New Brisbane

Riding the lazy Sunday afternoon wave, looking for a watering hole and a line to nibble, we found ourselves reeled in and washed up at the Spark Bar in the Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm.

LIVEWIRE @ THE SPARK BAR
Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm.
Every Sunday evening, 6.30pm til late.
Admission: Free!!

Only recently have I discovered the charms of this venue. I’ve made many an excursion to the Powerhouse, once for a great Lano and Woodley (sadly no longer together!) performance and mostly to see the exhibitions (they have a fantastic space for photography showings). Somehow I never noticed the bar, lying wide open to all who enter- and yet totally lost on those as obtuse as I!

This particular Sunday we had by chance glanced through the Powerhouse brochure, picked up from some cafe and lying forgotten on our coffee table. Idly flicking through it we noted that we’d missed Eddie Perfect, and even the dark-eyed Tim Minchin. However, there was some compensation, because if one were to arrive at the Spark Bar at 6.30pm on a Sunday, every Sunday, one might catch some live comedy for free!

Now the Spark Bar, in line with the rest of the Powerhouse, is all concrete walls and unfinished paintwork. However, the lighting’s low, the tables and sofas strategically placed and comfortable, the wine list plump and the cost per glass verging on expensive (must be good wine, right?). The venue is very open, and relaxed with it space; you can wander outside and gaze at the river, submerge yourself in passive smoke and cool those rosy wine-warmed cheeks! If you so wish, I’m sure you can even accompany your beverage to the gallery, toilet and riverside unhindered.

However, there was no wandering for us this particular time. We arrived at 6.30pm sharp and ordered our drinks (me a $9 glass of Verse 1 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, my partner English Breakfast Tea, you can imagine who was driving). By this time mostly all seating space was covered by other people’s derrieres and so we went in search of floor place and a comfortable wall to lean upon.

One wine later and the MC jumped enthusiastically onto the stage and commanded our attention. Similar to the Sit Down Comedy Club we got mostly local talent (in fact probably the very same talent as the Sit Down)- of which some was very good, some not so good- but we tittered anyway.

From the downfall of every comedian’s mother and girlfriend, to trios with recorder and guitar, to beat-boxing scenes from CSI Miami; we heard it all- and for a few regulars- all again! Following a particularly head-cradling performance in which I’m sure the performers could see their failure reflected in the eyes of the audience, we were informed that very soon we would be treated to a surprise performance by a very talented comedian. The audience perked up in anticipation.

Finally, finally, who should materialise on stage, jumping on from seemingly nowhere as comedians do, but JUDITH LUCY!! Having just finished her show in the Powerhouse performance theatre she nicked in to do a last-minute wrap-up for us.

Firstly she reminded us that we were getting her for free, while all the other poor saps who’d paid for her show were driving home feeling slightly cheated. We all luxuriated in self-satisfied smiles at this. Then she had us rolling over each other with her sexual antics, or antics about sexuality, her savvy handling of the audience and that Judith Lucy drawl that sarcastically slices through the butteriest of subjects.

We were definitely in the right place at the right time that Sunday night, and while I can’t promise that will happen every week I can definitely recommend the show.

I also quite like the Spark Bar as a performance space; it makes the evening seem a little more impromptu than the Sit Down Club. The whole affair is a little more casual, the MC being slightly younger and less experienced than most comedy MCs, but none-the-less humorous in a cute, cajoling way!

Definitely worth the effort if you’re keen to savour the last hours of your weekend in a bar, being highly entertained!

By Alice Blackwood.