The Anatomy of Frank / Another Me – Davidseck, Basel; October 28th, 2016
“Basel is going to be special” Kyle had told me and to be there early because it would be packed. He was right on both counts: It was packed and it might have been their best show I have seen outside Iceland Airwaves in 2014. Lovely people at the venue, good and energetic audience, good sound and a band that did not seem to want to stop playing. Right from the start I could not stop smiling and absolutely loved every minute of it. There was so much positive energy in the room it could hardly be contained with everyone listening closely and singing along powerfully when asked to. It was a great night!
I got there way too early, even after taking a walk around the old city of Basel and almost getting lost. Since they were still setting up I help carrying chairs. They even invited me to dinner, but I had already eaten so I passed. Got to watch soundcheck and pick the best seat in the house. When the support band arrived I had long settled down. It was fun watching gig preparations. I can’t really explain why, but I love the busy atmosphere and the feel of excitement in the air that precedes a gig. So far the bands I’ve been lucky enough to watch doing this were not in a talkative mood before they played and best left alone. No problem, watching is more than enough. 🙂
Eventually everyone settled down and the first band of the night Another Me was announced. Three women and a man in traditional setup with drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. All four of them sang though. They played nice, listenable pop music. I considered buying their album, but was just not grabbed enough to do so. Maybe if I got to listen to them a few more times they’d grow on me. The music sure had potential, I liked their voices and enjoyed the music too. Just the final piece was missing. I thought they were a good support. The music fit, people liked it, the band did a good job and hopefully got some exposure. 🙂 They played mostly original songs with one cover thrown in. When we clapped them back to the stage for an encore, we got to hear a medley that included several Beatles’ songs among others.
Setlist
Let go
Rainy Days
All the Things
Work it out
Girl
Circles
Gray
At least we stole the show (Kygo cover)
What if
Fisherman
Medley
There was a short break before people sat down again for the second part of the show. The people from the venue told us that they were not allowed to have us pay for anything due to the nature of their business, but they’d gladly accept donations and would collect donations for the artists as well. If they were to sell stuff the place would need to be a cafe, where different rules and regulations apply, but as long as people worked for free and just gave out drinks for their guests they could do as they pleased. It worked, they got lots of donations.
Kyle started the show with a solo version of ‘Lake Eyre’ and from the first note everyone in the room listened intently. I have no idea how many people had seen them before and how many were new to their music, but none of that mattered. The vibes in the room were great from the start, very welcoming. The good energy coming from the room was reflected by the band and we all felt connected by their music.
Two new songs followed without introduction. I liked both of them and between the two the guys conversed briefly which makes me think they might have originally had different plans. Either way, I liked it. I was standing up for a while, because me seat was too close to stage to take pictures of the full band, but sat down after they played ‘Minnesota Part 1’ because I wanted to enjoy the concert and not only be the photographer. Once I was in my seat I really got into the mood, listening and singing along.
The atmosphere at the venue was so relaxed, it felt like a living room concert, surrounded by friends. The guys were in a great mood and played loads of songs from their upcoming South America album, telling us they’d go to Ecuador in January to record it. Of course we were treated to “Giovanni, Davide’s scary bodyguard” story in all of its glory. It was wonderful and it still is funny, even after hearing it several times now. I loved everything about the gig: the sound, the song selection, the vibes. All was good. Only the lights were a bit too red, but I forgot about that soon. Who cares about good pictures when you can have great music?
‘Viteri’, one of the South America songs about Davide’s grandfather really struck a chord with me. I instantly fellin love with it. I am so going to enjoy that album when it comes out and we’ll even have the North America B-sides & Outtakes before that. Good times. Being with such an attentive audience made the band even better than they usually are. After the gig I told Kyle it was the best I had ever seen hem outside Iceland Airwaves and none of their concerts has ever been bad. There was just a special magic at Davidseck that night that cannot be described or captured on film. Beautiful.
In the end they had us sing along to ‘La Llorona’, ‘Vancouver’ and even the final song ‘Photographs of Inuvik in January’. There was no stopping us. 😉 I did not want it to end there either and it might have been the longest concert I ever saw them play, but eventually it ended and of course it felt too short. I was so happy I made the treck to Basel for it.
Afterwards there was mulled wine and home made gingerbread for everyone and I spent quite some time chatting and listening before I decided it was time to go. Kyle was talking about a new song he had written when he could not sleep, but then decided against playing. I hugged everyone goodbye and left. Onwards to Paris the next day for another concert.
Setlist
Lake Eyre
Disney
Photographs of Inuvik in January (intro)
Minnesota Part I
Diagonal North America
Patagonia
Minnesota Part II
Ecuador
Viteri
Bridge over lake Champlain
La Llorona
Vancouver
Photographs of Inuvik in January