Come 2020, Fortitude Valley’s Crowbar Brisbane and The Brightside will become one venue. Today (December 19), the two popular live music spots announced plans to merge early next year.

The venues will retain The Brightside’s current address on Brunswick Street under the Crowbar name. The location’s outdoor stage, which is currently known as The Valley Drive In, will be rebranded as The Brightside.

“We’ve built great relationships having worked alongside each other in many different capacities over the years,” Crowbar’s General Manager Tyla Dombroski told The Music. “We all realise what values we have to bring to the table to help grow the scenes and industry we are a part of.”


The Brightside’s Jesse Barbera added: “We’ve long been friends with the Crowbar crew and we admire what they have built in the Crowbar brand across the country… This merger of like-minded independent music businesses will provide a really bright future for Brisbane and eventually Australia’s music community.”

Crowbar Brisbane will wrap up operations at its current location, also on Brunswick Street, after Comeback Kid’s performance on January 4, 2020. On the other hand, The Brightside will throw a closing party on December 28 before officially finishing their five-year run with its regular Taking Back Saturday night on New Year’s Eve. According to The Music, the venue will undergo renovations before reopening later in 2020.

The two venues have hosted a variety of artists over the past few years. Jeff Rosenstock of The Arrogant Sons of Bitches and alt-rock band Violent Soho have played the Crowbar, while Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and local electronic musician Kite String Tangle have played at The Brightside, just to name a few.