Photo Credit: Amy Dillon / Words: Evie Johnson
Following the release of their debut album, ‘Poor Advice’, Irish post-punk four piece Basht., returned to Liverpool to perform an intimate, yet ever rowdy, set in honour of the new album release the previous Friday.
The energy was evident from the very start of the set, as instead of playing the album in order as previously expected, the band opened with an electric new album track, ‘Vermilion Reptilian’, before entering into renditions of ‘Burn’ and ‘Stockholm’ from their 2025 EP ‘Bitter and Twisted’. This mix between new and old tracks only excited the crowd further, as everyone hollered for more and called for their favourites to be played.
Embarking on a section of new tracks from ‘Poor Advice’, personal standouts to me have to be the final two from the album, ‘Kids vs Guns’ and title track ‘Poor Advice’. The combination of sorrowful yet meaningful lyrics, intimate vocals and harrowing guitar riffs is only amplified in Basht. ‘s live performances of the tracks to one that can only be described as raw emotion. These two were the ones that stood out to me personally when I first listened to the album in its entirety, and after hearing them live these have to be considered for my standout tracks of the year.
As Jack Leavey moved as close to the crowd as possible in the venue to highlight the advertised intimacy of these shows, new track ‘Circadia’ slotted perfectly into the middle of the band’s classics ‘Keira Knightley’ and ‘Wild Horses’ to replicate the energy that had been reverberating around the basement for the last hour. Every single person in the 400 capacity venue could not stay in the same place as mosh pits swept the floor and crowds bounced along to the highlight songs in the set.
The band completes the run of intimate shows across the next week, heading to cities across the UK such as Leeds, Sunderland and Sheffield, before embarking on their own headline tour to capitalise on the success of ‘Poor Advice’. You can catch the Irish four piece at staple venues for up and coming bands this Autumn, such as Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms and Manchester’s Gorilla.
