BASEMENT
Ipswich quintet Basement formed in 2009, and their 2011 debut, I Wish I Could Stay Here propelled them into touring around the world and gaining an enormous following that spread throughout the pop punk and hardcore community. Te band announced a surprise hiatus a couple years back, and after putting out Colourmeinkindness, we heard nothing more fotr a while. But now, now they are back with a belting new offering called Promise Everything and they’re popping up to Norwich to play the Waterfront. I spoke to guitarist Alex about their exciting return and supporting Brand New.
You’re from Ipswich originally. Did you often come to Norwich for gigs and whatnot when you were growing up? Going to UEA or the Waterfront was a highlight of my teenage years. I’ve seen so many bands at those venues, usually ska and punk bands like Rancid, Drop Kick Murphys, Less Tan Jake, but also more indie bands like Franz Ferdinand, Te Go-Team, Bloc Party and Arctic Monkeys. My dad lives in Norwich so I know the city pretty well. He would drop me off at those venues and then wait around to pick me up afterwards. So whenever I see a dad with his kid at our show I get super excited, like that was me 12 years ago!
So how did you guys meet initially and get the band together? I knew Andrew from high school; my friend Tom Watson introduced me to him at a talent show. We became great friends and met Ronan and Duncan through the Ipswich music scene. James is Andrew’s brother so I met him later. We all got together at my house and practiced with small combo amps and an electric drum kit. Tings just went from there. What were your influences musically speaking? Back then probably like Te Get Up Kids, Te Atari’s, Set Your Goals, Agent and bunch of
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outlineonline.co.uk
hardcore bands. How come you’re called Basement? I lived in my parents basement when we moved to a house in Ipswich; basements aren’t too common in the UK so we figured why not call it that. We wanted a blank slate word, something that doesn’t mean anything that you can just associate the music we play with it. Do you all still have day jobs at the moment or do you get to make music full time? We finally just quit our jobs to pursue the band full time. Your album Colourmeinkindness came out in 2012 but the band split almost straight away afterwards. How come? We wanted to pursue our careers outside of the band, and Andrew in particular wanted to go back to school to become a teacher. Why do you think it was that even though you did no press or live dates to support that album it sold 25,000 copies? Did that fact spur you on to get back together a couple years later? It was very surprising, and the support we got while we were inactive definitely made us think about reforming if we ever had the time. When that chance came round again, we thought it would be foolish to turn it down again. Te tracks on that album were all single word titles. What was the reason behind that? Yeah it was a conscious decision, but mainly just for the aesthetic of the album layout. You’ve got a brand new album out, Promise Everything. What was the writing process for this release, as I understand the members of the band don’t all live in the same place now? We were forced to send ideas over email until we could practice in person as I now live in the USA. It was tough but we made it work. It’s not something I ever want to do again! We are hoping to go away somewhere for an extended period of time and write the next LP. You’ve released the album on cassette and vinyl as well as the more traditional CD and digital platforms. Do you see tapes making a comeback in the same way that vinyl has? Tat was our label’s idea. People seem to be into it, so why not make it on tape as well? It’s
“Some of my family will be at the show for the first time, so that will be interesting!”
interesting that people are buying tapes; they’re cheap to make, so I’m not complaining. You recently supported Brand New in Europe. What was that like? Tat tour was awesome. Te people in that band are super nice and were very helpful. Te tour was so easy, it was a very smooth experience and every night the crowds were wild. Getting to play at Alexandra Palace was one of the best shows I have ever played. We’re excited to see you play Norwich. Are you excited to get up here to see your fans and make some new ones? Can’t wait to play Norwich, it’s been a long time since we have played there. Last time we played Norwich was at the now deceased Marquee. I have fond memories of going to shows in Norwich so it’s going to be fun to be back again. Plus some of my family will be at the show for the first time, so that will be interesting!
Lizz Page
INFORMATION Basement play the Waterfront on 11th February. Tickets available from
ueaticketbookings.co.uk
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