The situation surrounding Brisbane’s iconic Tivoli theatre has locals understandably concerned about the future of the Queensland capital’s vibrant live music scene.
Situated in the Fortitude Valley, the beating heart of Brisbane music, the Tivoli regularly hosts local and international acts and is a much-loved landmark of the local industry.
However, the site is now facing potential redevelopment, prompting punters and industry members alike to call for heritage listing or potential buyers interested in retaining it as a music venue.
“We love The Tivoli and are proud of the business we built in a relatively short time. However my mum now needs care and my four sisters all have families, so it’s time for us to move on,” said co-owner John O’Rourke.
Scott Hutchinson, chairman of Hutchinson Builders, could just be the buyer punters have been praying for. As the AAP reports, Hutchinson, a live music enthusiast, has lodged a tender that would spare The Tivoli from redevelopment.
“I’m just heavily interested in music in Brisbane – I love it,” he told AAP. “I don’t have horses or fast cars or boats or planes or anything. Going out in Brisbane is my thing.”
Mr Hutchinson said the loss of the Tivoli would be “a tragedy”, describing it as “one more nail in Brisbane’s coffin” and slamming the state’s impending lockout laws as “absolute stupidity”.
So what are the odds Hutchinson’s tender will actually be succesful? “Our offer is going to be well above valuation,” he told the AAP, so there’s reason to be hopeful.
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“We’ve tried to find someone to take it on over the last four years but no one wanted to do it and we couldn’t get anyone to buy it,” O’Rourke recently told The Courier Mail. “We’ve tried to sell it to people in the music industry, some of the biggest names, but they weren’t interested.”
The site’s potential redevelopment has angered many in the Brisbane music community. “All I am trying to do is do the right thing for my father on his death bed who asked me to look after the family and I’m getting panned for doing the right thing,” O’Rourke said.
“We are not a conglomerate. We are a family with bills to pay. We’re quite happy to sell it to the council or government. We’re quite happy to see it continue but we need someone to come along and want to continue it.”
