After more than 20 years playing live venues, John Collins has turned his hand to running one.

The former Powderfinger bassist is the brains behind The Triffid, the revamped World War 2 hangar at Newstead which is creating a buzz before it even opens next month.

"It's all brand new to me – I've got a lot of help, a lot of people I trust around me who know better than I do," the 44-year-old said.

"I think that's a good part of management, isn't it?"