One of the most cherished and long-standing Brisbane venues, The Zoo, is turning 30 and to celebrate three decades of live music, they've decided to throw eight events over the month of December, enlisting over 100 artists to help set the vibe.
The first event starts with a bang, with good time experts A Love Supreme kicking the festivities off on Friday the 2nd of December. On Saturday the 3rd, Punkfest takes over, pulling an all-star line-up including FAT, Glitoris and Being Jane Lane. On the Sunday, the vibes get a little more relaxed as the venue shifts into Jazz mode, programmed by Australian music Icon Katie Noonan and her ARIA and National Jazz Award-winning composer/saxophonist husband, Zac Hurren.
Indulging in a well-earned break before opening back up on Wednesday 7th, The Zoo will hold a very special night of live music and art, exhibiting photographs and special memorabilia captured and collected over the past 30 years. A new mural dedicated to The Zoo by artist Marcia Gibbs will also be unveiled.
Thursday the 8th sees the energy ramp up, with Brisbane institution Airlock Studios curating a night of indie-rock artists, including The Predators, Suicide Country Hour and Milk Buttons. Friday the 9th is all about celebrating the platform that the Zoo has given young and up-and-coming artists over its 30 years of operation. Featuring Hope D, Concrete Surfers, and Melaleuca, the night will be bursting with youthful spirit.
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Saturday sees The Zoo's OG stars take the stage, with Resin Dogs, Screamfeeder, ISIS and IIWII set to light up the stage like it's 1992. Ending the celebrations on Sunday the 11th, The Zoo's beloved stage will welcome all its favourite word-smiths to share a Love Letter towards the Zoo, making it the perfect end to a wonderful two weeks of celebrations.
Founded by Joe Curran and C.Smith on the 11th of December in 1992, The Zoo has provided a platform for emerging artists while simultaneously hosting massive international acts such as The Pixies, Silverchair, The Black Keys, Lorde, Ben Harper and Nick Cave and The Dirty Three. Now an institution, The Zoo celebrates 30 years of lifting up artists, fostering a safe and vibrant cultural scene and creating hundreds of memorable musical moments.
Curran commented on the 30th Celebrations, saying: "30 years ago in December 1992, myself and C Smith opened a venue with the help and support of our community; our families, local artists, musicians, tradies, and even the government did their bit to help us open the doors. We came together to create The Zoo. We started as a simple BYO café where art adorned the walls and music flowed through the open windows.
"Fast forward to 2022, the stage is larger, the room is now air-conditioned. The Keeper of the keys are now Boo, Cat, and Shane. Community, music and art are still the binding elements that keep The Zoo’s heart beating just as strong.
"Helping programme the 30th celebrations with Cat & Boo has been a complete honour and privilege. I have been reflective in my choices and reached out to many original collaborators who have travelled with us on this journey. The 30th events are very much based on what The Zoo still stands for; supporting local music and art, community, and everybody is always welcome."
Current co-owners of The Zoo, Cat Clarke & Luke 'Boo' Johnston, added: “The Zoo is an incredibly special place, you feel it the minute you walk through the doors. Over 30 years, it has become a live music institution for Brisbane that means so much to so many. We really wanted to give The Zoo the 30th celebration she deserves, so when Joc agreed to come on board to co-programme, we knew we could deliver something truly magical, we're so grateful for her involvement over the past year. We believe we have put together a programme that has a little something for everyone, along with a few surprises along the way, and we can't wait to see everyone in December for a bloody good time."
TIckets to all the events can be found here. The Zoo Subscriber pre-sale starts Friday, October 14th at 10am (AEST). General sale starts Monday, October 17th 10am (AEST).
Check out the full lineup below.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 2ND
A LOVE SUPREME PRESENTS
NU GENEA (DJ SET + KEYS) (ITALY)
BARBARA BOEING (BRAZIL)
WITH AIDAN BEIERS AND CHEEK2CHEEK
SATURDAY DECEMBER 3RD
PUNKFEST PRESENTS
THE ZOO 30TH BIRTHDAY BASH
FAT
GLITORIS
BEING JANE LANE
TOPNOVIL
MITCH, PLEASE
RAISING RAVENS
GAY RECESS
SUNDAY DECEMBER 4TH
JAZZ ON A SUNDAY VIBE
APPIAN WAY
SHAMIN
HURREN/ NEWCOMB/ NOONAN TRIO
BRENDAN FOSTER QUARTET
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 7TH
THE ZOO 30TH BIRTHDAY ART EXHIBITION AND ZOOIE REUNION
BEN ELY BAND
CASSIUS SURMAN
CEDRIC INGRA
CHARLYN CAMERON
DANE BEESLEY
ELIZABETH SHARPE
FINN MULLEN
KY CURRAN
LUKE HENERY
MARCIA GIBBS
MARKUS RAVIK
MATTHEW JAMES OXLADE
MITCH LOWE
STEPHEN BOOTH
TYLEA
WILL JOHNSTONE
WILL KELLY
THURSDAY DECEMBER 8TH
AIRLOCK STUDIOS PRESENTS
THE PREDATORS
SUICIDE COUNTRY HOUR
MILK BUTTONS
THE BLUEBOTTLES
SHAG ROCK (ACOUSTIC)
FRIDAY DECEMBER 9TH
THE ZOO 2022
HOPE D
CONCRETE SURFERS
MELALEUCA
TOTAL PACE
PERVE ENDINGS
MIRANDA VS ARIZONA
DJ - SUNROOM DJs
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10TH
ZOO OG ALL STARS
WELCOME TO COUNTRY - SONGWOMAN MAROOCHY
RESIN DOGS
SCREAMFEEDER
ISIS
IIWII
ALISON ST. LEDGER & GUY WEBSTER (FABULOUS NOBODIES)
DANNY WIDDICOMBE
MARCELLO MILANI (TOOTHFAERIES) & PADDY DEMPSEY
DJ BLACK AMEX
+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10TH - AFTERNOON SHOW
DUB SESSIONS
DJ NO MC
SUNDAY DECEMBER 11TH
WHY I LOVE THE ZOO
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY - CEDRIC INGRA (CHOPPER DIVISION)
CAT CLARKE (THE ZOO CO-OWNER)
DOM MILLER (SUNROOM)
EDDIE JACOBSON (BUTTERFINGERS)
ERENE / MELITSA APOSTOLOS (THE APOSTOLOS FAMILY)
IAN HAUG (POWDERFINGER/THE CHURCH)
JOC CURRAN (ZOO CO-FOUNDER)
KELLIE LLOYD (SCREAMFEEDER)
LUKE HENERY (VIOLENT SOHO/TOTAL PACE)
MIRANDA KELLY (MIRANDA VS ARIZONA)
PAUL CURTIS (CONSUME)
ROBERT FORSTER (THE GO-BETWEENS)
SISI NICHOLSON CURRAN (THE ZOO)
