The Foundry To Celebrate Infamous Floor Buckling With Flooriversary Party

Brisbane folk will be all too familiar with Fortitude Valley institution The Foundry, its beer stained tartan carpet and the infamous floor buckling episode that took place on opening night back in 2015.

Well, the venue is turning three, and to celebrate, they are throwing a “Flooriversary” party next Thursday night and you’re all invited.

“We called it the Flooriversary because our owners weren’t too stoked on doing a birthday every single year but still wanted to do something,” venue booker Patrick Balfe said of the event.

“I thought I’d get a little bit creative with the name and do something a little bit tongue-in-cheek, hence Flooriversary.”

So what actually happened on that fateful evening back in 2015?

“It was pretty hectic,” Balfe remembers.

“It’s an old, old building and obviously there was so much that went into it in between having the idea of turning that place into a music venue and then actually launching it and putting together the line-up and all that kind of stuff. It was a really busy few months and obviously really exciting and nerve-wracking.

“It was actually Jeremy Neale from Velociraptor that kind of introduced me to the guys who are essentially my bosses at the Foundry, so obviously having Jeremy Neale and one of his band’s headlining the night was important to me as well.

“Then obviously a pretty hectic situation when we had to cut them mid-set. They stayed on stage and still kept playing and Jeremy was ushering everyone to the back half of the room so there was a 30m gap between the stage and everyone was still dancing right at the back of the room near the bar, it was crazy.

The venue has pulled together a pretty stellar line-up, in Fritz, Emerson Snowe, Simi Lacroix and S’average Garden, to lead the celebrations. “Inclusivity is super important” to Balfe when he is booking gigs like this.

“Trying to have an even gender balance so it’s not just all dudes on line-ups and I think sonically as well trying to keep it pretty broad too,” he says.

But apparently there’s a bit of “self-indulgence” in the line-up this time around and “music that doesn’t take itself too seriously”.

“They’re all bands that I have liked for a while. I first got into Brigid’s music when she did Entirely Kylie [laughs]. The first time I heard of that project was when The Creases played earlier in the year and I thought that was just genius and then I found out she had the one woman project S’average Garden and just instantly fell in love with the idea. So yeah I think part of the line-up is music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Simi Lacroix has always been a little bit tongue-in-cheek in a way.

“But yeah essentially every time I have booked a birthday party style line-up it’s been a little bit self-indulgent in booking stuff that I am really into, depending on what I am listening to at the time. Emerson Snowe, I’ve always been a big fan of Jarrod and what he does with The Creases and with Emerson Snowe, he’s starting to do really well internationally now which is great. I haven’t had him play the Foundry for a while so I’m stoked that I get to have him and that single that Fritz came out with is amazing and instantly fell in love with her music so I’m looking forward to have Fritz play as well.”

And what else can punters expect from the night?

“I think the venue manager Nick’s got a few things in mind, I think he really wants to pay homage to the floor and the stinky tartan carpet itself.

“There might be some tartan themed drinks and a typical kind of birthday party affair, balloons and candy and all that kind of thing, I think actually one of our most popular bartenders Alby, there was some talk of everyone getting Alby masks.”

Tickets for the Flooriversary are on sale now. Head over to theGuide for all the details.