Season Three Venue To Shut Down Permanently In Two Weeks
“The project that we began in earnest will be ending a lot sooner than we’d hoped.”
Season Three (Credit: Katy Bedford)
Brisbane venue Season Three is set to close its doors for the final time in a mere two weeks. With the lease not being renewed, the “weird little space for special things to happen” will be gone for good, according to owner Nick Smethurst.
Back in December, Smethurst warned punters about the impending closure via an Instagram video.
“We have been notified that at the end of our lease, which is in May of 2025, we will not be being renewed. And what that means is that, at that time, Season Three will be closing,” Smethurst began. “I’ve been sitting in pretty deep depression about it for a few days, to be honest. But, I’ve also tried talking, exploring all other options with the landlord, doing whatever we can, and yeah, unfortunately, there is no way around it at this time.”
After explaining that Season Three will be evicted mid-May, Smethurst continued: “The project that we began in earnest, and has done so much more than I’d ever thought possible in a pretty short space of time, will be ending a lot sooner than we’d hoped. Yes, it fucking sucks. I’m not trying to appear complacent here, but please understand there isn’t any option available here that can see the lease extended. It is going to come to an end. It’s just about what we do with the time remaining.”
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The video wasn’t all doom-and-gloom, with him reminding punters about the good times as well. “I’m pretty sure I can speak for James and myself when I say that getting to facilitate this for the community, putting events on, and watching scenes and creative enterprises spring up around what we do here, has been beyond inspiring.”
In a follow-up video a few weeks ago, however, Smethurst had a less positive view. In a “rant” about a band promoting an alcoholic beverage on a billboard in Fortitude Valley, the venue owner explained how frustrating it is for live music to be paired with alcohol brands, causing local residents to not want live music venues around them.
“I’ve been working tirelessly now that we’re getting shut down here, as you all know, to try and find a new space, in which to do what we want to do. And, surprise surprise, no one wants to have live music. Everybody loves the idea of culture. Everybody loves the idea of hitching their brand to the commodification of culture, but no one actually wants what we do to be around. It’s inconvenient. It’s loud.
“Every week, I see you all come through the space and bring positivity and community - genuinely life-changing and important things - and to see these large companies try to trade on that, and make it part of their marketing vertical, when we’re running out of spaces in which to do this, when there’s a near impossibility of continuing to promulgate culture… I don’t know. More and more, as time passes, I think the only thing we can do is stick together and work from the ground up.”
Season Three’s final shows are on sale now. Find details below.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
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