ‘Robocop’ and ‘Sleep With The Fishes’, or “the hits”, as he refers to them.

Velociraptor - Image © Kirsten Butters

Although it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen them – they have a guy on guitar I don’t recognise, who looks like he’s never shaved – they’ve lost none of their rabid zeal, despite key members having things like running a new bar to worry about.

The thing is, though, this event isn’t really about the music; it’s about the venue, and The Foundry has all the ingredients to be up there with the best, small, live-music joints in Brisbane.