Basement at Hevy 2011
As with all festivals there is always that little lull where there isn't anyone on your to-do list to go and see, resulting in a bit of gig lottery with a band you don't know. Basement was one such find.
I turned up to Hevy all on my lonesome on the Friday and happened to get chatting to a young man in the heinous disorganised mess of a queue (luckily I was spared the four hour stint but even so, I could have done with bringing a colouring book or pack of cards.) It was from him I got the heads up about this Ipswich collective, and I was awfully pleased for the tip. This band represents all that is good about the UK alternative scene at the minute. They've got a firm grip on a ballsy sound that sounded great in the shady gloom of the Etnies & Front Stage on Friday afternoon; so much so that they got a fair few faces in to listen.
Their DIY punky sound is given the extra weight of some post-hardcore touches that are just crying out for audience participation. For a young band, they have successfully added a depth of maturity which comes with a convincing command of the stage and a real grasp of how to engage their crowd. Their music is stuffed full of atmosphere and intriguingly rich layers of shade which made me want to give their record, "I Wish I Could Stay Here", a listen as soon as I got home. But one thing that one might suggest however, is that Basement should maybe read up on a phrase called 'don't bite the hand that feeds' after a comment along the lines of "fuck Front Magazine!" was rebelliously hurled into the sponsored space. I dunno, there's being rock n roll and there's being a bit of a pillock...
Let's put it down to too many Haribo or something. Check this lot out.