It was with a sense of trepidation that I made my virgin visit to Space nightclub on Friday night. Considering it’s the newest club in Sydney, it’s sure made a lot of enemies in a relatively short amount of time. But with a lineup like Colder, Cut Copy, Brains (the new Avalanches nightclub outfit) and the Presets, who could resist?

I actually knew nothing about Colder – the five-piece band from France who was headlining the evening. The fact that they’re on Trevor Jackson’s record label was enough for me. Although, as I was soon to find out, being on someone’s label doesn’t mean you necessarily share the same sound. Like half the people there that night, I missed out on seeing the Presets. Which means that they were brilliant, of course, according to all reports!

The Tsubi massive were there in full effect, which made sense when I realised that the ‘DJ’ who was scheduled on the playlist in between the live acts was actually the DAMN DJs. In fact, everyone was there in full effect…the jostle factor was high indeed. Even Paul Mac had to muscle his way between rooms!

In the main room, Colder emerged onstage from the mist of coloured lights and machine smoke. They proceeded to play a set that started off as plain rock, verged into broody, hypnotic territory, then eventually proceeded to dance beats. What a pity that none of this variety engaged the audience. It felt like ‘when electro kids go on an excursion to a rock concert’, but without any of the excitement. Bof!

Thanks god for Brains! The inclusion of the African percussionists gave the side room a festive, impromptu feeling that was the polar opposite of the electro detachment in the other room. I suddenly realised that the Avalanches were doing the mash-up thing way before Ministry of Sound jumped on the bandwagon, and I started genuinely asking people where a Sydneysider could hear this kind of music on a regular basis?

Everyone shuffled back across to the main room once Cut Copy began, and I could feel the good vibe that Brains created trickling across too. They started off with a few of their hits – ‘Saturdays’ and ‘Future’ – which wound people up even more. They even had the crowd doing rhythmic claps!

I decided that I do quite like Space nightclub, in the end. It’s got a Mandarin-club feel to it (or maybe I’m just thinking of the carpet, the elevator, and the pokies downstairs!). Yeah, the security guys are nobs and the ‘creative’ acoustics between the two rooms get in the way, but it’s a new nightclub in Sydney…and that’s a good thing in itself. I didn’t see any ‘overflow’ from the Shark Bar; it’s a totally different market after all.

So it’s good to see that Trevor Jackson’s venturing into new territory and bringing us music we would probably never see otherwise, but all I want to know is – when is Playgroup coming to Australia? Come on, Bring It On!