Bridge play the Point @ the Zodiac, Friday 11th June 2004
	Oxfordbands.com/Dailyinfo.co.uk review by Leanne Jones
	Having caught Bridge's last gig at the Wheatsheaf on 23rd April, I thought I knew what to expect from a band I had only recently become acquainted with. The Wheatsheaf crowd had been receptive and the atmosphere lent Bridge the appeal of being effortlessly authentic and edgy. The turn-out at the Zodiac was disappointing, but while the lack of a respectable audience seemed to phase the two support bands, Bridge took it all in their stride. Their opening song, the rolling 'Blood Meridian', calls up the American landscape and is the kind of lyrical epic that could sit quite happily with a back catalogue of country folk ballads and broadsides. Multi-talented Colin MacKinnon possesses a warm, clean, perfectly pitched voice suited to complicated, emotive folk melodies, and his understated stage presence adds credibility to the band's set. Equally at home playing guitar and keyboards, MacKinnon's subject matter ranges from the political to the personal, taking his inspiration from the lyrical tradition of stories rooted in the dark ancestry of collective human experience. The A side of Bridge's new release, 'So Sue Me', showcases MacKinnon's Celtic leanings and Bridge's mainstream potential, and the organ lines bring to mind the Strawbs and other early progressive bands without the threat of obligatory indulgence; a vein repeated in other songs in the set. The sublime 'Harvester' recalls early Fleetwood Mac, confirming Bridge's unique fusion of trans-Atlantic influences (rock, pop, country, folk, soul and blues) as their signature sound. This sound remains successfully fresh and elusive throughout the set, each song moving in a new direction without fragmenting Bridge's individuality. 'Where are you now?' is how you wanted the Commitments to sound, and 'The Programme' calls to mind the soapbox self-righteousness of the anti-establishment glut of bands, while still retaining a Jefferson Airplane sense of restraint and harmony. Bruno Muellbauer's cheeky look and keyboard skills lend the band an eccentric, Sparks-inspired edge, but none of the band members vie for your attention, giving the impression of a carefully measured grouping where each musician's contribution is indispensable to their collective vision. The Wheatsheaf gig convinced me Bridge are a group worth your evening; the Zodiac gig, however, showed me how Bridge can transmit soulful, serious music in an upbeat style without losing any of its power. Like all unique 'hybrid' bands in musical history; The Byrds, Fairport Convention, Led Zeppelin; Bridge promise to break into new ground. Their driving drumbeats, vibrant bass guitar strokes and keyboard notes and mix of acoustic and electric guitars keep Bridge firmly in the modern catalogue. They have the laid-back, easy-going air of a band waiting for imminent discovery, and it is this charm that makes them equally at home in the spotlight. They don't ask for your approval so much as demand your respect, and who would deny them that when no other Oxford band sounds remotely like them?
	"So Sue Me" EP
	Reviewed by Daniel Mitchell in OHM May 2004
	Diving straight in, "So Sue Me" unfortunately appears to have lost some of the bouncy swagger it injects into Bridge's live shows. It is somehow muzzled, perhaps simply slowed down, and begins to feel distinctly middle-of-the-road at times. However, the track thrives on the story-telling lyrics, the friendly warmth of Colin MacKinnon's vocals, occasionally joined in Beach Boys-esque harmony, and most importantly the sweet sunshine of its chorus. Although in some ways "Harvester" and "Blood Meridian" are superior songs, "So Sue Me" defines the Bridge experience for me: jovial, endearing and subtle but based on simple pop structures and ideals. "Blood Meridian" is the strongest song on the EP, coming alive in its recorded format. Its understated nobility is, ironically, magnificent. Perhaps it could be deemed to have political motivations ("what kind of life will be left us when the fighting men have done?") but is really another example of storytelling in the songwriting. It seems to me to be the beautiful and very personal lament of a dying man whose life and faith have been blighted by war. Powerful, emotional stuff. However, despite the focus on emotive lyrics, Colin Mackinnon has not reneged on his responsibility to write a decent song, and the instrumental outro is as engagingly melancholic as the vocals. Finally, the tempo is raised for "Where Are You Now?", taking the form of a vitriolic assassination sung to its victim. Again, for me, the lyrics are enchanting, with subtle contrasts between anger and softness, intent and reality. Musically, the track imitates its lyrical content as it boasts the rhythmic power of a rant, in the manner of Ben Folds Five's "Song For The Dumped", and beautifully simple textures based around the interaction of bass, piano and guitar, each of which is given their chance to solo: guitar half way through and a warm jazzy ending with bass and piano. Bridge took a little time to hit their stride at their EP launch, but they ended up sprinting elegantly through the finishing line; much the same has happened with my relationship to their EP - I have warmed to it greatly, having been momentarily unconvinced. I use the word relationship thoughtfully here, because the EP is distinctly personable and touching, reflective of songwriters who aren't afraid to speak simply and straightforwardly from the heart, resulting in mature and assured songwriting.
	"Harvester" makes Nightshift's "Simply the Best" Top 20 of 2003, at #5 (two behind Radiohead!)
	" Whatever you do, don't call them a folk band. Bridge sit out at a limb from every other band on the Oxford scene by dint of existing outside of any kind of trend or genre you care to throw at them. There's a rich Celtic vein running through Colin MacKinnon's singing and songwriting, but the traditional sounds are forever cut through with the eerie spectre of Gothic foreboding or new wave edginess, most notably on this heartbreaking ballad that somehow undermines Steeleye Span's trad folk with Magazine's synthetic New Wave."
	Bridge play the Point @ the Zodiac, Wednesday 25th Sept 2003
	Oxford Home for Music Review (by Daniel Mills):
	The buoyant mood was maintained by Bridge. Brought to many people's attention after a wonderful performance at the Point in January, Bridge were initially heralded as heroes by many, including us, because they weren't pissed off with the world and didn't play grunge. Both good points: but Bridge are beginning to emerge from the shadow of being a dying breed of local bands who don't scream pointlessly at a microphone and thrash their guitars into a musical mush, and into the glorious and triumphant sunlight of being an amazingly good band entirely on their own terms. The melodic guitar is beautiful and the piano/organ lines which drive the songs are bright and cheerful, but it is the maturity of the songwriting which really stands out. Taking inspiration from country, folk, blues, pop and rock can imply losing individuality and settling for some cop-out middle ground, but this doesn't happen: each song heads off on its own path looking for something slightly different, but they are all joined together by an enchanting and definitively 'Bridge' personality. At first, I thought this came from Colin's strong, versatile and individual vocals, but it continued when they brought another vocalist [Emily Davis] on-stage; maybe some bands just have it, that thing that makes them, them and defies you to draw comparisons with anyone else.
	Bridge play the Wheatsheaf, Wednesday 23rd July 2003
	Oxford Home for Music Review (by Daniel Mills):
	I hadn't come across the night's second act, Bridge, before Wednesday evening. So when I see them setting up two keyboards on-stage, I assume we were in for another post-rock angst-fest. And then they start playing. And f**k me sideways, it's cheerful! No weird sound effects or mournful electronica, but bright piano melodies, upbeat drums, harmonious guitars. The vocals are lively, the backing vocals tuneful....it's really nice! And musically very accomplished. The songs tend to be built around fairly simple repeated keyboard phrases, but the harmonies that build up around them are extremely complex and well managed, with chord changes subtly staged between instruments. Stylistically, they remain relentlessly cheerful. Everynow and again, a song will adopt vestiges of a particular genre; a hint of country in "Blood Meridian" ("This is our American song"), a crack at social critique in "The Programme" ("Don't you know there's a war on?"), a dab of blues here, a bit of bounce there and so on. But it's all rather like that scene early on in My Fair Lady when Eliza Doolittle is trying on posh clothes; they can play with other styles, but they can never really conceal their natural ebullience. When, in the one song that seriously flirts with minor chords, the frontman sings "It's killing me"...well you can't really take him seriously. This is the band that in the previous track have chanted "Sweet Lady" with all the ingenuousness of the Beach Boys. But hey, this is largely a matter of personal preference - I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. They're possibly not to everyone's taste, but there's no denying Bridge are an extremely accomplished band. And if you fancy something a bit different, not to mention a bit chirpy, you should look no further.
	Older Reviews:
	Bridge play The Point @ The Zodiac, 20th June 2003
	Bridge play the Oxford Punt, Wednesday 14th May 2003
	Bridge play The Point @ the Zodiac, 27th February 2003
	Bridge play The Point @ the Zodiac, 23rd January 2003
	Find out about future Bridge gigs here.
	Buy Helen of Troy here. Also, read the Bukala review of "Helen of Troy" here.

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