Step Inn

The Step Inn isn’t somewhere I go unless I’m seeing a band, but it serves that purpose well. The drinks are quite cheap, the décor could use an update, and the floors are perpetually sticky, but there’s room for several different bands at the venue and there are a few pool tables for those who need a break from the sound. Traditionally a venue for rock and metal music, the dark interior and general grunginess of the place reinforces that feeling. Overall, it’s a fun place to visit, but don’t forget your earplugs.

The Step Inn is somewhat of an icon to the Brisbane hardcore/​metal/​punk scene but it also crosses over to a few different music genres. It is not the hippest looking music venue (everything is run down, the toilets have no locks, paint stripping off walls etc) but I think that this aesthetic is exactly why people who go there love it (trust me, metal-​heads and punks HATE places like XnY/​Oh Hello). What I like about this place is its authenticity, its not like so many of those bars that are trying to look grungy because it «looks cool», its grungy because its boasts years of havoc and antics that you can sense the moment you walk into the venue.
The Step Inn has three separate areas (I believe); the front bar, the upstairs area and the stage on the lower level. I have only been to the front bar and the upstairs area. The upstairs area is much nicer, it has a fair amount of seating spots and the bar is pretty wide. The front bar area is definitely best for smaller local gigs, having more than 50 people in this area would be pushing it. The way your night at the Step Inn goes depends on the bands playing as this place does not really offer any other type of entertainment.
For a live music venue, the Step Inn does a reasonable job. It does not offer much apart from stages, drinks and a few seats but why should it?

It’s not so much the pub that draws me in to the Step Inn as much as it is the bands. It was one of the better venues for local bands to play at for a while there. Now it’s home to some trance nights and I hear strong reports that the Step Inn is still a good place to get loose.
The space is a little awkward in that the different sections of the pub are organised strangely. There’s not much seating in any of the rooms outside of the corner bar, and even then it’s not really comfortable.
The beers are relatively cheap, and if you see a good gig, you won’t have that much to complain about. It is a rough and ready pub, and you should perhaps come there a little rough and ready yourself.

The Step Inn suffers from being on the ‘bad side of town’. The lower Brunswick St strip is flanked by adult stores, cheap, rundown $ 2 stores and grungy R n B venues. IT also doesn’t help that the Step Inn (once called the Shamrock) has caters to a front bar that is occupied by the creepiest people I’ve ever seen.
Step Inn as a music venue is passable. It’s not bad if you see the right band, but the aesthetics are awful. It’s run down and not in a trendy, cool way. It’s oddly spaced out with some booths, pokie machines and pool tables. On occasion they serve food but it’s nothing amazing (I recall a $ 2 taco night a few months back).
The beer is super cheap though. I’d wager the cheapest in Brisbane. The spirits are very cheap though, so don’t expect anything fantastic.

I’ve been to the Step Inn a few times to see friends play and it’s always been a great experience. (It’s clean, central, and the drinks are relatively cheap.) They’ve got a few areas packed into the space; the first, a separate bar area where more unknown bands play, the other an open area complete with a stage, snooker tables, old school arcade games, and pokies.
It’s a great venue to frequent if you want to support local Brisbane bands, but make sure you eat dinner beforehand. They don’t serve food here and don’t welcome it either; my chips and I were booted out the door. Besides that, they don’t have many strict rules besides wearing hard soled shoes.