Brisbane Nightlife Tips by Jez79

Nightlife Spot: Fortitude Valley's many clubs

The Valley has a variey of clubs and pubs, which tend to be a different scene to the city clubs. The Valley is home to the more alternative style (for want of a better term), with sneakers, t-shirts and cool hair a more common occurence than the collared shirt and dress shoes requirement of the city clubs. If you're into the big dance clube scene, Family or The Beat are good options, or the Moon bar if they have a DJ playing. The Press Club, The Empire (or Moon Bar), Ric's, GPO, Dooley's and the Elephant and Wheelbarrow are some of the places you can check out if you prefer to sit around with your mates. There is often touring bands playing at the Arena, The Zoo, The Tivoli, Waterloo or The Rev. Some of the other clubs showcase some great local acts. Clubs vary dramatically for week to week, depending what's on, so it may be worth checking out a few. The advantage of the Valley clubs is that if you don't like one, it's a short walk to another!

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Theme: Other
Dress Code: Trendy casual. No dress shoes or bad taste (eg hawaiian) shirts. Suit are not uncommon. GPO is fairly formal. One of my mates was refused entry into one club because he was wearing Doc Martins and not skatie shoes (this is rare). I've also heard of people being refused entry for being too dressed up or conservative, but with places like GPO and the Press Club, this shouldn't be a drama either. This is becoming a growing problem as door staff get to decide the tone of the club by selecting who is cool enough to come in. The best advice is to suss it out as you go.

There is a huge variety of people in the Valley, and the area is moving towards a trendy inner city suburb. This means the whole face of the valley is changing, but I think the clubs will always be home to the less mainstream crowd who prefer techno or a live band to Brittany Spears or Beyonce.
Directions: Fortitude Valley is behind Brisbane City, and can be accessed by car, bus, taxi or train (Brunswick St sation).

Nightlife Spot: Family Nightclub

Family nightclub has become the most popular club in Brisbane. Brisbane has long been without a truly reputable club to compare with the scene in bigger Australian cities, but Family seems to have taken on this role with gusto. While I'm yet to have the family experience myself, I've heard mostly good reviews of the place. There is a cover charge after 9 or 10pm, around $8-$12. The club generally attracts the dance crowd, but has a bit more style than some other establishments in the city. There are some excellent DJ's and you can check out the upcoming entertainment in the local street press or the website.
The motto is "share the love". Need I say more??

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Theme: Nightclub
Dress Code: Aim for funky and stylish - the door staff will probably turn you away if you're not deemed cool enough.
Website: http://www.thefamily.com.au/

Nightlife Spot: The Moon Bar

The Moon Bar is part of the Empire Hotel building, located on Brunswick St in the Valley. You'll have to pay a cover charge to get in. The club has a few levels, with couches, tables and chairs places in various places throughout the building. There are a couple of dance floors with DJ's playing, often including great international acts. You can also sit outside on the balcony, watching the action on Brunswick St. The places is very trendy, with a lot less drunken idiots like you'd find in some of the city clubs. It's not uncommon to see people smoking pot, but it's not terribly in-your-face. I think the Valley is more likely to involve illicit drugs than the city, where alcohol still rules. But if this isn't your scene, it's not hard to avoid.

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Theme: Nightclub
Dress Code: Trendy casual or suits. Anything with style.
Address: Brunswick St, Fortutide Valley
Directions: Top of Valley Mall, towards New Farm

Nightlife Spot: The Elephant and Wheelbarrow

The Elephant and Wheelbarrow is an English style pub. Located at the bottom of the Fortitude Valley mall on Wickham St, the pub is an easy walk from Brunswick St train station. You can order meals, have a few drinks and generally chill out with your mates. Sunday afternoon or early evening it's a great place for a quiet drink. There is a backpackers upstairs, so it's not uncommon to meet travellers. I've only checked out the place a few times on a Friday or Saturday night, and when I've been there's been a covers band playing. The music was good but more mainstream that some of the Valley clubs, and it does sometimes strike me as a place full of people trying to pick up (towards the end of the night anyway). If you're into that or are happy to tell people where to go, this is all good. Great for a laugh and an easy night out with your mates.

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Theme: Other
Dress Code: Anything seems to go.
Directions: Wickham St, Fortitude Valley

Nightlife Spot: Her Majesty's/ The Basement

Her Majesty's Bar or The Basement, depending how up to the minute you are with the name changes, is a really laid back club, with a few pool tables, a bar, some chairs and tables and a small stage. It's usually decent on friday and Saturday nights from about 10pm, when the band comes on. Before that it's good to sit around with your mates and chill out. The band changes but they usually do a mixture of covers of new and old rock bands (mostly the more aminstream stuff). There's a small dance floor come mosh area, so you can either sit around or get up and get into it. The club closes at about 2am after the band finishes. It's pretty loud once the band starts, so conversing without hand signs or the loss of your voice is difficult. A word of warning too - the music in between the band's sets is sometimes dodgy, and the breaks can go for about half an hour. The punters range from the newlly legal (18 years) crowd all the way through to the "I've been coming here for a long time" crowd, and can vary from night to night. The club offers no surprises but if you take it for what it is it makes for a fun night out.

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Theme: Nightclub
Dress Code: Mixed. Some people dress up, but most go casual. If you're planning to get into other clubs in the city as well, wear long pants, a collared shirt and dress shoes. If you want to go out later in the Valley, wear skate shoes and trendy casual clothes, or some funky threads if you plan to check out The Family.
Directions: Downstairs from The Hilton in the Queen Street Mall, Brisbane city.

Nightlife Spot: The Zoo

The Zoo is Brisbane's most long standing live music venue. It is open Wednesday to Saturday and some Sunday's, and features live music from all parts of the spectrum. The Zoo showcases some serious international talent as well as touring Australian bands and lesser known local acts. The price of gigs is generally low and the size of the venue makes it a more intimate affair. Drinks are relatively expensive (especially water!!), but there's a decent range. Seating is limited, so if you want to sit bacck and chill out before the main bands get going, get there early. If you would like to avoid ringing ears the day after your night out, consider taking some ear plugs. Not the coolest accessory in the world, but it's very loud in The Zoo. All in all, a pretty tidy little music venue.

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Theme: Live Music
Dress Code: Not strict - style really depends on what band is playing. Just be yourself!!
Address: Anne St Fortitude Valley
Directions: At the top of the Brinswick St mall, turn left and walk past The Beat (you'll need to cross the road). The Zoo entry is a multi coulured doorway past Butter Beats (record store).
Website: http://thezoo.com.au

Nightlife Spot: Ric's Bar

Located in the Valley Mall, Ric's is one of the live music strongholds in the Valley. Ric's is small with a good atmosphere and cold beer. Almost every night there is a band(s) or DJ, from upcoming local acts to some premier international talent (no huge concerts though). The music is diverse, so each night is totally different. Check the website or local street press ('Time Off' is a good choice) for gig listings or just drop in and check it out. If you're a regualr to the Valley scene you're guaranteed to run into people you know at Ric's, and the venue is often a meeting place for local artists, poets and musicians. If you've got your dancing shoes on and want to do some booty shaking, Ric's isn't so much the place, but if you'd like to check out some local talent and enjoy a few drinks, head on down.

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Theme: Live Music
Dress Code: Anything goes, nothing fancy - jeans, sneakers, your fave t-shirt.
Address: Centre of the Valley Mall, across from Melino's
Website: http://www.ricsbar.com.au/

Nightlife Spot: Mary Street

Mary Street is one of the 'City' clubs. Wednesday night there is a punk/ rock theme, which I haven't checked out (but alternative music and no pop appeals to me). Thursday nights there is a band and DJ with dollar drinks til 1am. This is a big night for uni students. On friday evening from 5:30 there is free beer, which lasts until the keg runs out. There is usually a band playing in the court yard on Friday and Saturday nights, and a DJ upstairs, though I warn you, it's more like to be Ms Spears than real electronic music. I don't really like Mary Street, but there seems to be a regualr crowd and if you like to dance to pop music, see a band and have a few drinks with your mates, it may satisfy. Particularly if you're aged between 18 and 21. The club often has promotions and special events which draw a crowd too, so it may be worth checking out. I don't want to put people off, but it's just not my thing.

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Theme: Nightclub
Dress Code: Collared shirt and dress shoes for guys, anything generally goes for girls.
Directions: Mary Street, Brisbane city.
Other Contact: http://www.marystreet.com.au/

Nightlife Spot: Gilhooley's

Gilholey's is located on the corner of Charlotte and Albert streets in the Brisbane CBD. Marketed an a traditional Irish pub and restaurant, Gilhooley's is a great place to meet friends and hang out. There is entertainment that varies for reasonable bands to your run of the mill covers bands, a small dance floor and pleanty of seating inside and out on the sidewalk. Each night the staff also demonstrate traditional Irish dancing - if you're game you can have a bash at it yourself too. Around the time of World Cup Rugby or for big soccer (football) matches, the pub tends to be extremely popular. If you're looking for a place to have a few drinks with friends rather than a big night out at a club, Gilhooley's is worth a look, though the quality of the atmosphere varies depending on the night an the patronage.

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Theme: Live Music
Dress Code: Not too strict, but needs to be neat.

Nightlife Spot: Dooley's

Dooley's in an Irish pub with five different sections. Great place for a beer after work, a game of pool, listen to a band or just relax with friends. Also has an accommodation section. Dooley's has recently been renovated, and I haven't checked out the new digs.

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Theme: Other
Dress Code: Casual
Directions: Brunswick St Fortitude Valley