Embracing the Dark - Brisbane's Gothic nightclub scene

Recently we received a fascinating collection of posters and flyers from Gothic music venues in Brisbane during the 1990s. The collection was donated to the library by ex-Abyss DJ, Myles Sinnamon. Brisbane had a reasonably strong Gothic scene which more or less emerged from the Punk scene but without the aggressive protest element, Goths tending more towards artistic and romantic ideals. Brisbane’s Gothic heyday was probably the 80s and early 90s, but the Gothic scene tends to wax and wane and is still alive in Brisbane.

Most of the posters in this collection emanate from the Normanby Hotel, the Abyss Nightclub, Arcadia, London Burning, Midian, Dark Entries and the Bloodlust Ball. Collections such as these are extremely valuable in documenting Queensland’s music history, and I would like to hear from you if you have Queensland music material of any type, which you would like to donate to our collection. We collect contemporary and older materials. All items in our collections are housed in ideal conditions for their preservation and access by current and future researchers.

Laurel Dingle - Librarian, State Library of Queensland