Basement – Projekts, Manchester – 10th May 2026

BASEMENT BACK!

British alternative rock mainstays Basement return with the release of WIRED, their first new album in over eight years via their original label, Run For Cover Records.

Performing at Projekts Skatepark is one of those shows that leaves the ears ringing and theheart racing long after stepping back into the Manchester air. Before even entering the venue, l the buzz is radiating off everyone going to this show before they even arrived at the venue. Hosted by Outbreak Fest, the show had the feeling of raw and unfiltered.

When Basement started playing, it felt like the people in the crowd were not just dancing as they raced across the floor, jumping off anything they could find. Almost very second someone would try to crowd surf, with varying degrees of success, but everyone was laughing and having a good time and ready to have a second attempt. Water off a duck’s back!

SOMETHING SPECIAL

There is something about a skatepark show that really changes the way a band’s music hits. The concrete, the ramps, the space, it all adds this layer of grit,t like the songs are vibrating through the floor as much as through the speakers. Their set felt urgent, like they were feeding off the chaos rather than trying to tame it. Every chorus they sang landed like a punch; it sent waves after waves of bodies towards the stage, either by dancing or flying.

What made it even more of an intense was how close everything felt. There was no barrier at this performance, no separation between the crowd and the band. Basement seemed locked in; moments where you could see them grinning at one another, looking at the chaos unfolding right in front of them.

And because this was not just any show, it was an album-release celebration for Wired, there was an added electricity in the air. A sense that everyone in the room was witnessing a new chapter for the band. By the end of the night, the room looked wrecked in the best possible way; people breathless, flushed, and buzzing.

THE AFTERMATH

When I stepped out, the city seemed really quiet in comparison, yet felt like was like the excitement from the skatepark had come out onto the streets; people were still walking around with smiles on their faces, laughing and trying to catch their breath. This show will certainly be one for those in attendance to remember. One of those shows that really sticks with you, a show that you cannot stop replaying in your head and are eager to listen to more of their music on your way home.

Basement: Website

At The Barrier: Facebook / X / Instagram