Report: The Basement Club #20 - 26/8/04
By: Toby L
A comeback of sorts, if you will. Prior to The Basement Club #20, Thirteen Senses were poorly - to the extent that high profile shows to thousands at the prior weekend's V Festivals 2004 were pulled at the eleventh hour, while an onstage effort at the Eden Project in Cornwall days earlier was cut short tragically when frontman Will fled the stage, following a rapt entrance of 'Thru The Glass'.
His voice was f**ked, y'see: tonsillitis. And fans worried for the recovery in time for this evening's affair. (As did we.)
Yet, magically, no signs of trauma this evening - a miniature return to the fray for the Cornish quartet, The Basement's twentieth was a further, fervent sell-out splice of ambient masterclass, and the Senses' smallest ever London gig.
And all bountifully aided by another comeback - the third performance at The Basement from The Magic Numbers, capping their residency with us. It's a tearful departure - new songs are aired, as well as additions that have become anthems 'round these parts: 'Love's A Game', an opening 'The Mule' and a sensational 'Mornings Eleven', plus airings such as 'Try' and 'This Love' which we've never heard live before, and an abrupt, up-tempo one. Surprises and familiar joys in equal measure, the crowd - frosty at first - soon bellows extortionately to a new-found obsession. It must be love.
Then a full hour of flight - hammering electric piano, searing, angelic vocals and songs, oh, songs - the highlighted 'Thru The Glass' is majestic as a gruelling wall-of-sound opening, the following 'Do No Wrong' as fittingly thorough as the underground top-40 anthem it became, and then the likes of future anthemery - 'Salt Wound Routine', the scintillating whimsy of 'Into The Fire', or a weary 'Perfect'.
After fifty minutes, more is requested, and our youths oblige - 'Automatic' closes a two-song encore-return, and we melt in both the heat and intensity of the moment. Hands clap, feet stomp and wolves whistle (huh?), but that's that.
Over to the decks... Beamon 65 and The Hellion are rampant, camp and bootlegged up the eyeballs; Kevin S of the combo is dancing onstage to an empty reception and doesn't even seem to care. Neither do we. It's hilarious.
That second anniversary in October is looming... Stay with us.