The Zoo

For the uninitiated, The Zoo is Brisbane's most long standing live music venue/nightclub. We cater to the more independant end of the musical spectrum, and are open Wednesdays - Saturdays, and some Sundays. In any week you could see anything from beats, hip hop, jazz, rock, and pop to acoustic, folk, dub and reggae. As the number 1 venue in Brisbane for live music, The Zoo has played host to a raft of amazing events and is solely responsible for some of the biggest nights out in Brisbane.

About The Zoo

Joc Curran & C.Smith the original owners and founders of The Zoo, built the venue from the ground up and filled the space with passion & a burning love of music & the creative arts.  They nurtured the Brisbane music scene and gave a much needed platform to support not only touring bands but up and coming local musicians alike. They changed the music game for the better and gave The Zoo the heart it still has today. The influence and positive impact Joc has had on the Brisbane music scene will live on forever.

The Zoo is located in the Shannon’s building on Ann St was built in the 1920s, a large warehouse/factory space was created on the first floor. Perhaps it was deemed more viable to make a space for manufacturing. Many of the original features of the building remain, including lead light windows in the downstairs shop entrances, exterior tiling, intricate brick work within the façade, timber sash windows on the first floor and street awning.

Fast forward 40 years… in 1992 711 Ann St transformed yet again – into The Zoo, a cult venue that has hosted the likes of The Pixies, Silverchair, Violent Soho, The Black Keys, Gomez, Tortoise, Mogwai, Nick Cave and the Dirty Three, Ben Harper, Stephen Malkmus, Real Estate, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Regurgitator, Spiderbait, Powderfinger, Emilaini Torrini, Lorde, Resin Dogs, Butterfingers and thousands of other local, national and international artists and special events.

Now, 24 years on, it’s the beginning and the end of an era, time to pass the baton to Miss Pixie Weyand to carry The Zoo’s legacy into the new generation.  Although young in her years, Pixie has gained knowledge and skill beyond her years, a passionate lover of music, she is the Winner of the 2016 Queensland Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, the 2016 Commonwealth Bank’s Australian of the Day, a collaborative author in the motivation and small business book Gumption Trigger, as well as having the background and experience of bringing up over five businesses from the ground up.

The Zoo is an incredibly special place and it has a heart and a soul. So here’s to another 20 years of The Zoo, rest easy that it will always continue to nurture musicians and bring music to the masses.