© Lauren Baxter 2021.
There is something comforting about a pithy turn of phrase, especially when it concerns the concept of ‘home’. Like curled-up-in-front-of-the-fire-in-your-family-home-with-a-full-belly level comforting. So as you prepare to go forth and make the annual pilgrimage up the east coast to lil’ ol’ Brisbane for BIGSOUND this year, we thought we would bring you our favourite places to stay in the city. The places that will make you want to duck into the nearest Kmart and buy a placard declaring, “Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.”
We should probably start in the star of the show itself, Fortitude Valley — the grungy, throbbing heartbeat of Brisbane’s nightlife. And really, if home is where the [he]art is, there is no better place to stay than street art hotel TRYP. Nestled smack bang in the centre of the Valley with all the venues just a hop, skip and a jump away, TRYP is where you want to be for BIGSOUND. Apparently the original building was once the clubhouse of the Brisbane chapter of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes. It’s a thing, I promise. The order’s motto is, “No Man Is At All Times Wise,” so do the smart thing and check yourself in.
For those who like their coffee overpriced and avocado smashed in the morning, the alluring swank of James Street is also a short walk away, and there is a plethora of sojourning options from Emporium to Limes Hotel & Rooftop Bar.
If you venture a little further out to New Farm and can bear the dishonour of being a New South Welshman (or Victorian — do you care though?) staying in an iconic 110-year-old Queenslander, Spicers Balfour Boutique Hotel is Brisbane relaxed luxury at its finest. Classin’ up the joint and with what was voted Queensland’s best breakfast last year and a rooftop bar that boasts one of the best views in town, you know you want to put it on the company card. Go on, we won’t tell. Treat. Yo. Self.
AirBnB more your style? Don’t go past the chance of staying in the classic Teneriffe Woolstoresfor a splash of New York cool. With exposed brickwork and more French bulldogs than you can count, Teneriffe is a minimum fare Uber or a short drunken stumble away from the heart of the Valley with enough beards to make it feel like you never left Surry Hills.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you don’t plan on sleeping at all during your quest to discover the future of music and want to save a quick buck, climb into a bunk bed at BUNK, winner of Best Hostel in Australia a couple of years back. Right off Chinatown mall, forget the pre-conceived notion of bed bugs and gap years and go find yourself, man, maybe with that guy playing the acoustic Wonderwall cover.
Original article: The Music August 2018 Issue