Leading Brisbane

After opening The Triffid in 2014, JC and his team then joined forces with Hutchinson’s and music industry power brokers, Secret Sounds and Live Nation, to open The Fortitude Music Hall, which has quickly gained a great reputation as a world-class Brisbane music venue, hosting local and international artists alike.

Driving Brisbane sat down with JC, a member of the BEDA Board and Better Brisbane Alliance, to talk about how the city’s live music scene has changed, Powderfinger’s extraordinary impact and Brisbane’s exciting growth trajectory.

On Business

How has the live music scene changed in Brisbane over the years and how important is the industry to the city’s arts economy? 

I’ve seen the music industry grow over the last 30 years, since I started going to and performing at gigs. The nineties were a strong period for the Brisbane music scene with artists like Custard, Regurgitator and Powderfinger all choosing to stay and reside in Brisbane, unlike our predecessors the Saints and the Go-Betweens who moved interstate and overseas.

I think this change was instrumental in developing a Brisbane music scene. The local music scene has thrived since then, with some of the country’s largest touring acts coming from Brisbane. If we want to continue to grow as an economy, a city needs to attract young talent and I believe the nighttime offerings of a city, including a thriving music scene, is paramount in achieving this. 

Brisbane’s global reputation is gaining momentum as the city gears up to host the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.How should the live music/ venue industry leverage this opportunity? 

This is a huge opportunity for Queensland artists, particularly during the four weeks when the world is watching us. I’m very keen to continue my work with QMusic as the Vice President of the organisation to promote Queensland and Brisbane and ensure that local artists are the soundtrack of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This means ensuring all our incredible entertainment precincts here in Brisbane are primed and ready to host the biggest party this city has ever seen.

There’s been a lot of discussion about Brisbane’s night-time economy, including making Brisbane a 24-hour city and appointing a nighttime commissioner – what do you think about that?

It’s no surprise that I think this is a great idea. Having a strong communication channel between the nighttime economy and all levels of Government is so important, particularly as we head to into 2032 and beyond. 

Other cities and states around the world have identified how important it is, reporting on the positive changes that have come from such appointments. I also believe that entertainment precincts can be safe and fun. Working closely with the government will provide the balance required to secure this outcome.

As the co-owner of two iconic music venues, the 800-capacity Triffid and the 3000-capacity Fortitude Music Hall, what challenges are smaller venues facing right now?

Smaller venues everywhere, not just in Brisbane, are fighting a perfect storm at the moment. They are still recovering from the effects of Covid, with lockdowns and restricted trade, and now costs of trading have gone up. We also have a reduction in bar revenue, which is sadly what the smaller venues rely on to stay open. 

I also believe that there was a break in the chain through Covid. Young people would traditionally start going to all age gigs. During Covid there were barely any under 18 shows, and venues were working on 30% of their normal capacity. I think this younger age demographic is slower to return to the venues to see grassroots artists. 

To mitigate these multifaceted challenges, I am interested in an idea coming from the UK of a “Music Levy” for artists who play in venues over a certain size. I think if you’re charging $150 for a Taylor Swift or Foo Fighters ticket, adding a levy of a couple of dollars that will go directly to a Trust to be used by young bands and venues is absolutely worth exploring.

Brisbane is on an exciting growth trajectory, with the city’s economy set to grow 68% by 2041. As a business leader, what do you think is contributing to the city's success?

One of the best things Brisbane has going for it is that we are all very collaborative and egos are not welcomed. I still have a chip on my shoulder about how our band was treated in the early days by our southern counterparts, and I don’t think I’m alone with this feeling. All the people I deal with in business in Brisbane are very motivated in making this city world class and we are all happy to work together to achieve this ambition.

I honestly believe that organisations, like BEDA, have made a real difference to the way people see Brisbane and the opportunities of doing business here.

Congratulations on being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia this year. What are the achievements you’ve been most proud of in your career? What do you hope to achieve moving forward?

As a member of Powderfinger I am very proud of what we were able to do for charity over the years, whether it was playing at Wave Aid or supporting First Nations programmes such as Yalari. The one event I am most proud of was when we decided to get together, one more time, online to stream a show during Covid for Support Act and Beyond Blue. Our target was to raise around $50,000 and we ended up raising around the $600,000mark, which is amazing. 

Outside of the many things Powderfinger achieved, I’m happy that I’ve been able to support the music industry here in Queensland. It was frustrating to have restrictions placed on music venues during Covid when stadiums were playing to sold out crowds. With the help of a couple of friends we came up with a campaign called Play Fair to encourage the State Government to either increase our crowd capacities or offer grants to ensure the industry didn’t collapse. The campaign was successful, and we received the funding for Queensland music venues to ensure their survival.

What do you want to achieve with your involvement in the Better Brisbane Alliance? 

I love the Better Brisbane Alliance, it’s awesome to see key stakeholders of Brisbane in the one room all offering their time up to work together to deliver positive outcomes for our city. It’s not a talk fest, the decision was made on day one that the Alliance needs to produce meaningful outcomes.

I am very keen to make sure that the Alliance understands the importance of Fortitude Valley and work with me to ensure we keep its energy, while improving some of the areas that we all know need to be updated. We need to recognise that there is nowhere in the world like the Fortitude Valley, celebrate the area and ensure all new developments enhance the Valley experience.

On a personal note

What’s the best business advice you were ever given?  

My grandfather owned his own business in a Queensland country town called Wondi. It was a hardware store that sold anything from building materials, stock feed and even explosives. I don’t remember the store, as I was too young, but I do remember that he would always say “people are your business John… people are your business.” I know that may seem simple to some, but I still think it’s one of the most important aspects of running a business, whether it’s talking to one of your staff or customers, it works on every level. I think of my late grandfather often because of it.

Favourite gig you’ve ever seen in Brisbane?

I remember seeing the Black Crowes at Festival Hall back in the early nineties. I was completely mesmorized by them. It was a light bulb moment for me, with the realisation that music was my passion. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Favourite Brisbane restaurant? 

Brisbane has world class restaurants, so this this is like naming your favourite child. It’s so hard.

I think the Pork and Fennel Sausage Gnocchi with Truffle Tapenade at Enoteca in Woolloongabba gets it over the line for me, it’s so morish.

I love restaurants that stand the test of time and Enoteca is absolutely one of those, it’s been a regular haunt for me over the years and I always leave there with a big smile on my face.