The Bridge Club is a fairly new venue, situated above the Irish Club in the City, that’s been putting on an interesting collection of gigs so far, mostly highlighting some of the up and coming bands in the noisier rock side of the local music scene. Tonight they change gears and present a few more established acts who create a decidedly different headspace.

Nite Fields are playing as I walk in. The only band on tonight’s bill that I haven’t seen multiple times before, I was unsure what to expect, but am entirely pleased but what I find. Mixing shoegaze and dream-pop, their songs are all washed-out vocals and heavily reverb guitars, with a very relaxed vibe. Pretty much the perfect way to ease into the night. The smooth sound of the band heartens me as well. The Bridge Club has had a few sound problems at earlier gigs, but it seems like they’ve been sorted out now, and while it’s not going to give the Tivoli a run for its money, the sound is significantly improved and compares favourably with most Brisbane venues.

The venue is relatively quiet this early on, and it gives a good chance to get a feel for the place. It’s a large space, probably capable of fitting a few hundred people comfortably, but the warm tones and soft lighting make it feel cozy and relaxed, rather than empty. It may not work perfectly for every gig, but for something like this, it’s a great match, and walking downstairs gives almost the same system shock that leaving Black Bear Lodge for the Valley mall does.

aheadphonehome have changed significantly from their early days, expanding from a solo act to a four piece and incorporating a lot more rock aspects and tonight shows just how polished the current iteration is. It takes a couple of songs for the band to really get going, and for the two guitars to slot evenly into the mix, but once everything lines up they produce a great set. The final track in particular shows what aheadphonehome are capable of, an instrumental piece pulsing with energy which should have everyone watching excited for their forthcoming LP.

Nova Scotia’s set is fun, but sound problems finally show their face here. The screeching feedback is handled quickly and hopefully shows that any remaining teething problems at the venue will soon be gone, but it’s still noticeable. Unfortunately, there’s also a loss of power to the stage halfway through, which interrupts the flow. The guys soldier on and while it’s not one of their best performances, the quality of their songs shines through and keeps the crowd excited throughout.

The Scrapes open their set with an old Irish tune, in keeping with the setting, and it’s a great piece. There’s some problems with the pickups in Adam Cadell’s violin though and he’s forced to trade it for what appears to be a home-crafted guitar for their second song, an elongated improvisational tune. It’s still enjoyable, but it doesn’t compare to the quality of The Scrapes’ main repertoire and so it’s not a huge surprise when he admits that he’s never used that instrument before. They make one final attempt with the violin and it’s a reminder of just how good the band is when they’re under normal conditions. Unfortunately the problems seem to continue and so the set is over far too quickly for my tastes. For those after a more complete Scrapes experience, they are playing again this Saturday at Black Bear Lodge.