Local bands lay down the beat against a wall of books
Last month, Archive launched a new venture in partnership with local music shop Audrey’s Music and music industry stalwarts Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. Local Brisbane bands have been given a chance to play original music in a battle of the bands format.
Each Thursday night through until the final on 13 November Archive will rock to the sounds of original music. Bands play a full 45 minute set and the evening gives three bands the stage.
Frist prize is valued at $5,000, with plenty of offer for others too.
Sally Lindenberg of Audrey’s Music said: “We’ve been very impressed with the energy and standard of the bands so far. It’s been great to give people chance to play a full set on a great stage.”
When asked about the suitability of the West End bar Sally added: “The venue is holding up a treat. It really is a good place for the bands to perform. It brings the musicians and crowd together very well”
Maybe it’s all those books on the walls helping with the sound? The presence of plenty of fans and friends is certainly making the sets a fun time for all involved. With many weeks ahead the Thursday night slot seems best spent at Archive Beer on Boundary Street, West End.
For those interested in registering in the competition, contact Sally at Audrey’s Music, Jane Street West End or email sally [at] audreysmusic [dot] com [dot] au
WECA announced yesterday that the 7th Kurilpa Derby will dtake place on Sunday 7th September. The Derby is West End’s celebration of the lives lived on wheels.
Across the last six years:
over 10,000 Westenders have participated in this event.
we’re very proud to report that the event has been without incident for the duration.
we’ve never had to make a claim against our full insurance cover.
it has always been fully permitted and lawful under full insurance coverage.
professional organised, always included qualified medical personnel and responsible volunteers.
children that participated in our first Derby are now adults themselves and some have children of their own that they bring to the celebration.
we’ve been featured in the Weekend Australian magazine, covered by each TV news channel and all local newspapers.
Features include:
Wheeled glory including wheelchairs, bicycles, skates, skateboards, wheelchairs, carts, or wheeled creations
Brisbane Hardcourt Bikepolo
Brisbane Skateboarders Assoc
More event demonstrations to be confirmed and announced closer to the day
For those new to the neighbourhood, the afternoon consists of two parts:
a) The parade will assemble under the Dornoch Terrace bridge on Boundary Street from 1pm, departing at 1:30pm.
b) The festivities are booked for 2pm-5pm down in the road closed section of Boundary Street between Vulture and Russell Streets. Vehicles will not be allowed in that road closed section between 1:30-5:30pm. Shops, restaurants and cafe will be open.
WECA events are queer, family, pet and children-friendly. Everyone is welcome to join with us in celebrating the values of 4101 in an atmosphere that is fun, safe and magical.
MoJo Juju supporting Frank Sultana on stage on Saturday night
“You’re disrespecting my staff and you’re disrespecting me. Get your stuff and f*** off back over the river where you came from.”
This was how the ‘no-dickheads’ policy was observed at one of West End’s favourite haunts. Bring your friends, enjoy a drink and love the music but leave your attitude on the northside.
Seven years ago Jodi found a small piece of West End that was crying out for love and attention. The former Coronation Hotel is a magnificent example of Brisbane’s colonial architecture from 1891. It was into this space that Jodi brought energy, love, hard work, perseverance and a passion for live music. The welcome mat was laid out in secret little spot on a street called Hope across from a working milk factory. Very West End.
Over the years The Joynt’s small venue hosted many of quirky performance and plenty of rising stars. Jodi’s support of musicians endeared her to many. For a time up-and-coming bands heard of this mystical place called The Joynt where punters were in your lap. If you played with heart and soul then all could have a rocking good time. The place had magic. Many shows felt as if the coolest 50 people in all of Brisbane had found the best venue and the best band for the first time.
Bertie Page and Lena Marlene charted the return of Brisbane’s cabaret from The Joynt. Incredible performers took to the stage, many for the first time, to ply their well-practiced, sometimes earnest, routines on expectant audiences. Bertie’s wit and verve was a perfect compliment to the sweaty rock bands –and she was more than a match for the odd stray yob.
One of my enduring pleasures is sitting out on the Montague Road side with a tallie, listening to the live sounds pouring off the stage while catching a glimpse of a train passing along the bridge between two factories.
That view, The Joynt and the woman that created it are irreplaceable. Thanks Jodi, we’ll see you around.
“Parks can improve physical and mental health, ecosystem services and urban biodiversity. You don’t have to use these spaces to benefit from them.” wrote senior lecturer Jason Byrne, Griffith University (9 January 2012).
Brisbane City Council is furiously approving all kinds of new apartment buildings, all over West End. The LNP’s ambition is to bring a further 26,000 residents into 4101. Since the last census in 2011 an additional 3,000 residents have already moved in.
However Council hasn’t been as quick to bring in the social and trunk infrastructure, such as additional parks and green space.
Unless City Council rezones sites identified for new parks, the people of West End will lose out in many, many ways.
Seven (7) new sites were listed in the 2011 Local Area Plan (LAP) in West End. They include:
a lot immediately adjacent to Davies Park on Montague Road.
the long-standing dirt carpark on the corner of Vulture and Thomas Streets.
the lawn in front of the ABSOE site on Boundary Street.
an unspecified space to be reclaimed from redevelopment at the end of Bailey St and the new extension of Rogers Street in Hill End.
a pocket in the redeveloped Parmalat milk factory site on Montague Road and Hope Street.
an unspecified site located immediately to the south of the Go-Between tollbridge.
an unspecified site near the South Bank train station,
In a worrying failure, three years after delivering developers a windfall only one of these sites has been rezoned by City Council for the purpose of a park.
Why does that matter? It matters because unless Council rezones those sites then it will have to set aside extra ratepayer money to purchase these properties on the open market. Not a wise move in anyone’s books.
Council is frequently lamenting its financial pressures, so the prospect of tens of millions of dollars in new money found for purchasing these sites is improbable – it would also be a waste of public funds when there is the purpose built option of rezoning.
Recent controversy over the Bailey Street park is illustrative. Because the LNP administration has failed to follow-through on its own 2011 amendments to the local plan, those locations remain undefined and uncertainty tears at community. All we are getting so far is reassurances without action.
Without a rezoning there are no specifics, nor have any clear purposes been defined. Who knows what you’ll get? Maybe a park. Or maybe a plaza ala King George Square remake. Or maybe nowhere to lie on the grass at all?
The galling irony is that the same Council is rushing through schemes from developers, without setting aside the official notices listing the requirements for new parks, yet it continues to charge and collect tens of millions from the same developers for “contribution charges” on matters including the provision of new parks.
Councillor Amanda Cooper oversaw the LAP process. It’s incumbent upon her to explain why those sites have not been provided for before granting the DA’s in the same locations. If Councillor Cooper can’t provide immediate rezoning, then clearly its time for Lord Mayor Graham Quirk to sort the mess out. Beware the day when legislators claim they can’t legislate.
<caption p2 of Davies Park Pt1> Davies Park is a break in a relentless 15 storey canyon along the Brisbane river.
The 2011 Census shows a very small proportion of the Sth Brisbane area identifying as Greek
West End has long welcomed new migrants to its streets, churches, shops and tin and timber houses. The most celebrated being the Vietnamese and Greeks. But has this changed forever?
The 2011 census from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) documents a fundamental shift – the Greeks have officially left West End.
By birthplace of parents, those that identified as being of Greek heritage fell to 9th place.
Today in West End there are more people that identify as being of Irish, English, Chinese, Scottish and German ethnic heritage than those who claim to be Greek.
There’s probably more cause for the St Patrick’s Day Parade to roll down Boundary Street than continuing with Paniyiri in Musgrave Park. And that raises a serious question – what is the on-going future for the Greeks?
West End’s ethnic diversity has been a defining characteristic. The demise of affordable housing options in West End is having a negative impact on this quality. For new migrants cheaper housing was the first step into the suburb. The presence of large Queenslanders and multi-roomed workers cottages provided options.
For the former Greek migrants institutions remain – the church, support services for old people, the Greek Orthodox community of St George, and this month’s Paniyiri Festival; but for how much longer?
The demographic shift is real. More elderly will require more support services. The census charts that ‘Zorba’ has left West End for life and work in other suburbs. The looming intergenerational transfer of houses and assets will bring some soul-searching. Who gets to stay in the family home? If it gets sold what comes in its place? What will be the on-going contribution of the Greeks to the streets of West End?
These questions, ultimately, can only be answered by the Greek community themselves in their choices, conduct, actions and vision. Now that the bulk of the Greek population has voted with their feet and have left West End in the thousands what does the future hold for their community in West End?
ABSOE’s Boundary Street frontage is designated as public parkland
This month the sale of the former Peter’s Ice Cream/ABSOE site for +$40m is slated for settlement. The buyer is Sydney company PAYCE Consolidated. Many Westenders greeted the news with a sense of imminent foreboding.
However there is a chance to dream big. Let your imagination match the size of the site. It’s big. Over 2.6 hectares in total area.
With four street frontages, the long presence on Boundary Street is unique. It’s this aspect of the redevelopment that is of interest.
In repeated community consultations the independent retail mix of Boundary Street is cited as a defining characteristic of West End. Many religiously support local shops. There have even been successful protests and effective boycotts of inappropriate business behavior or proposals over the years.
Council requires that any future development will include a mix of retail and commercial options. There is a significant chance to extend that diverse, independent retail options along into the redeveloper site.
There are many examples around the world where former-industrial sites have been adapted to extend wonderful neighbourhoods.
The challenge is now with the community, PAYCE Consolidated and Council to achieve an acceptable design solution.
The community’s support for an extension of that independent retail mix is assured however the ball is in the developer’s hands, for now.
There is also a chance to create the civic centre that West End has always deserved. By observing Council’s requirements for the new park on Boundary Street plus meeting the additional requirement for 20% publicly accessible land there is great opportunity to make that civic heart a reality.
This will take vision from new owners PAYCE Consolidated and good judgment from City Council. There is merit in reaching out for the best ideas by commissioning an open design contest.
Creating a new civic space around the new park along Boundary Street has the potential to change the street’s centre-of-gravity.
It’s a prospect that carries great responsibility and risk. It will need goodwill and patience.
Today, as you look at the location of the new park, you can almost see the surrounding lanes and envision a cluster of new stores and small, regular retailers such as bakers, homewares, a butcher and dry goods provider. One thing is certain-West End needs more coffee shops like a hole in the head, so lets give that trope a miss just this once.
Boundary Street retail is about to move northwards, in a big way.
