NightQuarter: Gold Coast loses crucial live music venue with shock closure of Helensvale Nightquarter

When Nightquarter is locked up for the last time, the door will also close on one of the city’s best live music venues and fiercest incubators of young talent. Here’s why it was so crucial.

WHEN Nightquarter is locked up for the last time next month, the door will also close on one of the city’s best live music venues and fiercest incubators of young talent.

In its three-year life, the venue has hosted more than 50 ticketed concerts with major touring acts, selling 55,000 tickets and attracting 1.5 million fans through the doors.

Acts including RUFUS, SAFIA, UB40, Ministry of Sound, Pete Murray, The Angels, Xavier Rudd and The Cat Empire have played to the all-ages crowd, while local success story Amy Shark used Nightquarter to wrap up the tour of her ARIA-winning Love Monster album.

The venue also enjoyed the rare convenience of being based at a public transport hub, with event tickets including travel by bus, light rail and heavy rail.

GALLERY: AMY SHARK AT NIGHTQUARTER

ARIA award winner Amy Shark was a popular performer at Nightquarter.

‘ABSOLUTELY GUTTED’: VENDORS IN SHOCK

Brad Hinds, senior business development manager for Oztix, said the loss of Nightquarter as a venue was a setback for the growth of live music in the city.

“A lot of the big touring acts have come through Nightquarter. There’s a possibility that we won’t see those large touring acts play the Gold Coast,” he said.

“It wasn’t a traditional band room, it had a lot of moving parts and that made it exciting for the band. It was like a mini-festival.

“I think we’ll see some bands just not come to the Gold Coast.”

SHOCK AS NIGHTQUARTER ANNOUNCES CLOSURE

Legendary British band UB40’s February 1 show will be the last event for Nightquarter.

WHERE NIGHTQUATER REALLY CAME FROM

Nightquarter co-owner Michelle Christoe said the venue had already turned down numerous inquiries from big acts for 2019.

“It’s taken so many years to get the touring bands to actually come back to the Gold Coast,” she said.

“To say no to people wanting to book is really difficult, particularly when it’s taken so long.”

The loss of the touring acts is one blow, Ms Christoe said, but Nightquarter’s demise also spelled trouble for its smaller regular musicians, many of whom started there as buskers and had since released their own records.

“Tears come to my eyes every time I think about saying goodbye,” she said.

“People in the community feel that this is a community site.”

Ms Christoe said Nightquarter had offered a rare chance for whole families to enjoy live music together.

“The one thing I never anticipated with Nightquarter was seeing kids doing handstands in front of the stage and integrating with the band,” she said.

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The Cat Empire filled the Paddock at Nightquarter.

Mr Hinds, also a long-time promoter and venue consultant, said Nightquarter’s combined capacity, festival vibe and access to public transport simply did not yet exist at other local venues.

“It wasn’t a traditional pub venue. The music industry moves along and part of Nightquarter’s success was that it was so different.

“What they created in a very short space of time was amazing.

“I mostly work with big touring acts, but Nightquarter put hundreds of smaller acts through. There are local musos that have just lost a gig.

“This isn’t the end of live music on the Gold Coast, it’s just a setback, but it will take a bit of time for someone to come along with the financial commitment that Nightquarter has.”