Photo + Words: Olivia Macrae
It has been just 6 months since Basht. last played a full headline show in Glasgow. Since then, they’ve released their debut album Poor Advice, been on the road for summer festivals, a UK record in-store tour, debut shows in Canada, and now embark on their sold-out October UK Tour to celebrate the release of Poor Advice.
Glasgow School Of Art opened its doors at 7pm to a queue already formed down the street! Soon after, supporting act Bulbs kicked off at 7.30pm. Bulbs are a new six-piece rock band from Dublin who’ve previously supported Madra Salach and were part of Whelan’s One To Watch showcase for 2026. Their unreleased track ‘Losing My Breath’ was stacked with high energy – hopefully soon to be released soon.
By 8.30pm, Basht. hit the stage starting with Keira Knightley. Frontman Jack Leavey hyped up the crowd right away, and you could tell people were geared up for a good set. 2nd song was Perfume, one of the lead singles from Poor Advice. 3rd song was Stockholm, an older track and also a long-time fan favourite to play live.
It’s also worth highlighting that ‘Bitter And Twisted’ (the title of their sophomore 2025 EP) got played in the set tonight! Basht. haven’t played this live in a hot minute since the rollout for Poor Advice, so this was extra special to hear live tonight.
Next was Dirty White and ‘Terror TV’. This is a personal favourite and one I’ve loved hearing live, even at shows before it got released. If you’ve never heard of Basht. before, I’d recommend listening to Terror TV first. It sucks you in straight away with hard-hitting lyrics about real issues that not many bands are brave enough to talk about. It’s also laced with Basht.’s fast-paced guitars and drums which are really at the core of their sound.
Since the release of Poor Advice, my favourite album track has been Vermilion Reptilian. This was huge – the crowd was really up for it. The same continued with ‘Burn’ toward the end of the set. ‘Burn’ is another older classic, but it was clear the crowd knew every word and started mosh pits for most of the song.
I have seen Basht. live a bunch of times now, on headline tours, supporting Swim School, and at Leeds Festival this year. They do really just get better every time you see them. Basht. are one of those bands that you’ll never get sick of seeing live, and have so much to offer. They closed their set with album title track ‘Poor Advice’ and I left the concert wishing they’d just play the full set again!
