The Brikhouse Band Festival welcomed everyone in Wilmington to come and dance the night away while listening to great music played by local bands. This past Friday, Brikhouse hosted six bands all with different flavors of music ranging from indie rock to experimental. The festival was a great night for all who came, and those who didn’t missed out on great music.

The crowd was a little hesitant at first, but eventually ended up crowding the stage and swaying to the music. Two of the bands that played announced that they were releasing albums in the next few months and the crowd shouted with joy.

“Each band that played that night has a promising future, and I hope to hear more from them. Rio Bravo in particular,” said Nick Purcelli, a former East Carolina student. “The music has been amazing. I just wish that I could have heard the guy from Sumerlin a little better over the instruments.”

Rio Bravo had many fans in the crowd; members of the audience were often singing along with the band. Rio Bravo had four members playing on stage: a lead vocalist who also played guitar, a bass player, a guitar player and a drummer. “Rio Bravo has a great sound; I loved them the most because they played more Indie music than hardcore rock like some of the others did,” commented Purcelli.

Brikhouse is a small, two-story bar with a plenty of dancing room. Party-goers are welcomed by a friendly atmosphere and great music. The stage is a bit small, but it’s set along the back wall allowing plenty of room for dancing. The upstairs consisted of a few places for dancers’ to sit and rest their weary legs until they were ready to proceed on with the night.

Brikhouse is a remodel of the Rox which recently closed in September due to concern for violence. “I worked in the bar before the Rox. It’s haunted ya know. A previous owner killed himself back behind the stage and you can hear him walking around upstairs,” said Dan Allen. Between the compete remodel and the loud music, the ghost who haunts the bar is going to be hard to hear at night.

There was a cover charge of $8.00 for those under 21 and $3.00 for those 21 and up; this is a bit pricier than most locations downtown, but hopefully prices will go down after a few more successful events. However, Brikhouse will have special deals on certain nights just like any other club or bar located in the area. “I hope they do more of these nights. Maybe even some girl bands could come out,” said Purcelli.