The Beetle Bar

From a band point of view this place is good. The resident sound guy (Steve) knows his stuff & takes good care of the bands. There were three bands on our night and there were no frazzled moments. Any place that supports local live bands has my vote!

An important thing to know is this is a backpacker bar. If that’s what you’re seeking for your night out it has a cool ambiance — dark and cozy with a dive bar feel. It’s quite small with not many places to sit. Some nights they do live music with a $ 10 cover.

If something isn’t accessible, then it isn’t beneficial, and I think this is why the Beetle Bar won’t make it’s mark as the live music venue it COULD be if it were in Fortitude Valley or West End. Prior to the Beetle Bar opening, the only reason anyone would ever head to this corner of Brisbane was for the collection of backpacker hostels running the length of the street. Call it the Backpacker Gauntlet, if you will. Once upon a time the space was rightfully claimed as a backpacker bar, but now it’s struggling to escape those chains.
It’s doing okay in the absence of anything better. The wooden bar and the floor are covered in a fine layer of sticky old booze, the sound isn’t amazing, and the couches up the back invite a fair amount of chatter (frustrating for many gig-​goers). Don’t bother trying to drive, because parking is troublesome. Brisbane Transit Centre (inc. Roma Street Station) is close enough to walk from, and Milton Train Station is just over the hill. Food can be sourced from up the road at the Barracks or on Caxton St, otherwise downhill to the CBD.

A couple of years ago, out of a fairly dead part of town sprang Beetle Bar. Seriously, I love this place. It is just such a cool little spot to sit down for a beer, what with the furry walls and funky paint job. Drinks are always cheap and cold and served with a smile. There is a fair bit of live music on as well as special events (I’ve attended a foam party and a fairly terrifying rave). It’s associated with the surrounding backpackers’ joints, so lots of foreigners come out of the woodwork and make it a great place to mingle.

It was probably last year sometime that a few mates in bands starting telling me their next gig was at the Beetle Bar. «Where’s that?» I’d say. «Oh, it’s in that line of backpackers just up from Roma Street.» Out of curiosity I went there. That area was a cultural dead zone to me (despite being filled with backpackers).
After those first skeptical moments, I realised that a seriously decent venue had cropped out outside of the Valley and West End, but close enough to both to be considered in a fairly extensive pub crawl. The best part is that it houses killer local punk and rock gigs for dirt cheap.
If you like your rock, your punk, rockabilly and psychobilly, you’ll be needing to hit up the Beetle Bar. HITS, 6FT Hick, Shrewms, Main Street Brats, Big Bongin’ Baby, Flangipanis have all been found up on their stage and will be again.
This is not your pristine princess parlour. There’s fur on the walls, and it’s got a gnarly paint job. It’s just a cool, grungy pad to get your drink on in while catching a local band. Support the venue that supports the local music scene.
Make the effort to head out to the Beetle Bar, if for no other reason than it’ll mean you’ll have a night not spent in the Valley or West End.

Before this place was the Beetle Bar it was some backpacker bar with a forgettable name that friends and I would hit up for an economical Monday night. The beers were cheap and they’d occasionally give you free pizza for some reason…
But I’m glad that things change because now this Upper Roma St bar has metamorphosed into a really interesting live music venue. I’ve managed to catch a couple of shows here, including a friend’s Aussie hip hop album launch and a rock show featuring a lead act from Sydney and a couple of local supports. Both shows cost no more than $ 15.
Oh and the drinks aren’t as cheap as they were anymore but they have to pay the band somehow I guess…

Unless you are a backpacker, you are unlikely to stumble into the Beetle Bar by chance. It is a little far away from most music venues and bars, situated on Roma Street near a bunch of backpacker hostels instead.
I have been the The Beetle Bar with its flashing ladybug sign on top mainly to see friend’s bands play there. Depending on the gig there will be an entry fee but it is never anything ridiculous and if the band is nice you can even pick up a demo or two by coming along. I love places that support local talent and this bar is definitely one of them. That being said, the quality of the live music is not always that fantastic. It really depends who you are going to see here.
The bar will also host some more prominent touring artists and normally advertises these well ahead of time. Parking is a little hard to find but there are plenty of buses and taxis going by. The Beetle Bar is a nice small music venue and bar with plenty of space for a crowd but still retaining a more intimate atmosphere.

The Beetle Bar, is not the first place Brisbane residents think of when considering local music venues which is a real shame. I believe this is mainly due to the location and possibly the marketing. This seems to be changing as I am seeing more gigs being advertised at this place.
From the exterior, the Beetle Bar looks very intrguing as their is a large beetle/​lady-​bug car stationed on the roof. The place is decorated in a ‘bug theme’ with lady bugs painted on the floor which is pretty quirky and cute. There is a large sized bar that offers your standard bar drinks –basic spirits and Aussie beers– at reasonable prices. What’s not to love!
Most importantly, the place has a decently sized stage large enough for bands to move and get jiggy while they are performing. The floor area is also spacious enough to fit a large crowd. For busier nights, an upstairs area will be opened allowing lots of people to dance and be merry.
I have been to numerous gigs for local bands here and am usually very satisfied by the end of the night. It is a great place to be social and enjoy live music.