Well, the news is well and truly out. The Troubadour is closing down for good. It seems that this place has been synonymous with Brisbane music for God knows how long (its been a while, though I do recall it being a bad hip-hop/dance bar called Mantra before it became the Troubadour). This is particularly bad for live music in the city, considering that LoFly and The Globe are also ceasing operations as live music venues.
Pretty much anyone who has been in a band here has played there, pretty much anyone who is even remotely fond of local music would have been here. Man, even one of my bands played the joint.
Here are a few gigs and moments that I've enjoyed from various jaunts to the Troubadour.
Jens Lekman (2005)
Appearing with full band, the Swedish troubadour charmed the audience with songs from Oh You're So Silent Jens. A particularly great version of the 'Cold Swedish Winter' using some sort of music box as his accompaniment.
Neko Case (2005 or 2006)
This was Neko's tour for The Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. I heard Neko was a bit narky at sound check, but this didn't carry over to her live show. Absolutely amazing. Her voice was triumphant.
There are countless more, but those two really stand out in my mind.
As I wrote on a forum somewhere, I do remember some local musicians challenging the drummer from Okkervil River to a yo-yo competition. That was hilarious to watch.
Does anyone watching here have any memories they want to share?
