In 1975 Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

's first FM radio station began broadcasting from a studio at the University of Queensland Student Union

University of Queensland

The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...

. 4ZZ (later 4ZZZ) became a catalyst for the development of original music in the city. Bands such as The Saints

The Saints (band)

The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...

, The Go-Betweens

The Go-Betweens

The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...

, gerrymander and the boundaries, The Riptides and The Laughing Clowns established an ecosystem for alternative music that continues to flourish.

Brisbane's nightlife today is a thriving and varied mix of pubs, clubs, themed bars, and various other venues. There are two main areas of interest: The "city" (CBD

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

) and the "valley" (Fortitude Valley). While the city typically consists of venues catering to those with a more traditional taste in music or atmosphere, the Valley typically offers a drastically different, more cosmopolitan selection of places. The Brisbane City Council has tried to preserve the valley as an entertainment precinct with the introduction of Valley Special Entertainment Precinct .

Following consultation with residents, music venues and commercial business operators within Fortitude Valley, the Valley Special Entertainment Precinct commenced on 1 July 2006. Its introduction is one of the first steps in achieving the aims of the Valley Music Harmony Plan.

The Queen Street Mall

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane

The Queen Street Mall is a pedestrian mall on Queen Street in the centre of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.It is Brisbane's predominant retail district, featuring shopping centres, hotels, restaurant and coffee shops, cinemas, clothing, music, jewellery and book stores, newsagencies, and banks...

 in the CBD offers nightclubs and bars, as well as the Conrad Treasury Casino

Conrad Treasury Casino

The Treasury Casino, also known as The Treasury is a casino in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It also houses a hotel, five restaurants, seven bars, and a nightclub. The casino is operated by ECHO Entertainment Group....

. Nightclubs in the city include Strike Bowling, a nightclub with bowling lanes, and the lounge bar Jade Buddha

Jade Buddha

The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is a polar jade statue of the Gautama Buddha sourced from northern Canada in 2000 and later carved by Thai artisans. It stands 2.7 meters high and is valued at more than A$5 million...

. More conventional bars include The Victory.

West End

West End, Queensland

West End is an inner-city suburb of southern Brisbane.-History:West End was named by early English settlers who found the area reminiscent of the West End of London....

, a cosmopolitan suburb about 2 km south-west of the CBD, plays host to a wide variety of street dining, music, bars like the Rumpus Room, the Lychee Lounge, Uber

Über

Über comes from the German language. It has one umlaut. It is a cognate of both Latin super and Greek ὑπέρ...

, The HiFi, Ill Manor and others.

RSL

Returned and Services League of Australia

The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....

 clubs and local pubs around the suburbs occasionally have live acts.

All kinds of music can be found in Brisbane's thriving live scene, from Dance

Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 to Rock, Pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 and Hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

. Most venues are found in the Valley and surrounding areas since the popular Mary St and Brisbane Festival Hall

Brisbane Festival Hall

Brisbane Festival Hall was an indoor arena, located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.The Festival Hall was originally known as Brisbane Stadium, which was built in 1910. In 1958, the venue was demolished and a new building constructed, by then leading Queensland Construction Company E.J.Taylor &...

 city venues were closed. Notable venues in the Valley include The Troubadour, The Zoo, Rics Cafe, The Arena, The Tivoli, The Fort, The Step Inn, The Empire Hotel and The Press Club. The Rev

The Rev

James Owen Sullivan , more commonly known by his stage name The Reverend Tholomew Plague, often shortened to The Rev, was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold...

 closed down in September 2006. The Alley Bar closed down in March 2008.

Most major concerts are held in the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Brisbane Entertainment Centre

The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a centre, located in Boondall, a Brisbane City suburb, in Queensland, Australia.The arena has an assortment of seating plans, which facilitate the comfort of its users, subject to performance. Specific seating plans usually are allocated, depending on the...

 in Boondall

Boondall, Queensland

Boondall is a northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, formerly known as Cabbage Tree Creek . Situated approximately 20 km north of Brisbane near Moreton Bay, almost half way between Brisbane and the coastal city of Redcliffe...

 and the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre is Australia’s most awarded venue and has been officially ranked among the world’s top three convention centres on three separate occasions....

 adjacent to the South Bank Parklands. Other major events (including raves) are hosted at the RNA Showgrounds

Brisbane Exhibition Ground

The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...

 (due to its massive size and under-utilization when not hosting the Ekka

Ekka

The Ekka is the annual agricultural show of Queensland, Australia. Its formal title is the Royal Queensland Show. It was originally called the Brisbane Exhibition, however it is usually shortened to Ekka.-History:...

), the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre near Southbank

South Bank Parklands, Brisbane

The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992.-Overview:...

 and more recently, Suncorp Stadium

Suncorp Stadium

Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...

.

Brisbane's live music scene has long been supported by independent record stores such as Rocking Horse Records, Kill the Music and Skinny's Music, and Brisbane music can be seen and heard online at Before Hollywood or Raw Audio - online TV for Brisbane Music.

Notable Brisbanites — popular singers and musicians

A		| An Horse An Horse An Horse is a two-person indie rock band from Brisbane, Australia, comprising Kate Cooper of Iron On on vocals and guitar and Damon Cox of Intercooler on drums. In 2008 they toured the United States as an opening act for Tegan and Sara, prior to the release of their first album. In August 2008,...
B		| Bee Gees Bee Gees The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...  -- The Black Assassins The Black Assassins The Black Assassins were an early eighties punk rock band from Brisbane, Australia.Keen exponents of the have a go and do it yourself ethos of the time, The Black Assassins formed in Brisbane in the middle of 1981, and played their first gig one week later at the from which they were banned from...  -- Pearly Black Pearly Black Pearly Black is an Australian singer. Her performance style varies widely, performing with several ensembles in different genres and in short-run shows...  -- Boxcar Boxcar (band) Boxcar is an Australian Sydney-based synth pop and techno band. Formed in the mid-1980s in Brisbane by main songwriter guitarist and vocalist David Smith, he was soon joined by keyboardists Brett Mitchell and Carol Rohde and somewhat later by drummer-percussionist Crispin Trist. They initially...  -- Butterfingers -- The Butterfly Effect The Butterfly Effect (band) The Butterfly Effect are an alternative metal band from Brisbane, Australia, formed in 1999. The band consists of Clint Boge , Ben Hall , Glenn Esmond and Kurt "Puddles" Goedhart . Their debut album received high rotation play on influential radio station Triple J.-The Butterfly Effect EP:The band...  -- The Boat People The Boat People (Australian band) The Boat People are an Australian four-piece indie pop band. The Brisbane based group consists of James O'Brien, Robin Waters, Charles Dugan and Tony Garret...  -- The Bloodpoets
C		| Custard Custard (band) -Overview:The band were originally known as Custard Gun and featured David McCormack on vocals and guitar, Paul Medew on bass, James Straker on guitar and Shane Brunn on drums. After a few shows and line up changes Custard Gun morphed into Custard...  -- Coalition Crew -- Joanna Cooney -- The Climatics
D		| Emma Dean Emma Dean Emma Kate Dean is a musician from Brisbane, Australia. Dean uses a soprano singing voice, and has played violin, mandolin, keyboards and piano for Bittersuite , Kate Miller-Heidke Band or her own Emma Dean Band.Emma Dean Band was formed in 2005 with her brother, Anthony Dean, on drums and Dane...  -- Andrew Dowling -- Dead Letter Circus Dead Letter Circus Dead Letter Circus are an alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, who have been compared to The Mars Volta and Karnivool and have become one of the more popular bands in Australian rock...  -- Drawn from Bees Drawn from Bees Drawn from Bees are an art rock band from Brisbane, Australia. The band is composed of Dan James , Stew Riddle , Raven Jones and Matt Wedmaier...
E		| El Caminos
F		| Fun Things Fun Things The Fun Things were a high energy punk band that was formed during the heyday period of punk rock. Known for their admiration of Radio Birdman, they also have been documented as being "modeled on almost exclusively on the Radio Birdman / Stooges / Sex Pistols mould." The band released one highly...  -- Bernard Fanning Bernard Fanning Bernard Joseph Fanning is a musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and frontman of Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989 to its dissolution in 2010....  -- Fat Mans Cleavage Fat Mans Cleavage Fat Mans Cleavage is an independent punk rock band from Brisbane, Australia. They are best known for winning Triple J's Unearthed competition in October 2006.-History:...  -- Full Fathom Five Full Fathom Five (band) Full Fathom Five is a six-piece band from Brisbane, Australia, that performs a minimalist blend of rock and electronica that has been described as "Chemical Brothers on valium"...
G		| Edward Guglielmino Edward Guglielmino Edward Guglielmino is a musician in Brisbane, Australia.-Music career:Edward Guglielmino is a musician, an academic and a blogger; he originally started pursuing music in high-school in 2000. He writes quirky guitar pop. One of his gigs listed as a highlight in April in the book Australia Year in...  -- The Gin Club The Gin Club The Gin Club are an Australian folk rock musical collective from Brisbane. The band formed when the various members met whilst frequenting an open mic night at a local hotel. The Gin Club have won three Q Song awards and have toured in Canada...  -- GANGgajang GANGgajang Gang Gajang are an Australian rock band who formed in 1984. The three principal figures in the original lineup were former Riptides frontman Mark "Cal" Callaghan and two former members of popular Australian hard rock band The Angels, bassist Chris Bailey and drummer Graham "Buzz"...  -- Gina G Gina G -Albums:*1997 Fresh! — #12 UK #40 Norway.*1998 Gina G Remix Album *2005 Get Up & Dance -Singles:...  -- George George (band) George are a rock band from Brisbane, Australia. Their first album, Polyserena reached #1 in the Australian Charts on 17 March 2002.-History:...  -- The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...  -- Giants of Science Giants of Science Giants of Science is a band formed in Brisbane in Queensland. They refer to their music as "nerd-core" and have been influenced by Split Enz Swervedriver, Sparklehorse, Superchunk, Brisbane underground rock legends the KT26ers, and Sonic's Rendezvous Band. They have supported MC5, A Perfect...  -- The Grates The Grates The Grates are a two-piece band from Brisbane, Australia, comprising Patience Hodgson and John Patterson . They have been lauded for their catchy songs and enthusiastic and energetic live shows, as Patience spends much of the time bouncing around, even while singing...  - - Grey Haired Tent People -- Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side
H		| Darren Hayes Darren Hayes Darren Stanley Hayes is a UK-based Australian singer-songwriter. Hayes was the front man and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden, whose 1997 album Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in United Kingdom and No. 3 in United States...  -- Hungry Kids of Hungary Hungry Kids of Hungary Hungry Kids of Hungary are an Australian five-piece indie pop band from Brisbane, Queensland. The band consists of Dean McGrath , Kane Mazlin , Ben Dalton , Remy Boccalatte and Ryan Strathie .- Origins and self-titled EP :Forming in mid 2007, the band appears to be the...  -- Hunz Hunz Hunz is an electronic pop music group from Brisbane, Australia. The name Hunz can refer to either the group or its composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Hans van Vliet....
I		| I Heart Hiroshima I Heart Hiroshima I Heart Hiroshima are a three-piece indie pop act from Brisbane, Australia, known for their "bass-less" lineup, which tends to offer a distinct sound. The band formed in 2005 at a house party and started to play local gigs, eventually leading to the release of their debut EP, A Three Letter Word...  -- Intercooler Intercooler (band) Intercooler is a rock band out of Brisbane, Australia-Biography:Intercooler was formed by members of a Sunshine Coast band named Uncle Ecstasy. They have released an EP and two full length albums titled Old School Is The New School and Forever Or Whatever...  -- Iron On Iron On (band) Iron On is an indie rock/pop band from Brisbane, Australia.-Biography:The band formed in 2002 after members Kate Cooper and Ross Hope met at university. Not long after, Ian Rogers joined, and Iron On was forged - named after a Superchunk song...
J		| The John Steel Singers
K		| The Kents (Brisbane band)
L		| The Leftovers (Australian band) The Leftovers (Australian band) Brisbane punk rock band The Leftovers, formed in 1976, had acquired local cult punk hero status in Australia over the years due to their acknowledged reputation in the past for excessive anti social practices, constant harassment by the Queensland Police Force and self destructive deeds...  -- Lion Island -- Little Scout (band) Little Scout (band) Little Scout are an independent band from Brisbane Australia; they formed in early 2008 and soon after were named as one of the Triple J 'next crop' artists in 2008. They have released two EP's and one album...
M		| Sophie Monk Sophie Monk Sophie Charlene Akland Monk is a London-born Australian pop singer, actress and model. Monk was a member of female pop group Bardot and released a solo album Calendar Girl...  -- Mungabeans Mungabeans The Mungabeans were a Brisbane, Australia indie rock band. They formed in 1984, broke up in 1992. The band comprised guitarist/singer-songwriter Paul Grogan, bass player/vocalist Guy Mansfield and drummer/producer, Lord Mike McCann...  -- Pete Murray -- Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Miller-Heidke is a singer-songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. Although classically trained, she has followed a career in alternative pop music. She is signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the UK.-Career:...
N		| Not From There Not From There Not from There is an Australian indie rock band formed in 1991 in United Kingdom, but relocated to Brisbane, Queensland by 1992. They had success in the late 1990s with their 1998 single, "Sich Offnen", featured on radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 and their debut album, Sand on Seven winning...  -- The Neighbourhood Unit
P		| Tex Perkins Tex Perkins Tex Perkins is an Australian singer-songwriter, who is widely known for fronting the popular Australian rock-band The Cruel Sea, but has also performed with the Beasts of Bourbon, Thug, James Baker Experience, The Butcher Shop, Salamander Jim, and Tex, Don and Charlie. He has also released many...  -- Portal (Australian band) -- Powderfinger Powderfinger Powderfinger was an Australian rock band that formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their breakup the band lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....  -- Chris Pickering Chris Pickering Chris Pickering is an Australian alt.country singer, songwriter and guitarist based in Brisbane, Australia.He was born and grew up in the town of Warwick, about south-west of Brisbane....  -- Pink Bullet -- The Poisoners
Q		|
R		| Regurgitator Regurgitator Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, currently consisting of Quan Yeomans , Ben Ely and Peter Kostic . The band formed in 1994, its original line-up consisting of Yeomans, Ely and drummer Martin Lee...  -- Rhubarb Rhubarb (band) Rhubarb were an Australian rock band, best known for their song "Exerciser", released in 1999. They disbanded in 2006.-Biography:Rhubarb were formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1996 by brothers Steve and David Drinkall with their Brazilian cousin Paul Harvey playing bass and Ian Buchanan on...  -- Rocketsmiths Rocketsmiths The Rocketsmiths are an indie rock band from Brisbane, Australia and have released three EPs to date. They released their debut EP "Act One...  -- Riptides Riptides The Riptides were a band from Brisbane Australia and worked largely as a vehicle for the song-writing talents of Mark "Cal" Callaghan. Over a career spanning 6 years from 1979 to 1983 the band also featured a number of notable musicians.-History:...  -- Margret RoadKnight Margret RoadKnight Margret RoadKnight is an Australian singer. In a career spanning more than four decades, she has sung in a wide variety of styles including blues, jazz, gospel, and folk....  -- Resin Dogs Resin Dogs Resin Dogs are a Brisbane, Australia-based hip hop band, originally formed in 1996. Resin Dogs are a loose collective, a cut and paste sample band who use live drums, live bass, and elements of hip hop via turntables and samplers to create all forms of ritual dance sounds...
S		| The Saints The Saints (band) The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...  -- Savage Garden Savage Garden Savage Garden were an Australian pop rock performance and songwriting duo. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones formed the group in Brisbane, Queensland in 1994...  -- Screamfeeder Screamfeeder Screamfeeder are a rock band from Brisbane, Australia.-Members and history:Screamfeeder began performing under that name in Brisbane, Australia in 1991. They formed out of the remains of Tim Steward and Tony Blade's band, The Madmen....  -- The Sunnyboys The Sunnyboys Sunnyboys was an Australian post-punk, power pop band formed in Sydney in 1980. Fronted by singer-songwriter, guitarist Jeremy Oxley, the band "breathed some freshness and vitality into the divergent Sydney scene"...  -- Sakkuth Sakkuth Sakkuth is a band based in Brisbane in Queensland. They describe themselves as "melodic metal". They have been active in the Brisbane heavy metal scene and around Australia for nearly 10 years.-The beginning:...  -- Tara Simmons Tara Simmons Tara Emily Simmons is a musician residing in Brisbane, Australia. Simmons is proficient in voice, keys and sometimes cello and is known for her use of bedroom, bathroom and kitchen items to sample extra sounds for her recordings....  -- The Survivors (Australian band) The Survivors (Australian band) The Survivors were a Brisbane punk rock band that formed in 1976 as a party band, which attained cult status in Australia by their acknowledged popular live performances and contribution to the Lethal Weapons punk compilation album...  - - SixFtHick
T		| Billy Thorpe Billy Thorpe William Richard "Billy" Thorpe, AM was a renowned English-born Australian pop / rock singer-songwriter and musician...  -- Joel Turner Joel Turner (musician) Joel Turner is an Australian beatboxer, singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and record producer best known for the Australian hit song "These Kids". As a beatboxer, he is recognised for his raw power, deep bass, and trademark sounds such as his "third voice", cowbell, teeth beats and bass guitar...  -- Tulipan Tulipan Tulipan is a Brisbane-based Hungarian fusion band who were active from 1993 to 2000.Virag Antal, founder of the group, learned to play the traditional folk instruments hurdy gurdy, zither and cimbalom or hammered dulcimer while at school in Hungary. It is a still rarity to see these instruments...  -- The Tellers The Tellers The Tellers are a rock group from Belgium.Before landing on 62TV records The Tellers remained a bedroom secret....
U		| Keith Urban Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
V		| Vampire Lovers (band) -- The Veronicas The Veronicas The Veronicas are an Australian electrorock, pop-punk and rock band. Twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso formed the band in 1999 in Brisbane. They have their own line of clothing which was released in 2007....  -- Violent Soho Violent Soho Violent Soho are a band from Brisbane, Queensland. The band formed in 2004. They are a quartet, with Luke Boerdam on guitar/vocals, James Tidswell on guitar/vocals, Luke Henery on bass and Michael Richards on drums...
W		| Emily Williams Emily Williams Emily Williams , is a New Zealand-born Australian singer-songwriter, who rose to fame on the third season of Australian Idol in 2005, and became runner-up of the season...
X		| Xero Xero (band) Xero was a Brisbane, Australia punk rock and new wave band from the early 1980s.The initial lineup was Irena Luckus, Barbara Hart, Chris Anderson, Debbie Penny, Peter Adams and John Hunt, Deborah Thomas, Vic Allen and Lindy Morrison, soon joined by John Willsteed. Lindy Morrison was later replaced...
Y		| Yves Klein Blue Yves Klein Blue Yves Klein Blue was an Australian indie/rock band from Brisbane. The band are signed to Brisbane record label Dew Process, under which they re-released their debut EP Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention to Themselves...