The Best Live Music Venues In Brisbane

Put on your dancing shoes and check out Brisbane’s renowned live music scene.

From the early days of The Saints and the Go-Betweens, to the meteoric rise of Powderfinger and Regurgitator in the 1990s, to today’s homegrown heroes Violent Soho gracing the cover of Rolling Stone magazine — the Brisbane music scene has always raged strong.

Cheap rents in the early ’90s in the former ‘wasteland’ of Fortitude Valley sparked rehearsal spaces and venues throughout the area. The music scene flourished, buoyed by community radio station 4ZZZ, as well as attentive street press and the support of industry body QMusic.

This progress came under threat in the early 2000s when inhabitants of newly constructed residential buildings lodged noise complaints and threatened to destroy the very thing that drew them to the area.

But Brisbane’s music scene fought back. After consultation with residents, as well as music venues and businesses within Fortitude Valley, the area was zoned a special entertainment precinct in July 2006 — allowing the area to remain ‘loud and proud’.

Want to experience this magic for yourself? Get along to the following Brisbane music venues.

Brisbane concert venues

Nothing beats the enthralling production of a great concert in a spacious venue with a high-quality sound system and a like-minded crowd. Here are some of the best concert venues Brisbane has to offer.

1. The Zoo, Fortitude Valley

As one of the oldest and most beloved live music venues in Brisbane, The Zoo has become quite the cult venue.

Known for promoting up-and-coming bands and playing host to international favourites, such as The Pixies, Paul Kelly, and Silverchair (to name a few). There’s a bar inside, as well as pool tables if you fancy a game.

Band playing at The Zoo in Brisbane — The Zoo is one of the oldest and most beloved live music venues in Brisbane.

2. The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley

Fortitude Valley’s gorgeous 1917 Art Deco venue The Tivoli is a major touring act destination and is considered to be one of Australia’s most beautiful performance venues.

This performance space offers a decadent program of local and international work and has previously played host to many Australian music heroes, such as Powderfinger and Missy Higgins, along with major international artists like Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift.

Pink and purple stage lights at the Tivoli in Brisbane — The Tivoli has hosted the likes of Taylor Swift and Bob Dylan.

3. Fortitude Music Hall, Fortitude Valley

As the largest ballroom and theatre-styled (art-deco) venue in Australia, Fortitude Music Hall is inspired by some of the world’s most loved live music venues, while still paying homage to the venues of Brisbane’s past. This concert venue features an array of genres from rock to dance to classical to metal and everything in between.

The Flaming Lips playing at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane. — Fortitude Music Hall is the largest ballroom and theatre-styled (art-deco) venue in Australia. (Image: Claudia Ciapocha)

4. Riverstage, Brisbane City

Located in the City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane City Council’s Riverstage outdoor venue hosts many local, national, and international concerts and events each year.

From family and community shows to large-scale music concerts such as Ed Sheeran and Florence and the Machine, a night dancing here under the stars is one for your Brisbane bucket list.

Other concert venues in Brisbane to consider are Brisbane Entertainment Centre , Brisbane Powerhouse , The Princess Theatre , Crowbar (punk and hardcore metal), and Sirromet Winery for its Day on the Green events.

Riverstage Located in the City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane. — Riverstage is located in the City Botanic Gardens.

Bars and pubs with live music in Brisbane

For a late-night boogie with a cheeky beverage, here are some of the best Brisbane bars and pubs with live music.

5. Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley

Looking for cosy couch vibes? Head to Black Bear Lodge for live music, whisky, beer, and cocktails. With timber floors, distressed brick walls, dim lighting, and a red velvet-curtained stage, this is a warm and welcoming live music venue.

6. Doo-Bop Bar, Brisbane City

Doo-Bop Bar is a multi-level live music venue in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD offering two spaces to get your live music fix.

The Basement Bar has blues, soul, funk and rock on Friday and Saturday nights, while the Piano Bar on the ground level has Brisbane’s only dedicated piano acts, five nights a week.

Exterior of Doo-Bop Bar in Brisbane — Doo-Bop Bar has two spaces to get your live music fix.

7. Greaser, Fortitude Valley

An edgy basement bar in The Prince Consort Hotel, it’s gritty, it’s grimey — its Greaser . If this live music bar were a car, it’d be a 1938 Chevy. With graffiti-covered exposed brick walls and southern fried chicken to devour, it’s an exciting melting pot for undiscovered indie bands.

Greaser live music venue in Brisbane. — Greaser is an edgy basement bar.

8. The Junk Bar, Ashgrove

One of Brisbane’s best-kept secrets, The Junk Bar is a hole-in-the-wall bar famous for its unique, intimate, eclectic vibe, offering excellent live tunes and tasty cocktails in a relaxing vintage setting. If there’s not a live act playing, you can sink into a couch and listen to their hand-picked vinyl soundtrack.

Other Brisbane bars and pubs with live music to consider are The End Bar , Ric’s Bar , The Brightside Brisbane , Brooklyn Standard (blues, funk, and soul), Suzie Wongs Good Time Bar , The Sound Garden , O’Skulligans (a rock n roll lounge bar with a hint of Irish), It’s Still a Secret , The Outpost , and Press Club .

Inside The Junk Bar in Brisbane. — The Junk Bar is a hole-in-the-wall bar famous for its unique, intimate, eclectic vibe.

Restaurants with live music

For dinner and show vibes, make a note of the following Brisbane restaurants offering live music.

9. The Triffid, Newstead

The Triffid is the brainchild of former Powderfinger bassist, John “JC" Collins. Once a WWII commercial hangar, it’s now a live music venue bringing the best of international, national, and local acts to Brisbane.

There’s also a beer garden where you can hang out day or night to catch a free gig and delicious food – including burgers, quesadillas and other pub fare classics.

Artist performing at The Triffid live music venue in Brisbane — The Triffid is one of the best live music venues in Brisbane. (Image: Will Wagner)

10. The Bearded Lady, West End

Fondly known as The Beardy, The Bearded Lady is an intimate small bar and live music venue for both emerging and established artists. The venue hosts concerts for a wide range of genres such as Cigány Weaver (folk-jazz) and 51st Avenue (electronic dance music).

The food menu is vegan and vegetarian friendly, including rice paper dumplings, nachos, and risotto.

Guitar and food at The Bearded Lady. — The Bearded Lady has a vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu.

11. Brisbane Jazz Club, Kangaroo Point

Get up close and personal with Brisbane’s hottest live jazz bar – Brisbane Jazz Club . Soak up world-class music as you wine and dine in a legendary setting. With the Story Bridge lit up and piano fingers dancing across the keyboard, a night here is unforgettable.

12. Lefty’s Music Hall, Petrie Terrace

You’ll find old-timey Americana opulence on Caxton Street, thanks to Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall . What looks like a decadent saloon is home to the best local musical talent and American diner-style meals.

Interior of Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall in Brisbane. — Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall looks like a decadent saloon.

Other Brisbane restaurants with live music to consider are Wooly Mammoth Mane Stage , Johnny Ringo’s (country rock), and Queensport Tavern .

Check out our guide on Brisbane for more tips and travel advice.

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.

The best live music venues in Brisbane