THE BEARDED LADY

Words: Keeley Thompson

Images: Millicent Norman (@millicentcreates)

Conversation spills out from the bifold windows of The Bearded Lady onto Boundary Street, a warm invitation to the passers-by. Inside, the glow of auburn bulbs draped in fringed, antique lamp shades bathes the crowd in a welcoming light. Tales of the workday unfurl over glasses of red, punctuated by excited chatter about the band that's set to take the stage in 30 minutes. Others spill out onto the street, sharing cigarettes and weaving narratives of their weeks, the laughter echoing back into the bar's embrace.

Welcome to The Bearded Lady, or as the regulars affectionately call it, "Beardo." Here, on this vibrant corner of West End, the bar sits as naturally as the recycled wood that frames its interior – an iconic fixture woven into the very fabric of Brisbane's artistic tapestry.

Beardo transcends the label of a mere bar. It's a haven for creatives, a refuge for the lonely, and a welcoming space for both locals and music enthusiasts alike. Here, vibrant colours meet a sense of safety, creating a space to celebrate the beauty of art and the richness of life.

Mutual respect forms the foundation of this unique space. The few rules at Beardo are simple: kindness is paramount ("don't be a jerk"), and glassware stays safely within the bar's walls ("no glass outside"). This unspoken code fosters a sense of community, where everyone feels welcome to express themselves freely, fostering a genuine connection that surpasses the boundaries of a typical drinking establishment.

KEELEY: Tell us about yourself. What’s your story? 

JAMIE: I’ve been working in hospitality since I was 16 and kind of just fell into owning a venue. I’d worked in cafes and restaurants and all the rest but had never worked in a live music venue before.

This place was actually a restaurant for a couple of years. That didn’t work out but a lot of my staff were musicians and they all said there was nowhere for them to play in West End so we opened up The Bearded Lady. That was 10 years ago.

KEELEY: I can imagine you’ve seen a lot of changes in West End throughout that time? 

JAMIE: Yeah West End has changed a lot, no fault of its own though. The biggest problem is no one can really afford to be here anymore. 

I mean everyone says it’s gentrification but I don’t really like or agree with that. We allow this stuff to happen because we don’t do enough; we’re not talking to property managers to drop prices down. It always happens. 

West End is due for a change, in which direction I don’t know. I still have hopes and dreams for West End but at the end of the day if it’s not going to happen, it’s not going to happen. There’s only so much a few people can do. 

KEELEY: What’s the history of The Bearded Lady? 

JAMIE: When I took this place over it was just a little cafe and it wasn’t doing so well so I opened that restaurant; the place looked completely different. 

Once the restaurant closed after two years, we completely gutted the place and have what we have now. Myself and a few mates spent weeks tearing walls down and basically starting from scratch. It was a heap of fun. 

That’s the beauty about being in the position that I’m in. I get to create a space and that’s something I love doing. People always assume that I’m some sort of artist or something but I don’t have a “standard” artistic output or portfolio, but this space is my art. 

KEELEY: What’s some of the challenges you’ve faced with Beardo? 

JAMIE: It’s hard. It’s been 10 years and we go through our ups and downs and we’re going through some now. 

Hopefully things can move forward and expand (especially with what’s going on with West End and with the industry in general). Rather than pulling away we need to move forward tenfold to be able to cultivate new spaces and communities. 

At the end of the day, it’s always the money. Brisbane has a very unpredictable scene where we’ll often have lulls in what’s happening. 

If the government was to do anything to support the live music industry that would be pretty cool. 

KEELEY: Do you have any moments or memories you hold dear? 

JAMIE: When it comes to people, practically anyone that’s come in and had a party- and there’s been a lot of those. 

We’ve had some amazing musicians play here. It’s pretty special when a small venue like mine gets hit up by international acts because I know they could easily sell out a bigger venue. 

It’s hard to pinpoint any specific moments without leaving out ten thousand other moments. The whole journey has been great. 

The first birthday we put on was a big testament to Beardo for me. We had five bands from different genres play and it sold out and it was such a good event. 

To answer your question, the overall support that this place has and constantly gets is my favourite thing. 

KEELEY: We’ve all recently heard the news about The Zoo and Stranded Bar closing. How are you feeling about that? 

JAMIE: It’s really sad. Everyone keeps blaming COVID but it’s got nothing to do with that anymore. People don’t go out anymore, they don’t support the Arts properly and then get surprised when the scene dies. 

The problem in Brisbane is that the younger generation don’t go and see bands for the sake of seeing a band. They only go see bands they know. Combining that with Tik Tok means that those smaller bands aren’t even getting a look in. 

Everyone is streaming music now too, so the income from making music is basically all down to ticket sales and merch or physical record sales (which not many people are buying). 

KEELEY: What’s the dream for The Bearded Lady? 

JAMIE: We really want to expand and make a bigger band room. Smaller band rooms are hard to run because of the capacity (and therefore a cap on how big of a band you can book and as such how much money you’ll make). Brisbane seems to be lacking in those middle sized venues around the 200-250 capacity so it would be cool to do that. 

We’re not sure if that would be here or if we were to try and find a new location.

Of course I hope that Beardo can stay around forever but in truth it’s kind of out of my hands. It sounds strange to say because I do own and run this place, but at the end of the day it solely relies on the music industry and the people. 

It’s hard to dream when you have no idea what the future holds. 

We’ve kind of been the poster child of small live music venues in Brisbane for a while now and I’m not going to lie, that’s a big responsibility to give to someone. It’s a lot of pressure and I’m happy to wear it because I do it for the love, but it is a struggle sometimes too. I mean if anyone wants to open up another small live music venue in Brisbane I’m all for it hahaha. 

KEELEY: Unrelated question, but what’s your favourite drink order? 

JAMIE: I like making old fashioned's. They’ve gotta be made right but they’re simple and delicious. 

Personally I like drinking beer. I’ve been on the beer train for a while but also I do love having a night on cocktails or wine too. 

One of my favourites is probably mezcal though. 

KEELEY: What music have you been listening to lately? 

JAMIE: Timber Timbre is one. One of my old bartenders showed me them and I am eternally grateful. 

Another is Ghostpoet. I came across him when I first opened Beardo and I think he’s great. 

I love such a wide variety of music, and I appreciate it all. I listen to anything from jazz to neo-soul to lofi beats to blues to hip hop and rock and all the rest.

I've also discovered a bunch of music and bands that I love because they’ve played here which is awesome. 

KEELEY: Is there anything you’d like to say or add? 

JAMIE: I think that a lot of people are upset at a lot of aspects of the world right now (and rightfully so) but one thing that isn’t really getting yelled about is the state of the Arts scene. Without the Arts we’ve got nothing. I hope people start trying to protect the Arts, especially in Brisbane. If we don’t do something there’s not going to be much left. 

I think there’s still that mentality too where people think art and music should be free. You can’t expect venues and galleries and events to occur for free. When you devalue the arts, you ignore the fact that creativity (and materials to produce creative work) costs. 

I think it’s time people start complaining about the legislation and the government support rather than grieving the loss of (another) venue/event/industry. 

The cost of living is hard, but the cost of losing the Arts is higher.