Open letter to Night-Life Economy Commissioner, John Collins AM

Mr John Collins AM

Night-Life Economy Commissioner

Department of State Development and Infrastructure

Via email to: commissioner@nlec.qld.gov.au

 

Dear Mr Collins,

We write to urgently ask you to intervene in the impending closure of The Bearded Lady, a beloved live music venue in West End, Brisbane.

Yesterday it was announced that The Bearded Lady, a cornerstone of West End’s live music scene, will be forced to close its doors on Friday 23 May 2025 due to the landlord’s refusal to renew its lease. This venue is not just a bar—it is a springboard for emerging artists, a pillar of our cultural identity, and a critical part of the creative ecosystem that sustains larger venues such as The Triffid and Fortitude Music Hall.

Your own experience as a musician and venue operator gives you a unique understanding of how essential small venues are to the long-term viability of the industry. The Bearded Lady plays a role today not unlike the spaces where Powderfinger began decades ago.

As the Night-Life Economy Commissioner—and as someone who has lived the journey from grassroots musician to industry leader—we urge you to use the full extent of your powers under the Night-Life Economy Commissioner Act 2024 to:

• Facilitate urgent mediation between the landlord and venue operators;
• Engage with the Department of the Arts or relevant Ministerial offices to identify emergency support mechanisms;
• Recognise The Bearded Lady as essential cultural infrastructure worthy of immediate intervention.

This is not merely about saving a venue. It is about preserving the fragile ladder of opportunity for Queensland’s next generation of musicians—just as Brisbane did when Powderfinger first played to a room of a dozen locals in the early 1990s.

Let’s not allow this cornerstone of Brisbane’s cultural identity to be lost in silence.