2024 Discover Ipswich Visitor Guide

Ipswich's arts scene Our local venues pull some amazing acts and artists. Bigger venues like Ipswich Civic Centre and Racehorse Hotel host some of the best Aussie acts with Amy Shark, Eskimo Joe and Kate Miller-Heidke, among others, all visiting in the past couple of years.

e

a c

s p

A r t

r &

B a

s

e e

s h

B

a n

Then there’s smaller venues, like Banshees Bar & Artspace, doing their part to make sure world-class acts are lured here. This focus started with founders Nina and Ken Weaver and has now been passed down to Al Wheeler and Tim Glorious, who took over running the business in 2022. ‘Tim and I live locally and were regular patrons at Banshees coming in for karaoke and beers, and walking home through River Heart Parklands,’ Al said. ‘Ken had been joking about handing Banshees over to us for a couple of years at this point, we had no idea how serious he was! ‘I've performed there with my band a handful of times and we immediately befriended Nina and Ken. We loved the community and the safe space they had created, and were concerned that their exit from the business would herald a loss for the community.’ Over the past couple of years Al and Tim have worked to help change the perceptions of Ipswich ‘band by band and local by local’. ‘It's so exciting to be able to introduce new musicians to our town and give our locals an opportunity to see world-class acts without having to travel all the way to Brisbane,’ Al said. They are also passionate about encouraging budding artists, Al having performed around South East Queensland since 2000 and Tim teaching drums in his teens before performing in punk bands in his 20s. Now, alongside running a bar, Tim is a projection artist at festivals including Bigsound, Earth Frequency, Rabbits Eat Lettuce, Yonder and Jungle Love. Al has also been involved with events and festivals since 2015 working, playing and making art at places like the Woodford Folk Festival, Brisbane Festival, Jungle Love and Yonder. When she isn't creating or performing Al can also be found behind the bar at Banshees working on other passions, pouring beer or mixing up cocktails to accompany the great acts on stage. ‘Ipswich has an eclectic scene, from experimental electronic music to classically trained singer-songwriters via full bands of country, rock and metal musicians... It's been really cool to dive into the breadth of the Ipswich

music scene at our free Live and Local sessions on the third Sunday of every month! 'Everyone is supportive and excited to find out how many other musicians are from here. So many musicians say they're from Brisbane when they actually live here, and we're trying to build some pride in Ipswich as a place to be from. 'Music, musicians, art and artists are our core communities. We have the privilege of hosting open mic nights every Wednesday, through which we get to introduce some of our local established musicians to up-and-coming ones, and have watched several people get their first bands together and perform their first shows. 'It isn't possible to be a seasoned artist without getting those first opportunities, and as a venue that showcases early career artists, we are always excited to see some of the as-yet-unknown gems of the local scene. You've got to cut your teeth somewhere and we love being able to provide a professional feeling venue to bands who may not have experienced that before. 'We are lucky to have such a broad range of performers, from heavy metal to folk singer- songwriters, via jazz and funk, and all sorts of different experimental music, meaning every weekend is different, every show invites a new crowd and we will never get bored of introducing Ipswich to these new experiences. 'We also have a gallery space, which features art from local independent artists, and a monthly Life Drawing session which has attracted its own little community group. 'Banshees prides itself on being an inclusive, safe space for all and we encourage people to drop in and see if they like the vibe! We would love to welcome more new faces.’ In 2024 Banshees Bar & Artspace will once again be a part of Ipswich’s arts and cultural festival SPARK Ipswich hosting concerts and arts workshops. Check their website for more information about upcoming shows. Other places you can see live shows in Ipswich include Studio 188 , which is a gorgeous intimate space in a converted church, Brothers Leagues Club Ipswich and Club Services Ipswich .

SPARK Ipswich is an 11 day city-wide event celebrating the people, places and arts culture of Ipswich that happens in July each year. The 2024 program will deliver a fresh program of festival content with music, arts, comedy, exhibitions, projection and more. Exhibitions to see include SPARK After Dark in Ipswich Central, world music performances at Springfield, and a kids’ music and arts festival at Ripley. More information will be released closer to the event, see Ipswichfestivals.com.au to stay up to date.

Ipswich Civic Centre

Local theatre a big hit Theatre lovers are spoilt for choice with three theatre companies calling Ipswich home. THAT Production Company , Ipswich Musical Theatre Company (IMTC) and Ipswich Little Theatre are run by locals and perform locally. Ipswich Little Theatre performs exclusively at the Incinerator Theatre, while IMTC performs at either Ipswich Civic Centre or the Old Courthouse bringing popular stage shows like The Phantom of the Opera and Mamma Mia to the stage. There's also junior production companies including Ipswich Musical Theatre Juniors, Junior and Young Theatricals and Fusion Arts Inc., bringing theatre to life for children.

Share your discovery instagram #discoveripswich | 47