Thoom had laser gloves, and I somehow went home without a picture of them. I was right there, and somehow it slipped my mind to capture one of the coolest performances I've ever seen.
That said, there was a lot competing for my attention at Cermak Hall last Friday. Bassvictim were headlining this time around, Nation and Thoom were on the bill, an Austin Powers cosplayer was accompanying lightremoval, and the crowd had clearly been looking forward to this. People really got dressed: eccentric outfits, cool makeup, combinations I wouldn’t have thought to put together. I wanted to photograph everybody.
The last time I saw Bassvictim was at Reggies Rock Club in 2024, when they were opening for The Hellp. Coming back two years later, I was especially interested in the people who had come out for them, after all if they've grown so much, what kind of crowd did they grow? I love the amount of effort people will put into going to a show. Getting ready, waiting in line for hours, talking to other fans. All of that becomes part of the memory. You spend weeks listening to a band on your own, then suddenly you’re standing around with a bunch of people who have been doing the same thing. There’s plenty to talk about before anybody gets onstage.
At Cermak it was obvious that people were excited, and they seemed comfortable going all out. The clothes and makeup were part of the appeal, but they were also willing to show just how much they cared. To think that they had such a cult following was surprising seeing just how quickly they gained relevancy, and quite frankly “Ride or die for the bass” sounds ridiculous until you’re in a crowd like this, then it feels like a fair description.
Nation and Thoom were both great. I wish I had more photographs of Thoom’s set, particularly those gloves.
Bassvictim have put out Basspunk 2, Forever, and ? since that Reggies show. Another record, PEACE + WAR, is due November 6. That’s a ridiculous amount of music in two years, especially considering how much their sound has changed along the way. Maria Manow and Ike Clateman have been making room for softer ideas, particularly with less electronic-based instrumentation and heavily using piano and cello on Forever, the acoustic guitar and more exposed vocals on ?. Of course the distortion is still there, but there’s more tenderness and honesty coming through it. They’ve gone from opening for The Hellp to headlining their own shows while making music that’s increasingly difficult to sum up as “basspunk.” With another album already approaching, I’m curious which parts of that sound they’ll keep pushing. Two years ago, I’d only seen the beginning of it.
