The Basics

Very rarely do I pay to go see a live band.

Why?

Because I am editor of a national online music magazine, damnit, and if people want me to see them, they can pay for the privilege of my doing so – This is my rule for living, you can choose take it or leave it (most people leave it, hence I don’t go out that often).
However

There is one exception to this rule, one very important exception; when I think a band is worth paying for; I will, 100% of the time, no questions asked.

Why?

Because one thing I have learned from being an editor of a national online music magazine is that making a living from being a musician in this country is hard, damn hard, and I believe that we, as punters, have a responsibility towards fostering and encouraging talent in a cultural climate of governmental and mass market apathy.

Now, as the editor of a national online music magazine, I don’t make a lot of money (sad, but true, although not as sad as the fact that I have used the phrase ‘editor of a national online music magazine’ four times in this review already) so I have to choose my self-funded gig outings wisely. Therefore, before I choose to utilize my hard-earned, I do my research, in order to decide which band I choose to support. Kind of like finding a world vision sponsor child without the middle-class guilt endorsing advertisements with their C-grade celebrity endorsements.

Armen Firman first popped up on my musical radar late last year via the indomitable superhighway weigh station that is MySpace. Having been incredibly impressed with their irascible energy, I immediately downloaded all the tracks available to my iPod and have been keeping them on high rotation ever since.

The Basics on the other hand are a lesser-known entity to me. Other than knowing that they played 1960’s styled swinging beats and that Wally de Backer (a.k.a. Gotye) was their drummer, they were a bit of a mystery, however, based the glowing endorsement they got from a mate who had seen them before, I decided that it was worth the gamble. Oh and they wear suits, I knew that part too, I like suits.

It is with this plethora of research and hearsay that I pootled to The Empress with two of my best mates on a Thursday night to see these two bands who have since convinced me wholeheartedly that they represent the great and diverse pool of musical talent we have in this wide brown land.

Often I find it hard to quantify why I feel the way I do about music or performance (not a very handy trait for an editor of a national online music magazine, that makes five mentions by the way) and I also find song by song dissertations boring and wasteful of column inches, however, I will do my darndest to explain how exactly I came to the above conclusion in an as effusive and concise manner as possible (although as you can already tell, conciseness is not one of my strongest points). I should also explain at this point that I am writing this on some incredibly strong cold and flu medication.

Armen Firman took their place upon stage first and did what I love to see in a support band: they didn’t act like a support band.

From the opening strains of ‘Fade Me’ to the closing chord of ‘Fall for you’ Armen Firman played with a confidence, charisma and cohesiveness that most other bands could spend years working for but never quite achieve. There is no question that the members of Armen Firman are all incredibly talented musicians, but unlike many other groups of incredibly talented musicians they all play for the song, not for the advancement of their egos and in that the music becomes the star, taking on a life of its own outside of the players.

Furthermore, the same music that has graced my iPod so many times over the past few months translated perfectly to the live stage; not dumbed down, not stripped back, but perfectly reproduced with the added bonus of being imbued with the claps, hollers and whistles of an appreciative crowd. Without a doubt there were many there who had been to an Armen Firman show before, however among those who had not, I have no doubt they will be at their next one. This point we perfectly summed up by not one but both of my friends asking me straight after they finished ‘Do these guys have an album out?’ At the moment the answer is ‘No’, however, if Armen Firman continue converting the hearts and minds as they did at the Empress, I have no doubt that we will be hearing more of them very, very soon.

Post Armen Firman and couple of Jaeger bombs (not as good for a cold as I thought they would be unfortunately) it was time for the headliners, the besuited and beatific Basics.

There is one word that sums up The Basics beautifully: fun.

Three little letters, one syllable and a fairly over-used word at that, but this is not a write-off, no… this is a hearty recommendation. How often to you go to a show and have fun? Seriously… how often does your ass shake independently of your brain or higher order functioning? How often do you find your face muscles hurting at a gig because you are smiling so much?

If we are all honest, we will pretty much say ‘Not very often’. Sure, we have a good time, but how often can you just lose yourself for three-minute increments of 1960’s pop-influenced splendour? And when it comes to providing pop-influenced splendour in three minute increments, The Basics do it with an authenticity that makes you swear its 1963 and you are at the Cavern Club.

This is not to infer for a moment that there is anything simple about The Basics; it takes musicians who truly understand the music of the era to play it well. People too quickly forget how damn clever pop music can be; thankfully we have The Basics to remind us.

As the night ended and it was time to return to my humble abode, not only did my companions and I agree that we had had an awesome night of it, but that the gig was perhaps the best $5 we could have spent. At only $2.50 a band, perhaps the next time you are plonking yourself on the couch for yet another night of reality TV, you should consider sponsoring a little local talent too.

Armen Firman next play at the Rob Roy Hotel, April 27th
The Basics will be playing a Thursday night residency at The Empress throughout April

Share this review on Facebook