As I write this, I am humming along to new tunes that I wouldn’t have come across had I not attended Basics Volume 3. This series of music and poetry nights that started back in March of this year has now become a celebratory ritual for me and I am sure many others.
If you haven’t been to one yet, you should look out for the exciting new volumes that will greet us next year. Instead of urging you directly, I will describe my latest experience of these carefully curated musical evenings, and that should hopefully get you on board.
The Folklore Rooms
A lot of the exquisite vibes that make up these shows can be credited to the incredible venue that they take place at—The Folklore Rooms—a secret little gig stage tucked away in a corner of The Quadrant pub, right next to the Clock Tower, in the heart of Brighton.
It is not just ideal given how you can easily sneak down to the pub for refreshments before, during, and after the show, but also because this venue is home to many gigs that allow attendees to support new artists from the city.
Jed, the organiser, is a lovely host whose talents also peek through in his filler performances, and every time I attend one of these, I feel gratitude for the effort put into bringing these incredible artists together.
Basics Volume 3 In Brighton – Live Music & Poetry: The Performers
From what I have said so far, you can probably get a sense of how intimate the setting of these shows is and how it welcomes artists to share their work in a supportive space. In this particular volume, the show was opened by Tagore Chayne, a London-based singer-songwriter whose Noah Kahan-esque tunes set the tone for the warmth that was to surround us on a chilly November evening.
As a fan of Rabindranath Tagore, I must say that his lyricism and voice do live up to the Bengali poet’s essence of romanticism. His take on music was fresh as he presented small interludes of poetry in between his songs and also sang some of the songs completely unplugged while his strong baritone voice reverberated across the room.
Cecilia Knapp was next with her award-winning poetry, which took over the crowd with its humour, depth, and clever wordplay. Themes of power and gender dynamics were strongly portrayed throughout her poetry, leaving everyone inspired.
In a wave of nostalgia, she also read out a section of her newly published novel, Little Boxes, which is set in Brighton, where she grew up. Afterward, Avije took to the stage, accompanied by Reece Oliver, and together they played some of the most heartfelt jazz and blues tunes that I have ever heard. Her powerful voice on top of Reece’s amazing guitar skills left the crowd mesmerised.
All of these artists set us up for the sheer brilliance we were about to witness in this volume’s headliner act. The Stonejets did not just give us amazing music that was the perfect balance of fun and feels but also had such an infectious energy that stretched from the stage to the seats in a manner that got us giving a standing ovation in the end.
Songs like ‘Going Out’ got the crowd singing along with full vigour while ‘Illusion’ made everyone amazed at how music could feel like a hug. It’s safe to say they have been on repeat on my Spotify ever since.
Why you should attend a future event In Brighton…
I feel it is important to acknowledge how important it is to support local artists both in person as well as by following their work online, and ‘basics’ does a great job doing not just that but also sending us off with immaculate vibes to carry with us until the next one.
Hence, gig-goer or not, ‘basics’ is a must for anyone based in and around Brighton looking to explore new music and/or poetry or just looking for a chill night out. I’ll say it once more for good measure: you NEED to attend one of these to experience it, or you might just regret missing out on these amazing performances!
Address: Folklore Rooms, 12 North Street, Brighton, BN1 3GJ
Find out about future events: https://www.instagram.com/basics.agb/
