Elsewhere Surfers Paradise, 20 years of business

The city’s current longest serving alternative live music and nightclub venue celebrates 20 years. See how it lived through the GFC, Covid and regulation changes.

Tucked away amid the Cavill Ave chaos sits 20 years of legacy – and the Glitter Strip alternative live music and nightclub venue, Elsewhere, plans to mark it.

Benny Roney and Simone Jenkins with children Lola Jenkins (R) and Leroy Roney (L) at Elsewhere, Surfers Paradise.

This weekend Elsewhere celebrates two decades of serving as a platform for music industry newcomers and what it calls “independent thinkers” of the Gold Coast.

It is putting on four nights of special DJs - which began Thursday and will continue to Sunday.

A former storeroom for the city’s high-profile sex gimmicks shop Condom Kingdom, the walls that once housed blow-up dolls in toilet cavities has since played host to some of the world’s biggest music acts.

Elsewhere renos 2003.

From Metallica getting down on the dance floor, The Strokes sipping drinks at the bar, to Steve Aoki spinning vinyl – the venue has been a springboard for some of Australia’s biggest acts including The Presets, Cut Copy, Tame Impala, Amy Shark, Dom Dolla and Flight Facilities.

Co-founded by Simone Jenkins and Benny Roney in 2003, the birthday milestone gave the duo time to take pause and reminisce.

Simone Jenkins, Elsewhere renos 2003.

“We can’t believe it ourselves,” Ms Jenkins said.

“It’s been a really colourful 20 years with close to two million people through the doors.

“We changed state governments, we’ve gone through having our opening hours retracted, in between that a really confusing time with the whole lockout system.

“We dragged the business through the global financial crisis, the headwinds from Covid and being completing closed for nine months – and a lot of other influences like the rise of festivals, the change in the way music is delivered to people – it’s been a really changing landscape.”

DJs (L-R) Audun Fiskerud, Giv Afshar and Ben Abrahams playing at the Elsewhere nightclub, Surfers Paradise.

In a time when many venues came and went, Ms Jenkins said: “Quality was timeless.”

“It’s always important to put yourself in the cultural landscape of what you’re operating in,” she said.

“We came to the Gold Coast as venue operators from Melbourne – we saw an opportunity here for a more metropolitan style because it hadn’t been explored.

“When we arrived the town was driven by two pillars, tourism and construction.

“That’s changed a lot in the last decade – the arts, cultural and screen industries have come along massively. It’s a really positive move for the city.

Sydney band Sneaky Sound System on the Gold Coast filming their film clip. Band member Connie Mitchell filming at Elsewhere nightclub, Surfers Paradise.

“When we arrived we were getting a piping hot latte in a glass cup with a handle and a doily on a saucer – we thought, ‘where are we?’. We did wonder if we were ever going to fit in when we arrived.”

Elsewhere has since won Gold Coast Music Awards’ Venue of the Year, twice.

“It’s just a privilege to wake up here every day and contribute to the cultural landscape of the Gold Coast,” Ms Jenkins said.

”It’s come a long way, so we’re excited about business expansion, investment and job creation.

Simone Jenkins and Benny Roney at Elsewhere.

“We’ve been there 20 years, but that’s not to say its been an easy journey. We’ve made sacrifices and had to dig deep plenty of times – we ask people to go and support all the smaller venues across the city because they really do need us right now.”