In past decades, the MANSFIELD TAVERN was one of Brisbane’s premier live venues. After years of sitting unused, a dedicated team has undertaken the mammoth task of reviving the music venue. Entertainment Manager JAMIE McDONALD explains the vision behind the pub’s relaunch to TOM HERSEY.

“You read Pig City and all those bands from that era have played here” Mansfield Tavern’s Entertainment Manager Jamie McDonald explains as he stands on a stage overlooking a room of comparable size to West End’s Hi-Fi bar. The room is mostly empty, ladders and unattached speakers sit as evidence to the renovation work being carried out. A mirrored ceiling with discotheque lighting has yet to be removed and hints to the venue’s impressive vintage.

As a venue, The Mansfield Tavern has played host to a long list of impressive acts over the years. During the ‘80s and ‘90s the venue functioned as a Southside hub for the Brisbane music scene, a suburban counterpoint to Festival Hall that would be the chosen venue for bands like The Angels, Choirboys and Hunters & Collectors. The venue has not only played host to a raft of local and interstate bands, but also a vast range of international artists. McDonald cites the venue playing host to acts like The Offspring, The Cult and P.I.L., which Jamie reaffirms by launching into an obligatorily nasal parody of This Is Not A Love Song.

In spite of the impressive pedigree of bands to take to the stage at the Mansfield Tavern in the past (Jamie is hoping to build a ‘rock walk’ in the venue commemorating acts the Tavern has played host to), the last few years have seen the stage sit vacant, “just collecting dust” thanks to previous management’s decision to move the venue away from live music.

“It was such a shame that the place was here unused. It’s such a great venue, and there’s no place like it in Brisbane. It’s a special venue and it has such a long history of great bands playing here. It would be great to see it up and running again, getting people through here so that the fantastic space could get used again.”

To get it up and running, Jamie and his team have completely refurbished the P.A., overhauled the décor and are putting in new bars to make the room an ideal place to go to check out a band. Behind all this renovation work, the principles governing the Mansfield Tavern’s renaissance are simple. Book good bands, keep the door prices low and make sure the drinks stay at pub prices. McDonald is hopeful that not only will these efforts help to successfully relaunch the venue, but also give the local music scene a shot in the arm.

Taking Rave through the building, McDonald pauses in his office. He started up a Facebook group only an hour ago to help get local bands gigs, it’s already got 46 members. “If any bands can come and show me that they can play a good set we’ll try and find them a gig. Because we’re just starting up we can basically audition a lot of bands now. So if bands want a gig they should get in touch with me, because right now we’re looking for bands.”

A session musician himself, McDonald segues our conversation into lamenting the load in/load out facilities of most other Brisbane venues when the space of the Mansfield Tavern means bands can essentially back their vans up to side of stage. Given that the venue is surrounded by a 400-space car park, and has 12-inch thick ceiling and walls, there’s no need to be concerned about the noise restrictions that plague the city and Valley.

“We can give kids a chance to come up here and thrash out their music without a police force at the door telling them to turn it down because people have built apartments above the stage.”

But will the regular crowd of Brisbane’s live music junkies be willing to sacrifice their metropolitan surrounds for the see bands out in the ‘burbs? Jamie thinks yes.

“People are getting sick of The Valley and the city. The drink prices are too expensive, which is fair enough because the rent is astronomical, and there are too many restrictions on the music.”

Explaining plans to run shuttle buses to transport hubs on big event nights to mitigate the transport costs of punters, McDonald further demonstrates that his team have carefully considered how to restore this vacant room into a culturally important part of Brisbane’s music scene. In a city with a long and chequered history of iconic live spaces closing, stopping music or being redeveloped, the re-opening of a venue like the Mansfield Tavern can only be a good thing for both bands and audiences in Brisbane.  

The MANSFIELD TAVERN ROCK ARENA reopens with a 30th Anniversary show by THE CHOIRBOYS on Saturday Aug 20. Weekly student night The Mad House will launch on Wednesday Aug 24 with special guest NICK SKITZ (free entry with student ID). Bands interested in playing the venue should email Jamie McDonald on . www.ourhotels.com.au/mansfieldtavern

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