Iconic Brisbane live music venue The Zoo will close after 32 years, citing “cost of living stress for our patrons” amid a myriad of reasons. Having hosted acts including The Pixies, Silverchair, Powderfinger, Lorde, The Black Keys and Nick Cave, the Fortitude Valley venue has also been a place for thousands of emerging local and domestic bands to showcase their talents.
“As a music venue, we try our best to keep venue hire costs as low as possible for artists and promoters, which means that the financial risks are on the venue, and we depend on bar sales for profit. “The cost of supplying alcohol is rising, and bar sales are going down, likely due to a mix of lifestyle changes and cost of living stress for our patrons.” The statement claims the business unsuccessfully attempted to secure funding through “every avenue available to us”.