The day we've been waiting for and dreading is finally and unfortunately here: the day which Basement will take to the stage for the very last time. It's our final chance to bear witness to that emo infused melodic hardcore which we have all grown to love so much over the past few years. It's always a sad day when a much loved band breaks up, but in this case, it was even more so than usual. It was just over a mere year ago that Basement played Hevy Festival, on the tiny Etnies stage to a remarkably modest sized crowd. Yet on 17th November 2012, we see Basement play a sell-out gig at the Underworld. It is astonishing to see how much Basement have grown in just a year, setting this gig up to be one hell of a send off.
But first up is Brutality Will Prevail (6/10) with their own brand of grudge-y distorted hardcore. Despite their incredible album 'Scatter the Ashes' which was released last week, they don't quite accomplish that thick sound that they achieved on record, live and the tracks that demanded the most brutality were still from 'Root of All Evil' . At least the mic did seem to be turned up since Breaking Point, but Ajay Jones' vocals sounded comparatively weak to those on record. That being said, they did possibly attract the largest pit of the night. Personally, I have never been a big fan of straight edge hardcore shows filled with windmilling and those other 'hardcore moves' named in various hardcore parody videos; nevertheless, considering the time of day, I was impressed by the energy Brutality Will Prevail possessed and radiated around the room.
And then for the big surprise of the day: Daylight (7/10). Daylight, a slightly Title Fight reminiscent melodic hardcore band from the states, who are long time friends of Basement, were the special guests of the night. And special they were. Even though their presence at this gig was kept secret until the the doors were opened and the Daylight merch stand was revealed, the size of their crowd rivalled Basement's. Admittedly, I hadn't listened to them prior, but now they have now become my new favourite band and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Unfortunately, they did suffer from some technical difficulties, which severely disadvantaged them and put a massive downer on what would surely have been a great performance, especially since neither vocalist was particularly skilled at talking to and interacting with the audience. Musically, they were fantastic and I'll definitely be buying a record, but I'm not too fussed about seeing them live again.
Finally, last but certainly not least was Basement (8/10). Never in my life have I ever heard so many people sing and scream so loud and so enthusiastically so many lyrics at a gig. Erupting with the momentous trio of Whole, Covet and Fading, the crowd is immediately launched into an hour of emotionally wrenching melodic hardcore by the catchy riff blasting out of the amps at the beginning of Whole which is oh-so distinctive of Basement, and then the grunge-y and haunting vocals of Covet: 'When I'm with you, I don't want to be with you'. Though Fading was the stand out track of this trio, as we are reminded of that hardcore sound that made Basement who they are today. Though with such an incredible run of songs, it was hard for Basement to maintain the momentum, especially since with such early doors, half the audience already seemed to be tiring. Despite this, the lull didn't last long as songs such as Spoiled and old favourite Ellipses drew the crowd back in the Basement rapture. The set was a perfect combination of new and old, slow and fast and soft and heavy. It gave us both the chance to reminisce about the old times and bathe in the glory of the new and more mature Basement established in Colourmeinkindness. Unfortunately, the gig came to an end way too soon, ending with a trio, rivalling the opening, consisting of the gentle and sombre Comfort, the uplifting and culminating Wish and finally ending with Crickets Throw Their Voice which invited the inevitable stage-invasion as everyone wanted to get one last piece of Basement and cement this day in history.
There was definitely a potent sense of desperation and despair among us as we were very much aware that this was the end, this was it, we had to give it our all. Even though much of their set was solemn and bleak, much like Colourmeinkindness, ending the gig on a high with the upbeat Crickets Throw Their Voice left the audience with a smile on their face as we all knew that Basement ended their short-lived career the best they could: with a fantastic album followed by a sell-out show at the legendary Underworld.
R.I.P Basement. You will be missed.
