What a gig for a Monday night. Two of Boston based label Run For Cover's biggest stalwarts, the U.K. based Basement and making the first trip down under from Virginia, Turnover attracted a brimming crowd to The Triffid. In amongst a sea of flannels, polo caps, and old school Vans, the anticipation was pretty prevalent for both overseas acts.

Local lads and openers, Arrivals had their work cut out for them from the get go and did a commendable job trying to win over an otherwise uninterested audience. Working through their set of tightly played pop punk, it was in the two last songs they showed their variety and it pricked the crowd's attention. Admittedly, the first was a cover of Alexisonfire’s This Could Be Anywhere In the World. Any band that can pull off an Alexis cover is all right in my books. Their closer was a well executed pop punk track with bouncy semi-breakdowns and hooky use of their three separate vocalists. Despite having an uphill battle, Arrivals were up to the task.

A late addition to the show due to Break Even having to pull out with to a personal issue, it only seemed logical for Columbus to fill in the bill slot. Having supported Basement on their last Australian run, it made perfect sense. The recent UNFD signees wasted no time solidifying their place at The Triffid, flying through songs like Home Remedy, Hopeless, and even bringing forward the older Coffee, Desks, and Promises with perfect precision. Alex Moses has so much conviction in his vocals that when you hear him sing, you can imagine what his lyrics reflect really vividly.  After premiering a few of songs off their upcoming album, including their single Replace Me, the trio rounded out their set with another tight performance of Downsides of Being Honest, with a small gratuitous appearance from Nick Hargans. It does suck that Break Even pulled out but Columbus stepped up and smashed it out of the park.

With a fair portion of the audience rocking shirts of Turnover's sophomore LP, Peripheral Vision, the cheers when the band proceeded onto the stage were only to be expected and were not surprising when the first note of almost every song was played. Despite this, the band's middle of the road pace and continuous barrage of jangly guitar chords kind of fell flat for me. Most of the songs weren't distinguishable from each other and melded into one large homogenous group of indie rock songs with soft and sweetly delivered vocals. When the band quickened their pace or changed strumming patterns though, they had some pretty memorable hooks and songs, namely the two from their most recent 7”. All in all, it wasn't a bad set and for their first trip to Brisbane it would have been memorable for those who genuinely enjoyed it.

Basement were one of the bands that made the rounds and pushed forward the alt-rock being played by hardcore bands like Title Fight and fellow Run For Cover act Pity Sex. Having released a new album earlier this year, the hype was definitely real for the UK based band and they did nothing short of live up to that hype. It only took two songs for the first crowd surfer of the evening to clamber over the barrier. With five releases worth of material to cherry pick from, the Brits came through with fan favourites such as Earl Grey, Bad Apple, Crickets Throw Their Voice, while including a healthy selection of songs from their latest record. Minimal banter between crowd and band meant the music took the forefront and we all lapped it up with incredible excitement.

If you're ever wondering why the kids you used to go with to hardcore shows cut their fringes, took out their stretchers and started wearing flannelettes, look no further than Basement.

- Matt Lynch