Published August 2025
As some of Brisbane’s most loved live music venues fall silent – The Zoo, The Bearded Lady and soon It’s Still a Secret – a quieter revival is gaining momentum at Annerley.
Inside The Junction Hotel, a monthly series of Sunday afternoon gigs has been drawing a loyal crowd of music lovers.
There’s no hype, no velvet ropes – just original music, a shared comradery, and the kind of community energy that was once the hallmark of Brisbane’s inner suburbs.
And it all began with a chat at the bar.
Tony Moore, guitarist and vocalist for new wave-inspired outfit The Trams, asked the pub’s landlord earlier this year if he’d ever considered hosting original bands.
“He said he’d love to,” Moore recalls. “And it’s gone from strength to strength since then. The crowds just keep building.”
The gigs – held monthly – now showcase some of the city’s most exciting independent acts.
On Sunday, August 31, The Trams return once more with a lineup that reflects the venue’s growing reputation for fearless programming: Revolver, with their Oasis-style swagger, and the brooding, alt-country noir stylings of Death by Country.
“These are more than just gigs,” Moore says.
“They’re community get-togethers to celebrate live music and friendship. Come soak up the winter sunshine and enjoy an afternoon of exceptional music.”
Held in the pub’s spacious lounge with pub classics from the kitchen, the events feature two to three acts across the afternoon, with a small door charge ($7.50-$10) that goes directly to the bands.
The Trams – made up of Moore, Noel Mengel (keys, guitar, vocals), Mark McGregor (bass), and Rob Mellett (drums, vocals) – blend jangly guitars, layered harmonies and a distinctly local sense of place.
Their debut album Late Rain received strong airplay on community radio, and many of their singles have broken into the 4ZZZ Top 20.
Their follow-up album Tiny Sparks cemented their standing, with one of the hits from the long player – Somewhere Around Here – landing in the radio station’s Top 100 annual best-of-the-year charts.
In an era where many music venues are folding under pressure from rising rents, noise complaints or shifting city priorities, The Junction’s Sunday sessions offer something refreshingly grounded: a place to hear new music in the afternoon, in good company, with a beer in hand.
“Brisbane’s music scene might be changing, but in Annerley, a new rhythm is beginning to take hold,” Moore says.
The pub is located at the corner of Annerley Road and Ipswich Road.
