The word on metal with Josh Nixon [doomtildeath@hotmail.com]
Coming In First
As The Baso’s unofficial promotional agent, it was pleasing to see The Guardian ask the question that we already know the answer to, which is put simply, “Der!?!”
This came out the week after the venue hosted three international shows, including two on the same night, which were all nicely attended. It’s great to see Nicole and Mik get a bit of national love for their care and affection for the music scene that they’ve backed with their hard work.
The article covers a few of Canberra’s venues including those of its storied past, giving some overdue love and attention for sideway for its effort in offering a place for bands to play in the city.
Kudos, guys; you love to see it.
The article stated that the venue had operated since 1985 and anointed The Phoenix as “possibly Canberra’s most famous venue.”
I don’t think it was. On balance, I would say the ANU Refectory was the one, but The Phoenix was great, as were The Terrace Bar, The Asylum, The Terminus, and Gypsy Bar.
But that’s living in a past where the city had a plethora of live music options.
On the topic of history—and as penner of this column since last century, I AM history—The Baso (nee Basement, nee Town Centre Tavern nee Pete’s Bar and Grill) went through a significant transformation under the tenure of Lance Fox. So, let’s share around the back-patting.
We’ve been talking about an “entertainment precinct” in this city for longer than The Baso has existed, so it will be interesting to see what happens after finally turning the soil on that zone in Civic. Regardless, Heavy will always have a home in Belco, though. Right! Enough of the past!
Coming Up Short
“Dwarven metal pioneers” is a grouping of words I don’t believe I have ever typed since 1998, when I started writing for BMA. Certainly not closely followed by, “are joining the best ‘pirate metal band in the world’ for an Australian tour”.
I must have slept on the Dwarven metal genre, as Tuscan Warriors Wind Rose have been at it since 2009. In even more pleasing news, the hirsute clan will bring 15 years of power metal-laced fury to Australia and New Zealand for eight dates, of which “the best venue in Australia(?)” will host.
It happens on Friday, 17 May, with Rumahoy there to quaff The Baso ale and shred axes accordingly.
This show is in danger of selling out, with fewer than 100 tickets remaining, including VIP tickets. Get onto Oztix before your shovel, pickaxe, and mead goblet are left wanting.
Coming In To Land
Also on Friday, 17 May, you can pop round the corner to The Pot Belly where the long-haul flight to launch the new Pilots of Baalbek record continues. Get your frequent flyer miles up along with The Dunhill Blues & Undermines! Get yer tickets via Trybooking.
The Bleeding Venom Tour is an all-Australian eightdate tour hitting the road in May. It is headlined by Ballarat’s Nicholas Cage Fighter and joining in the fun will be Sydney’s Lycanthrope, our own Deprivation, and Wagga’s metalcore exponents, Artifact.
The Canberra leg of the tour lands at “the best venue in Australia (?)” on Saturday, 18 May, and you can also look forward to Wollongong band Complexant joining the fray. Tix via The Baso.
Coming Up Cirith
For the first and last time, the might of Cirith Ungol will address the best venue in Australia on Thursday, 30 May, with Night Demon in for the whole run. Canberra is lucky to have Bastardizer and Shockwave join proceedings, and I, for one, am keen to hear a few live numbers from King of the Dead, which I never thought I’d have a chance to do. Get your tickets from The Baso, pronto.
If that show is too old school for you, the excellent folks at sideway have Keepsake and Saving Face launching a split record on the same night, Thursday, 30 May. With the venue’s cozy capacity, any arriving fashionably late will be at your peril. Thankfully, the excellent Highland Light and NORA will be on to warm up for the main event – linktr.ee/ theghostofus for all the info on this tour!
Coming To An End
Sad news crept into my inbox this last reporting period, dear readers, with news that Canberra grind legends Wretch have decided to hang up the blasting riffs and call it a day.
The lads have no ill will and merely recognise it’s time to say goodbye following a career that included some great releases, a spot on the hallowed stage of Obscene Extreme in the Czech Republic, and about 10 million shows in the ACT.
Survival of the Rotten was inarguably their best-recorded work, released in 2022, and you will enjoy tunes from this and the rest of the back catalogue on Friday, 31 May at A Funeral for Wretch at The Baso. 12 Gauge Rampage will fire a 12 gauge salute, The Plague will issue a moratorium on infections, Maggot Cave will stop writhing, Post- Human will consider a name change to Post-Wretch and Blackened Dred will try and lighten the mood as we fondly farewell these metal warriors in this form. Vale’ Wretch, we hardly knew ye. Tix via The Baso.
Coming To “The Best Venue In Australia (?)”
The best venue in Australia (?) continues the international mega double header events and I, for one, am salivating at the opportunity to catch German lords The Ocean and particularly the USA’s Cave-In (coming off the back of one of my favourite releases) live on Friday, 7 June.
It’s been a decade since The Ocean met our shores, but they arrive bearing the fruits of 2023’s Holocene, their ninth and most exploratory album to date.
Massachusetts’ Cave-In boasts a nearly 30-year history under its collective belts and has veered fearlessly through musical paths forged entirely of its own making. 2022’s Heavy Pendulum absolutely floored me upon release, the production and front-to-back songwriting were on another level, and the opportunity to see both bands on the same bill is fuckin’ rad. To boot, Danish act LLNN (The Ocean’s stablemates on Pelagic Records) round out the international triple header. Get a ticket!
This is but the start. A huge year beckons, with shows coming up from Municipal Waste, Thou/Full of Hell, Triumph of Death, Skeletal Remains and Bleeding Through in the second half of this year.
The cost of living crisis continues unabated. Prepare yourself for a long winter campaign, Canberra!