LIVE REVIEW: Tami Neilson @ The Basement
alt.country / Americana / Blues / Country / Gig Reviews / Photos / Rock / Rockabilly / Soul

LIVE REVIEW: Tami Neilson @ The Basement

Tami Neilson & Her Rockin’ Hot Band Of Rhythm + Paddy McHugh @ The Basement, Sydney, 20th August 2017 Sunday night isn’t the usual day of the week for a country, soul and funk shakedown but Tami Neilson & Her Rockin’ Hot Band Of Rhythm unequivocally made it so. Surprisingly this was her first visit to Sydney, … Continue reading

LIVE REVIEW: Kinky Friedman @ The Basement, Sydney (20/10/16)
Country / Gig Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Kinky Friedman @ The Basement, Sydney (20/10/16)

They sure don’t make ‘em like Kinky Friedman anymore. Singer, songwriter, author, raconteur, comedian and winner of the Male Chauvinist Pig Award from the National Organisation of Women in 1973. He’s still peddling the same material that he has for the last forty years though that was tempered somewhat by the release last year of … Continue reading

LIVE REVIEW: Robert Ellis + Joe Pug + Joshua Hedley @ The Basement, Sydney (18/10/16)
Alt-Country / Americana / Folk / Gig Reviews / Photos

LIVE REVIEW: Robert Ellis + Joe Pug + Joshua Hedley @ The Basement, Sydney (18/10/16)

The high-quality overload of Americana music in Sydney this week continued with a triple serving at The Basement that traversed country, folk and the cosmic musical universe of Robert Ellis. Last time he played here back in July, Joshua Hedley made solid headway through a bottle of whiskey during his set, the jokes and banter … Continue reading

LIVE REVIEW: Ryan Bingham, Little Georgia @ The Basement, Sydney (23/04/16)
alt.country / Americana / Country / Gig Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Ryan Bingham, Little Georgia @ The Basement, Sydney (23/04/16)

This felt like an under-promoted show, certainly in the local Americana community, so it was a pleasant surprise to find large crowd in attendance at The Basement. Opening honours went to Little Georgia who certainly won the crowd over with their blend of soul, indie-folk and a dash of country. They’re a marketers dream with … Continue reading

LIVE REVIEW: Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes @ The Basement
alt.country / Country / Folk / Gig Reviews / Photos

LIVE REVIEW: Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes @ The Basement

LIVE REVIEW: Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes, Imogen Clark, Hussy Hicks @ The Basement, Sydney (18/11/15) Hussy Hicks created one impressive and soulful sound as the opening act at the latest showcase evening presented by Lost Highway Records. Their blend of country, blues, jazz and soul is grounded in Julz Parker’s consummate guitar playing and … Continue reading

LIVE REVIEW: Shane Nicholson, Josh Rennie-Hynes @ The Basement, Sydney (26/08/15)
Alt-Country / Americana / Gig Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Shane Nicholson, Josh Rennie-Hynes @ The Basement, Sydney (26/08/15)

This was a night of friends and collaborators celebrating the release of Shane Nicholson’s new solo LP Hell Breaks Loose. Nicholson produced Josh Rennie-Hynes’ debut album February and invited the songwriter down from Brisbane to open the show. Rennie-Hynes had only met local pedal steel player Jy-Perry Banks (Cruisin’ Deuces) that afternoon but the pair … Continue reading

LIVE REVIEW: Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders, Laura Jean @ The Basement, Sydney (04/07/15)
Americana / Country / Gig Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders, Laura Jean @ The Basement, Sydney (04/07/15)

Laura Jean opened the evening with an absorbing set that highlighted both her clever lyrical turns and delicate, almost textural finger-picking guitar style. Songs about married life, domesticity and crazy dogs from her 2014 album comprised the bulk of her performance as she drew the audience into her world of observational songwriting and dry-humour. Her … Continue reading

Alt-Country / Americana / Gig Reviews / Photos

LIVE REVIEW: Robert Ellis, Cory Chisel, Marlon Williams @ The Basement, Sydney (21/11/13)

by Chris Familton New Zealander (now Melbourne-based) Marlon Williams opened the evening with an impressive set of originals and covers (Townes Van Zandt). Williams’ voice is a beautiful instrument capable of soaring falsetto, yodel hiccups and he used it to near perfection singing songs of tear-stained loss and heartache. One in particular, State Hospital, was … Continue reading

Americana / Blues / Country / Folk / Gig Reviews / Soul

LIVE REVIEW: Justin Townes Earle + Robert Ellis @ The Basement, Sydney (05/02/13)

by Chris Familton The practice of an established artist giving a relative newcomer a leg-up by taking them out on tour is an admirable one and in the case of Texan singer/songwriter Robert Ellis it was a real treat to watch and listen to such an affable singer with a firm grasp of a number … Continue reading