Melbourne trio, The Basics, comprising of Kris Schroeder, Tim Heath and Wally de Backer, have been on the rise since their formation in 2002. Band member alterations, four EPs and three albums later, this indie rock and roll trio returned with a national album tour for the recently released, Keep Your Friends Close. Known for the humour and energy throughout their live shows, The Basics album tour promised to be an enjoyable night of music, laughter and good times.

Dressed in a black hoodie and donning sunglasses and a guitar, The Boy Who Cried Wolf ascended the stage all on his lonesome with the introduction, – œI am The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ accompanied by a few moments of silence before announcing, – œno one believes me’. It seemed that from the first chords of his set, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, an alias for Jordie Lane, had captured the attention of the undeservingly sized crowd which occupied the venue. Despite this, Lane continued through with his set of covers and of originals. Tracks Sweet Somebody, If I Needed You and The More I Learn, The Less I Know, oozed a Jeff Buckley-esque vibe while his voice was reminiscent of a mix between Fleet Foxes front man Robin Pecknold and Ryan Adams. The sombre I Could Die Looking At You, which caused the audience members to hang off every word, was the highlight of the set. After this highly impressive performance it would seem that the name Jordie Lane is one which is certainly not destined to fade into nothingness in the industry.

The next support Summer Edmunds, talent from over the Bass Strait, captivated the crowd with her catchy folk tunes. The Tasmanian songstress, who clearly drew inspiration from other Australian female artists such as Missy Higgins and Lisa Mitchell, demonstrated a kind of inquisitive lyricism. As the crowd developed into a more sizeable one, Summer’s vocal range and sound which was familiar to that of Kate Miller Heidke, shone through in tracks Kites And Rocket Fuel and 8 Birds. Through conversing with the crowd and explaining the meanings and inspiration behind some of her songs, Suitcase In Japan became a crowd favourite. Arguably her best song of the night and one which also struck a chord with the audience was the beautiful yet tragic Apology Letter. Despite her youth, this 21 year old expresses a wealth of emotion and experience through her delightful live show; Summer Edmunds promises to be an artist to watch as she ultimately works on her debut release.

The Basics took to the stage, unleashing the first track and album opener Fear Of Failure onto the crowd was the perfect set up for the evening. The steady build in this melodic track had the audience bopping their heads to perfect harmonies of Kris and Wally. Following with What Do You See In Me, sung by Kris who shares the vocal duties with Wally, treated the audience to this honest song which grabbed the attention of the crowd almost immediately. Although many of the audience members did not seem to know the newer material, the boys conversed with the crowd constantly, even initiating what was to become a personal joke between the band and the crowd for the evening, surrounding some of the members speaking in a South African accent for the duration of the show. Keeping the humour involved as somewhat of a crucial part of the show meant that the audience were continually involved and their attention held.

Joined by a keyboardist and a bassist who tour with The Basics, the songs were ultimately given a new energy, fuller sound and were able to be delivered in the live show. Continuing with tracks Home Again, On The Day Mairead Goes Away, and the driving emotive epic Keep Your Door Open, the power behind the vocals, particularly in the first and last songs mentioned, made these tracks highlights of the night.

De Backer, who also releases music under his alias, Gotye, gained a respect and a following through his talent and successful one man band. His role in The Basics which included vocal duties as well as drumming for the band is not what many musicians would call an easy one. The pure energy and passion Wally injects into each and every song demonstrates him as a key element of the group, captivating the audience with his soaring and intriguing vocals and delivery. Keep Your Door Open, in particular, demonstrated exactly why Wally has earned and remains a key figure of the Australian music industry today. The track My Friend’s Got Trouble In His Head saw Wally and other band members depart the stage to leave Tim to beautifully sing a track he wrote himself, accompanied by Kris on violin. This hauntingly stunning track provided a break from the predominantly varied yet fast paced set the audience had been treated to thus far.

Two saxophone players then joined The Basics to play The Executioner and remained on stage for a few of the other tracks which included, Like A Brother and The No. 1 Cause Of Death. In the most perfect way possible, With This Ship, lead single from their latest album closed the main set and had the crowd at their most involved with the catchy hooks and lyrics of the track which achieved much success through airplay on triple j. After putting on a varied and overall energetic set which consisted entirely of tracks off the new album, the crowd cheered The Basics on once more to perform an encore in what the audience hoped would include some older favourites. And that it did.

In an encore which was almost as long as the main set, the audience were treated to the final unplayed acoustic track All Or Nothing, off the new album, while also delivering on the more known older tracks. Earlier in the show Kris had informed us if we – œbehaved our collective selves’ we would be rewarded with the songs the audience were heckling the band to play. Crowd favourites Have Love, Will Travel and Hey There which the boys labelled as having a distinctly – œCaribbean feel’, were off the highly acclaimed album Stand Out/Fit In and was exactly what the crowd wanted to hear.

However, Rattle My Chain was the ultimate highlight of the evening. Arguably their most successful single of their career through airplay, sales and its use in various corporate advertising, the track had the entire crowd singing along and displayed perfectly, the reason why The Corner was packed to see this band. Finishing off the evening with a cover of JJ Cale’s Cocaine, The Basics encouraged a sing along from the crowd who were enraptured with this cover, an obvious influence of The Basics themselves.

Those who have been following The Basics throughout their career were not at all surprised by the quality of their live shows, and those who were seeing them for the first time, did not leave unsatisfied. The Basics through their collective talent and experience in music and in the industry demonstrate them as a powerful trio who continue to evolve and experiment with their own sound. This

If you are yet to view the talent and experience that is The Basics’ live show, you are most definitely missing out on one of the finest talents this country has to offer and one that remains, unbeknownst to me, as ultimately unappreciated and untouched in the music industry of today.

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