There’s a new rock and roll venue in Newstead and it’s the brainchild of a man with impeccable credentials. John “JC” Collins is best known for his work in Powderfinger. Together with his business partner Brett McCall, Paul Piticco and Jess Ducrou, and an ally in builder Scott Hutchinson, Collins has transformed an old World War II hangar in Stratton Street into a state of the art room for live performance.
The Triffid was formerly a sheet metal factory and was bought in 2007 by Hutchinson Builders as a site for a possible high rise.
“Then the crash came,” admits chairman Scott Hutchinson, “and no one needed office space here. We used it as a function room for my kid’s bands; we had birthdays, parties, rowing club parties and school formals here. It wasn’t a commercial thing, I never charged anyone for it.”
With Powderfinger behind him, Collins was looking for a new venture to sink his teeth into.
“After the band broke up, I took a year off and did nothing for a while,” explains the bassist. “The first year I bludged to be honest. Then I started looking around. I thought about doing something else, but sometimes you’re better off doing what feels natural. We were looking in a target area just outside the Valley and Brett talked to Scott’s guys who leased the building.”
Hutchinson is on the Q Music board and has a passion for live music. Working with Collins seems like a natural fit.
“We had approval for a nine-story block of units, but as soon as these guys came up with their idea we canned that immediately.”
“We’re just the landlords. Hutchies have had no artistic input, but we have a great interest in it and we’re both doing it for Brisbane really. The land is too valuable for this use, but if someone’s doing it for music: we’ll put up with that and that’s what we’ve done.”
“The Triffid will be for touring bands and local artists,” continues Collins. “I think Brisbane is lacking a venue that fits 750 to 800 people. We want to co-exist with places like the Tivoli and the Hi Fi: we’re not looking to take their spots. It’s important Brisbane has more venues than less. We’ll also have a beer garden, which will have a (community) back yard vibe.”
One of Collins’ priorities is making sure that the old hangar has a superb sound.
“The most important thing for us was having the room treated so we don’t get complaints from neighbours, “ say’s Collins. “We’ve done tests and there’s a metre of acoustic treatment going over the top. We wanted to keep the look internally with the ‘ribs’. We’ve perforated twenty five percent of the roof, which allows sound to escape the building and into the cavity. We’re trying to eliminate the bounce back. We’ll bring a PA in and play around with it for a few weeks and put baffles up.”
“We’ve already had some interest from agents for touring internationals: which is pretty awesome considering there hasn’t been a band on here yet. It means there’s a fair bit of trust. Graham Ashton’s company Footstomp will help book the bands. He’s a got a good reputation and I’ve known him for twenty years.”
The venue’s name came to Collins while he was watching The Great Australian Albums series late one night on SBS.
“[It’s] inspired by the band, but named after the book. I was watching SBS and The Triffids were on. That reminded me of a venue that I think was in Dooley’s called Chrysalids: also the name of a [John Wyndam] book. I saw the Church play there when I was 17. So I though of [Wyndam’s] The Day of the Triffids. I decided to call the venue The Triffid from that. A lot of people have said ‘Why don’t you cal it The Hangar?’ but I didn’t want to make it sound like a beer barn. We’re trying to come from a creative space. It could be an iconic looking logo and name. We’re hoping to open the doors in October.
Words: Sean Sennett
Photos: Sam Charlton Photography
*This article first appeared in Village News.
