A night of good old-fashioned entertainment – that’s the only way to describe the recent album launch for Melbourne band The Basics . With too many bands nowadays content with simply plug in, play and then leave, The Basics proved that a bit of friendly crowd interaction and the ability to put on a show is a more than refreshing option. And they had just the venue to do it in; the picturesque Athenaeum Theatre was the perfect place for their almost cabaret style album launch including several bands and comedians.
An enthusiastic audience helped get the vibe going early. The demographic of the crowd was indicative of The Basics’ obvious appeal to hip inner-city undergraduates; it felt like North Fitzroy’s Empress Hotel had been teleported to the Athenaeum, stopping only to pick up some additional Melbourne Uni students along the way.
The Basics provided a superb show of musicianship and entertainment as they combined elements of 50s doo-wop with Police -style Anglo-reggae, playing through their new album Stand Out/Fit In . One of the draw cards of The Basics is undoubtedly drummer Wally , known to Triple J listeners as Gotye . The crowd was nothing short of star-struck when Wally took the vocals in several tracks, and I heard several girls in surrounding rows say: “See, that’s Gotye.”
The novelty of playing the album in full was something that was very much appreciated by the crowd and fitted in well with the overall show, entitled Hey, Hey it’s the Basics. ‘Hey There’ was a stand-out track and, while the remainder of the album sounded diverse, the songs moulded together beautifully. While not exactly the world’s most original band, the influences The Basics wear on their sleeves are not commonplace with many contemporary bands, which makes them seem a lot more original than many going around at the moment.
A revolving door of backing musicians, including a brass section and a string section, all battled for room on the stage with a selection of life-size cardboard cut-outs, which apparently included the guitarist’s mum. Somehow the three band members themselves also squeezed onto the stage. Earlier, ex- Gorgeous singer Emma Heeney provided good warm up music with her backing band and proved that she is not only still gorgeous but still has a great voice too. Melbourne’s Spargo also provided a good show, but Sydney band Tokenview failed to do much more than turn up and plug their instruments in.
Comedian Lawrence Leung provided a bit of last minute excitement for the already half-cut crowd. Leung’s comedy talked of the frustration of not being cool and explained the intricacies of a pick-up bible for men. Sadly, Leung was much more suited to the comedy festival back in March than an album launch in the middle of freezing-cold June. Still, Leung’s undergraduate humour appealed to those that had already downed a few white wines. Funny man Andrew McClelland also appeared to do his thing and received a warm response from the crowd.
Overall, the mix of comedy and music and theatre proved to be a successful punt for The Basics. The band is now heading off for a brief tour of Japan and the UK and if international crowds are anything like they are here, The Basics will appeal to only a very select group of music lovers, returning to our shores with somewhat of a cult following.
