Forget about Electric Playground, Planet Nightclub, Mystique and the day club Boom that have all called this former Presbyterian church home over the years. Forget about the pounding house/electro beats, the laser lights sweeping the courtyard and the clenched jaws of ravers in search of phat all-night beats or post-festival after parties.
This deconsecrated house of god and Fortitude Valley icon is now a place for those who worship at the altar of hardcore, metal, alt-rock/indie, punk and neo-psychedelia. Opening a venue that’s all about alternative live music? How very refreshingly 1990s of you, the Brightside. We take our beanies off to you.
Inside the church is a big, no-frills, standing-only space with just a few booths and a couple of couches up the back. Front and centre is a decent-sized stage that’s already seen a swag of international and local bands play to packed houses.
There’s a pretty well-priced, bare-bones bar list, as is fitting, with an emphasis on quantity rather than quality (think band-themed buckets, depending on the line-up). Tables outside in the courtyard are a chill spot for a drink in the afternoon or evening regardless of whether there’s anything on inside. And if you’re too much of a tight-arse to spring for the cover charge, or too slow to get a ticket before the even sells out, you can sit outside in the beer garden for free even while the bands are on. We think that if there is a god, she’d love what they’ve done with the place.
