Basement See Themselves As Like Pavement, In That Their Band Name Doesn't Mean Much

What’s in a name? It might be somewhat obvious where English rock act Basement got theirs from, as many bands start out jamming in their parents' basements. But according to the band’s frontman Andrew Fisher, they've got another reason too. While on tour in Oklahoma, Fisher tells us where the band's name came from. 

“You got it; funnily enough it was indeed where we started jamming,” he confirms. “I’d moved back home after finishing university, and I was living in the basement. It became a place where we could hang out, listen to music and stuff, we had some good times down there. We started jamming down there and when we were discussing names it kinda came up.

“But apart from that it also didn’t sound like anything. It didn’t have any association with any genre of music; it doesn’t really suggest anything, which is what we wanted. Now it’s stuck and I’m totally happy with it. It sort of suggests that they’re a band and they have their own thing. I know that Dave Grohl has said the Foo Fighters is a terrible name, but I think it’s alright.” 

‘Basement’ as name, we note, in not suggesting a genre of music,  is quite similar to ‘Pavement’. “Yeah it is, and that was in the back of my mind too when we came up with it, because the two words are not massively dissimilar," he says. "But I was like, ‘I think it will be alright.’ And I think Pavement are a really cool band.”

The band are soon to arrive in Australia, as part of a ridiculously busy touring schedule, on the back of the release of their fourth album Beside Myself in October last year. The Australian tour is bookended by a seemingly endless foray into North America, then they have Europe and the UK, including a bunch of summer festivals. “Yeah it’s pretty hectic, I think I’m barely home for five days in the next six months,” he says. “But it’s good, we love it.” 

It must feel good to have the band in such demand across the planet in this way? “I guess that’s one way of putting it!” he laughs. “I think it all just comes with the territory of being a touring musician.”

“That’s one of those things where you have to check yourself and think how lucky you are.”

In fact, getting to see the world, even if it’s only fleeting moments in each location, is something that Fisher is thankful for. “That’s one of those things where you have to check yourself and think how lucky you are,” he says. “I know so many people who care about travel, and I talk to people like in the middle of America who ask us, ‘Where are you from?’ and we get onto the subject of traveling and nine times out of ten they say, ‘I want to go to England and I want to go to Australia.’ And then they ask me, ‘Have you ever been to Australia?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ve been there five times!’ It blows them away. There’s so many people who don’t have the opportunity to go once, and I’ve been five times. I only feel lucky about that.”

They are venturing Down Under as part of a ripping double bill with Californian sensations The Story So Far, a band they have shared stages with on many occasions over the years. “I’d like to say we’ve been out on tour together twice and then we’ve played a whole bunch of festivals with them too,” Fisher says. “They took us out across the States four, maybe five years ago. That was great, so much fun, they’re a great band to tour with and just a great band to be around. They’re lovely guys, they’re really great live and the Aussie tour is just going to be really great fun.”