Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The Basics - Essentially Great

The ATR gig of the week last week was headlined by a little three-piece called The Basics.

These guys have been around for a little while and in the last six months or so have been mentioned on every blog in the country. Helping this along is that they have the biggest phenomenon of the past year, Gotye (Wally de Backer) on drums and vocals.

Unforgivably, no member of the ATR team had seen them before last Thursday, but we were well and truly converted to the cause. The schtick, for those who've missed it (and judging from the packed East, there's not many of you) is basic old-school 60s-style rock and/or roll. Think The Beatles or Chuck Berry or The Kinks. Even, on the new single, the 80s reggae of The Police. Sounds easy and maybe a tad boring - but boy, it works so well.

The obvious comparison is with ATR favourites Little Red who do a very similar 60s revival close-harmony thing and in fact played support at this gig. The difference is that The Basics are so, so damn tight - they hit all their notes, every time, and drive the show forward like a train. They've obviously been playing together for a while and the performance is just magnificent.

You have to see them. And you have the chance. But you will have to wait until April - pretty sure we'll be talking it up then. What they're doing, as reported first by Geoff, is playing a three-state residency. Nah, I've never heard the term before either, but apparently it means that they play April residencies at venues in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Tuesdays at The Hopetoun, Wednesdays at The Troubadour, Thursdays at The Empress!

Yep, they've gone mad. That's gonna be ridiculous. It's all in aid of their second album, coming out way soon now. In the meantime, buy the EP from Redeye or your local shop.

Nah, really, buy it. Cause if you read the interview with Wally in the last Inpress, you'll know that the boys are getting a bit fed-up with plaudits and brokeness. Everyone loves them but no-one plays them and so this album and tour are all about launching them into the big time. Otherwise, and this is no idle threat, they'll move to Europe where you better believe they'll be appreciated.

So, sports fans, move it or lose it. It's up to you.

1 Comments:

Blogger Pat said:

I think its worth seeing them for their NKOTB cover too. The boys have shows in Franger on Friday and at the Edinburgh Castle in Brunswick on Sat.

3:05 pm  

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