The Basics: Rattling chains

I love The Basics. I recall seeing them 3 times in just under 2 weeks during the madness of their pre-Eurotrip tour. How can you not love them? Their bouncy, nostalgic pop/rock is catchy beyond reason and their on-stage dynamic is like a big happiness injection in your veins. I spoke to singer/bassist Kris about Japan, The Beatles and spicy chicken.

So how was the fateful UK/Japan tour then? “The audiences in Japan, Norway and the UK were just marvelous - polite, enthusiastic, respectful, and not at all snooty about the fact we were from the colonies. It is actually really great to see that music lovers are the same all the world over…all the gigs were really great”.

I ask with trepidation whether have any overseas plans (hoping the answer is no…I wish the band all the success in the world but I don’t want any Wolfmother-esque disappearances to the States, never to be seen again!): “There are plans to head back to Japan and the UK (and likely Norway) in May next year - you know, the whole follow-up thing. As far as The States and other territories, we haven't made plans but it's something we're definitely thinking about. The USA is a bit of a daunting place though, and it sort-of hit a nerve when that Australian bloke and his girlfriend [Hayden Sweeney from Melbourne band Electric Jellyfish and wife Bridget O’Brien] died in a car crash just recently. I was quite fearful of something bad happening to us when we were touring, so touch wood”. I feel I have to ask the prototypical “best and worst memories” question in regards to their trip, having seen the video footage (amusing and sometimes disturbing?): “Best? Wally taking a massive dive after slipping on a piece of doggy doo-doo outside Paul McCartney's childhood home in Liverpool. Worst? When I had a bit of a breakdown towards the end of the tour and was swearing and being childish and saying I wanted to quit the band. It can be pretty intense spending 24/7 with your two best friends. Luckily, we're all mature enough to deal with it and I'm very grateful for that”. Bless. That was such a nice answer I skip my question regarding any late-night antics.

I am audibly excited when Kris mentions a follow up to their brilliant debut album Stand Out/ Fit In: “ We had actually started doing demos for a new album last April which we've been working on-and-off since then. We've booked in some time to start doing the final versions in January. Let's see what we can crank out this time!”. Basics super-fans keep an eye out!

Anyone who has read my interviews before knows I usually ask about unlikely influences; don’t ask me why, it’s just interesting. I move past the obvious Beatles influence (though I do ask Kris his favourite Beatle: “Oooh! You're treading on sacred ground there - I have to honestly say I don't have one. But there's something about when George Harrison speaks that makes me want to listen extra hard. Maybe it's the Pisces fish connection”) and am quite taken aback by the less-obvious influences such as Depeche Mode, Harry Connick Jnr, Pink Floyd and The Goons. Look out for those during your next Basics gig visit.

Although Kris describes the secret to The Basics success as “the Colonel’s secret recipe of herbs and spices”, it’s clear the Melbourne band have tapped into a genre rarely perfected since the generation of its origin. The 50’s-60’s era sound mixed with a modern indie-pop twist is the reason the band has attracted so much attention the world over (including a recent Volvo commercial who used Rattle My Chain- nice!). An entirely individual and optimistic sound in this world of bland acoustica and grotesque emo mess. Put on your dancing shoes, kids.

Despite having ARIA award-winning artist Gotye as their drummer, Kris isn’t fazed by detractors calling The Basics “Gotye’s side- project”: “I have a piece of wood with a nail in one end that I use to beat Wally and anyone else who mentions the G-word”. I laugh and picture the abuse in a vaudeville-style circus tent in sepia accompanied by the Benny Hill theme song. Even their abuse has an old-fashioned, good-natured charm to it.

So what’s next for The Basics?

“Probably a well-earned rest! We've got a handful of gigs before the end of the year (the last one is on December 7th), and then rehearsal for and recording of a new album. Then we're going to plan for a tour of High Schools around the country. Go and find our future audience first-hand. Let's all join hands and do it together…”. I find The Basics to be old souls trapped in youthful bodies: perhaps in a past life Kris was the peace-loving John Lennon? I’ll have to ask him about that bed-in with Yoko then…

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