The Basics At Newtown Social Club Review

Politics aside, The Basics should concentrate on what they do best; creating decent, punchy, soulful music that delivers to their fans. Failing that, they could always go into comedy.

An entertaining, comedic at times, and mixed set at the Newtown Social Club saw the threesome perform new hits from latest, politically charged EP ‘The Lucky Country’, take back catalogue requests from devoted fans and, mid-set, throw in some Rolling Stones, Crowded House and Jimi Hendrix just for good measure.

It was a night of political undertones, with the new single voicing, what seemed, their concern for their nation, ruling ideology and supporters. Aimed at the Australian demographic, it was perhaps slightly too home-based, and would be lost on overseas audiences.

Don’t get me wrong, music has forever been built on opinion and angst, and at times you could have been back in the 1970s watching the likes of The Clash, mixed up with the calypso sound of The Specials.

From tracks such as ‘Three Cool Cats’, to ‘The No.1 Cause of Death Amongst Youth Today’ and ‘Hey Rain’, Kris Schroeder and Wally De Backer (A.K.A Gotye) swapped vocal duties throughout, with the former taking control of most of the evening.

Everyone knew to expect at least one outing of De Backer’s Gotye-released worldwide hit single, ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ and guitarist Tim Heath duly obliged, improvising his own version, much to the amusement of the crowd and De Backer.

On the more subtle, softer songs, the voices from both Schroeder and De Backer filled the room, showcasing their ability to swap between rock, swing, soul and country. Think Paul Simon to Sting and back again via the Eagles.

This is why I felt they should stick to their own catalogue of songs, as the diversity is enough without the need for the covers, although perhaps this was more them simply jamming their way through classic rock and roll anthems.

With an encore lasting three, four, five songs, I generally cannot remember, proved how diverse their music styles and abilities are. From drum pounding and guitar-shredding solos, to bass-ridden blues, no one was leaving until the last beat was played.

by Ash Leszczuk
@ashleszczuk