Photo Credit: Jess Bowden
Returning to Manchester just over 12 months since their triumphant headline performance at Outbreak, Suffolk alt-rock band BASEMENT were welcomed by a capacity crowd at New Century Hall for a night filled with fan favourites from the bands first three records, as well as bringing along three exceptional support acts to warm things up.
Opening the show were San Francisco trio MIDRIFT, bringing a blend of emo, shoegaze and melodic sounds to warm up the Manchester crowd. Opening with ‘It Still Feels Real to Me’, this immediately won over the audience with its evocative melody. Their latest single ‘Safe and Sound’ showcases their more mature evolutionary sound that certainly attracted a host of new fans on the night before concluding with their instrumental track ‘Twin Flames’ to round off their performance in style.
London hardcore outfit DYNAMITE followed next, and the Manchester crowd turned things up a level. As soon as the first note struck, mosh pits quickly formed in the centre of the room. The hardcore band immediately picked up the pace on stage as their frontman began throwing his weight around the stage before unleashing his vocals into the front section of the crowd who were clamouring to grab the mic. Staple tracks like ‘War Inside‘ and ‘Dynamite Stomp‘ certainly enhanced the energy throughout the room, as the much more fast paced guitars and synchronised vocals made their set fly by in a flash, but certainly made a mark nonetheless.
Rounding off the supports were Connecticut band ANXIOUS, who are amongst some of Run for Cover Records’ most adored acts. Kicking off with ‘Call from You‘, the crowd instantly swarmed the barrier to scream back the words to Grady Allen. The more gloomy ‘Counting Sheep‘ soon followed, with ‘Bambi’s Theme‘ returning to the much more full throttle choruses that bring the energy back. With the release of ‘Bambi‘, the tracks from the record that featured showcased their evolution in sound, but still don’t shy away from their origins. Concluding with fan favourite ‘Growing Up Song‘, Grady made sure to let loose on stage once more, with the Manchester crowd matching the spirit down on the floor.
To an ear-splitting roar that engulfed the venue, BASEMENT made their way to the stage shortly before the clock struck ten. Kicking off with ‘Are You the One‘, it was lift off. Delivering intensity from the very start, the band certainly thrive off the crowds energy. Raising the bar with ‘Promise Everything‘ and bringing it back down with ‘Bad Apple‘, Basement’s versatility is just one factor of why their shows are always enjoyable. Fan favourite ‘Earl Grey‘ capped off a strong start to the set, with two new songs then featuring to grab the audiences attention before resuming with more familiar material. Both songs were equally well received, and with new music on the horizon, it is an exciting time to jump on board for new fans.
Returning to more familiar territory with ‘Whole’ and ‘Fading’ getting the crowd involved once again, it was ‘Brother’s Keeper’ and ‘Yoke’ which had those at the front almost climbing over the barrier to have their voices heard. The remaining three tracks of the night soon came around, with Andrew Fisher expressing that there would be no encore. ‘Crickets Throw Their Voices’, ‘Pine’ and ‘Covet’ concluded Basement’s “best show in Manchester to date” as voiced by Fisher.
Despite no tracks featuring from ‘Beside Myself’, this almost felt like a greatest hits performance from Basement, and with new music clearly soon to be released, this could of been the last time to hear some of those much adored tracks for a while.
Taped Magazine 