Live Review: Basement, Turnover, Break Even

You'll never see a more dedicated group of music fans in one room than when you're at a punk gig — and tonight was no exception. It was heartening to see the room full by the time Aussies Break Even took to the stage to perform their fast-paced, brash punk rock.

Turnover, hailing from the States, played an endearing set of melodic pop-punk that took us right back to our teenage years (if we weren't already there), warming our hearts on this chilly evening. They were well received by the audience, who were already moshing. Their set was solid and appeased the fans in the room, while providing the rest of us with a nostalgic blast from the past.

Basement burst onto stage, and judging by the crowd reaction, they were the reason the venue was sold out. In light of this, it was a bit of a shame the crowd were robbed, not only of an encore, but of a full set. Their set clocked in at just under an hour, keeping it short and punchy, but honestly we expected more. We've seen bands with one EP play a longer set than Basement who have three full albums.

Now with that gripe out of the way, this reviewer can report that the set was as punk rock as expected. Quality banter, distorted guitars, thrashing drums and whiny vocals, and a rowdy as fuck crowd were present. Headbanging and crowd singalongs galore, with the crowd proving their allegiance to the band, and being thrown tracks Whole, Bad Apple and Covet.

Bodies were flailing on top of the crowd — quick shoutout to security who took it like a champ. Promise Everything was especially wild, with Aquasun a triumphant end to the terse set.