End of an era: Brisbane’s iconic music venue The Zoo to close next month

Iconic Fortitude Valley live music venue The Zoo is set to close its doors after nearly a generation of trade due to a “perfect storm” of factors in another bitter blow to the Australian music industry.

Brisbane live music venue, The Zoo, has announced that it will be closing its doors next month, marking the end of an era for the city’s music scene.

Brisbane live music venue, The Zoo, has announced that it will be closing its doors next month, marking the end of an era for the city’s music scene.

Since opening in 1992 in Fortitude Valley, The Zoo has been a beloved staple among music aficionados, boasting a capacity of 500 and hosting performances from local and international acts.

The venue also served as a launching pad for numerous Australian music careers from Powderfinger, Spiderbait, Custard, Regurgitator, Violent Soho, and Ball Park Music.

In a statement announcing its closure, The Zoo’s owner admitted to running at a loss for three straight years and that staying afloat in 2024 was “all too stark”.

The Zoo’s sister venue, Stranded, a 250-capacity venue housed in the same building and named after a 1976 hit by Brisbane band The Saints, will also closing its doors this week.

Owner Shane Chidgzey at The Zoo’s sister venue, Stranded, which has also closed. Photo Steve Pohlner

According to the owner, a combination of increased cost-of-living pressures and a decline in alcohol consumption among younger audiences has created a “perfect storm” that the venue could no longer weather.

“As passionate music fans and proud members of the community, it’s impossibly hard to share the news that after nearly 32 years of live music, the Zoo will be closing its doors on July 8,” a statement read.

“Sadly the financial reality of keeping music venues afloat in 2024 is all too stark. The Zoo reached its highest ticket sales in its 32-year history last year, yet this was still not enough to combat rising operational costs and decreasing returns.

“The hard truth is 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.”

Ben Ely from the band Regurgitator also shared a touching tribute about the venue, telling the Courier-Mail, “the Zoo opened in 1992, and instantly became an oasis for all of us”.

“The venue provided a safe space to play and create original material at a time when there was nothing like it in Southeast Queensland,

“We no longer needed to travel south to the big cities to write and perform original music. We had a venue in our home and from this place sprang a wide variety of sounds, styles, and visual art.”

Co-founder and former co-owner of The Zoo Joc Curran, also shared her sadness over the news.

“I’ve been very emotional today; it’s very sad, there won’t be those opportunities for the next generation. But, you know, I was lucky enough to live through,” Cunnan shared.

While she is no longer involved with the management and is unaware of the specific details leading to the closure, she suspects that rising costs might have contributed significantly.

“It’s not like you can double the price of a drink or the price of an entry. And so, prices and everything escalate. You just get trapped in this void of more and more expenses, making it hard to make a living out of it,” she explained.

Curran also reflected on the broader impact The Zoo had over its more than three decades of operations.

“I ran it for 24 years, and it existed for another eight after I passed on the mantle in 2016. We’ve had like 30,000 bands perform there in its lifetime, so I’m really grateful,” she said.

“So many people met and fell in love there; there’s a whole new generation of human beings because The Zoo existed.”

Despite the venue’s closure, Curran wants this time to be a celebration of what they accomplished. “I do want to celebrate today, our achievement of what we were able to do. It’s sad, it’s really sad, but we existed for over 32 years,” she concluded.

This news comes on the heels of the cancellation of major music festivals such as Groovin the Moo and Splendour in the Grass, further highlighting the struggles within Australia’s music industry this year.

Originally published as End of an era: Brisbane’s iconic music venue The Zoo to close next month