Elixir Bar, Cairns, to open crowd-funding bid to save live music venue

A cornerstone of the Cairns live music scene is embarking on a bold crowd-funding bid to save the venue from closure.

A cornerstone of the Cairns live music scene is embarking on a bold crowd-funding bid to save the venue from closure.

Elixir Music Bar, run by daughter and dad duo Sky Rixon and Bill Shields, will soon open an opportunity for punters to buy a physical piece of the iconic Abbott St venue to help secure its future.

It comes amid skyrocketing bills and red tape combined with cost of living pressures that are decimating the live music industry across the country.

Ms Rixon said herself and her father had been operating the venue, which has a focus on emerging and alternative local music, for six years without taking home any wages for themselves.

“I have a second job that fluctuates from casual to full-time just to keep these doors open,” she said.

“Our rent here is astronomical and the biggest roadblock for us right now as well is public liability insurance, it’s nearly crippled a few of the bigger venues down south.

Owners of the Elixir Music House Sky Rixon and Bill Shields are forming a new not for profit organisation that will work with musicians and visual artists, running in tandem with the current business. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We’ve gone from about $3000 a year to our cheapest quote being $40,000. We don’t know what we’re going to do.”

It’s hoped transitioning from a commercial business to a non-for-profit organisation, formed by a group of passionate locals, and launching a huge crowd-funding effort will be enough to keep the lights on.

“The first thing on our agenda is to actually buy the building … we’re about to start raising $1.5m,” Ms Rixon said.

“We’ll have hexagonal wooden tiles, they’ll be for sale for $200 a tile and it will be personalised to everyone who buys one and those tiles will be all on the inside of the stairs and around our venue.

“Each tile will also be attached to our membership, a four-year membership with a 10 per cent off card, a birthday voucher and a few other things.

“Everybody can actually feel like they’re a part of this.”

In 2020, the Elixir Bar held Party with a Purpose, a relief concert which will raise funds for bush fire victims. Tee Ketu, pictured with Sky Rixon and Bill Shields from Elixir, will be one of 25 local artists performing at the concert. Picture: Brendan Radke

After more than 7000 people wrote in support of the bar’s longstanding development application with Cairns Regional Council, which aims to allow more arts activities to be held at the venue, Ms Rixon is confident the community will rally behind the music bar.

“We’ve made this place into something that is really community-based, it’s spread across all genres, people from all walks of life come here,” she said.

“We have kids who get up here for open mic, we have students that come here for workshops

“It’s safe. It’s a home away from home, you know everybody.”

As much as being a treasured home for crowds, it’s one of the only venues in Cairns that showcases up-and-coming talent or alternative musicians from across the country, often charging a small entry fee to ensure the artists are paid fairly.

“We just want to showcase our musicians and artists and be able to pay our bills,” she said.

“It is their profession, their career and the quality and craftsmanship is warranted like any other tradie or professional – and we have amazing talent in Cairns.”

Originally published as Elixir Bar, Cairns, to open crowd-funding bid to save live music venue