Basht | Sebright Arms, London | 26/01/24 (Live Review)

Basht headline day-two of the special free event at Sebright Arms, in anticipation of their hotly-tipped debut EP and first headline UK tour.

★★★★★★★★★☆

Basht. Also known as your new favourite band for 2024.

Hailing from Dublin, Basht is a five-piece alt-rock band making waves across the indie scene after a triumphant tour with Wunderhorse. Arguably one of the most exciting artists to emerge last year.

Fronted by the charismatic and boisterous Jack Leavey, Basht was formed in 2021 after a global pandemic. The outfit consists of Sam Duffy (lead guitar), Rossa Healy (rhythm guitar), Louis Christie (bass) and Luke O’Neill (drums).

In anticipation of debut EP ‘Dirty White Lies’ and their first-ever headline tour, they joined a lineup of talented emerging artists for a two-day event at the iconic Sebright Arms, hosted by Plastic Factory London. It’s a charming pub nestled away in Bethnal Green, with a vibrant atmosphere and flourishing community.

Opening the evening was Louis O/B, known from SORRY. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a pint, he softly eased us into what would eventually become a riotous evening of rock n’ roll. His performance was mesmerising, most of the audience forgetting they were in a basement venue to the dreamy vocals and melody.

Followed by MYNK, a trio from London finding influences from all corners of music. With their debut single ‘boundaries’, colourful instruments and plenty of fresh material, this band were born to be on stage. Made up of Bex (vocals, bass), Lewis (guitar, backing vocals) and Ricky Cato (drums), MYNK is the definition of visceral.

Basht took to the stage, immediately commanding the packed room with their roaring presence and Irish charm. Storming into a setlist of predominantly unreleased tracks, it didn’t take long for the crowd to lose themselves in the fired-up energy coming from the stage.

Storming through Bitter/Twisted, Queen Underground and Gone Girl gave us a taste of what’s on the horizon for the EP. Is This Love? and Dirty White Horses were our two huge standouts.

What’s clear is a real aptitude for sound progression, which is impressive so early on in their career. Each track channelled the rawness of punk while maintaining a distinctive melody. This knack for blending genres is one of many reasons you’ll come to love Basht.

But, it’s the fearless nature of the band live that sets them apart from most. Basht knows how to perform, through volatile expression and a relentless heart. Every part of the show is important to them, and it truly shows.

If there was any ambiguity to the size of this venue, it was put to rest as Jack continually gripped the ceiling. A sign that whoever made it into this room, for free, will be very smug in a few years when Basht crash the world.

Never Love was the mammoth finale, a debut single that paved the way for everything that’s happened since. Fusing together bands like Fontaines DC, The Smiths, Sex Pistols and Joy Division, the tune feels hungry, bursting at the seams, ready to be unleashed to bigger crowds.

This was the only track that wasn’t new, and the band embraced the moment, confidentially putting everything into the big finish. The roars of applause after spoke volumes, followed by screams for ‘one more song’, with Jack exclaiming ‘That was our extra song’.

:: Round-Up ::

Some artists would kill for the reaction that Basht so effortlessly receive. There were no staged encores here, if time restrictions didn’t exist, Basht are the kind of band that would play all night.

Sometimes keeping people yearning for more isn’t such a bad thing. Keep your eyes open for Basht’s new music, and tour, you don’t want to miss it.

See full setlist on Setlist.fm. Were you at the show? Check out our Insta and TikTok for videos, or share your own with us.