One of Brisbane's stalwarts of indie, underground live music, The Bearded Lady will close for good later this month.
Located on West End's bustling Boundary Street, The Beardo has been a dependable source of quality live music for more than a decade, having originally opened as a restaurant before pivoting to a music venue when owner Jamie Simmonds took over the space, which had been a cafe.Sharing the news via their socials, Jamie and his team noted they had members of the local music community willing to take over the building's lease and keep the venue afloat.
However, yesterday negotiations broke down with the landlords (who cited 'they no longer wish to be involved with hospitality') forcing Jamie to make the difficult decision to call final drinks next week, with the last day of trading to be Friday 23 May, 2025.
The outcome is extra galling given a recent Go Fund Me campaign raised close to $30k, but fell well short of the $200k the page was seeking to collect.
"We're reaching out today with the heaviest of hearts to let you know that The Bearded Lady will be officially closing, with our final day of trade on Friday 23rd May, 2025," the venue shared via their socials. "We've done everything in our power to keep the doors open, but unfortunately, negotiations with the landlord fell through yesterday.
"Key members of our local music community were ready and willing to take on the lease, but at the last minute, the landlords informed us they no longer wish to be involved with hospitality.
"Thank you for supporting our beloved Beardo and thank you for all your efforts to keep our Lady Loud. Unfortunately this decision did not come down to finances, rather a call that became entirely out of control.
"We are devastated by this news, and for our beloved bands and music community. Your frustrations are not lost on us. Thank you for supporting The Bearded Lady! We love you!"
