Frontman Alex Henery talks New Bloom Festival, new music and how Basement unwittingly became a TikTok sensation
“I’m not quite sure how that happened,” Alex Henery admits, his voice trailing off as he shakes his head, eyes scanning the distance as if searching for the answer. I had just brought up the fact that Basement’s ‘Covet’ was now on the Tik Tok all time charts. The bemusement in his tone mirrors the look of someone who’s just found out they won an Olympic gold without ever leaving their couch. He pauses, then lets out a small laugh, one that feels equal parts bafflement and wonder.
“At first it was just a few people sending me memes. Then it was so many people sending me memes. Then it was in a movie. Things like that are interesting because you can’t control it. We’ve always just done our own thing. If something extra happens, cool. But we’ve never chased it.”
It’s a sentiment that feels almost like a relic of another time, before the industry’s obsession with virality began to dictate the way musicians create and promote. Henery’s words come across as a breath of fresh air in an era where artists are often signed not for their musical talent but for their TikTok potential. At some festivals, like Laneway, you might find well-established acts being reduced to background noise for fans who only showed up for the viral hits—staying just long enough to hear that one song.
I can’t help but ask Henery his thoughts on this shift.
“Awful,” he says bluntly, shaking his head, his British roots sharp against the Californian warmth of his current home. “But that’s the world now. Artists make music for TikTok dance routines. It wasn’t like that when we started. We just played shows, you know? We dreamt of America, and then we worked to get there.”
Basement may have stayed grounded in their approach, but that hasn’t stopped them from feeling the effects of the TikTok wave. Henery recounts noticing how their fanbase has skewed younger, a reflection of the platform’s reach. “It’s a cool thing to see—‘Oh, this is someone’s first show.’ You’re part of that first experience for someone, and that’s special.”
Still, Basement’s following has been loyal for years, long before the TikTok algorithm took hold of them. And it will continue long after, Henery is certain. But, he also feels for younger artists having to wade through the new expectations—especially when fans show up expecting to hear only that one hit.
“Steve Lacy, I remember, hated that. People were only coming to his gigs for ‘Bad Habit’. I don’t know how I’d feel about that either. He pours his soul into a record, and then people just post twenty seconds of it on Instagram, as if it’s some kind of token to prove they were there.”
Henery’s voice carries a wistful edge as he recalls the complexity of being an artist in the digital age. It’s a subtle tension, the struggle to maintain artistic integrity while being sucked into the demands of an industry that thrives on instant fame.
I catch him on the line from Los Angeles, his adopted home for over a decade now. His accent fluctuates, mixing the easy cadence of Ipswich with the harder, drawn-out vowels of California.
“I know it’s bad,” Henery admits with a laugh, “but there’s nothing I can do.”
Basement is due back in Australia soon for New Bloom Festival, followed by their own tour, headlined by the band themselves. Henery lights up at the mention of old friends joining the bill, like Glitterer and Balance and Composure. “I just hit up Ned from Glitterer. We were reminiscing about old times. And we’ve toured with Balance and Composure before too. It’s always good to be back with friends.”
It will be their ‘sixth or seventh’ time in Australia, Henery estimates, though it’s been a long time since they last performed here in 2017. That time away has only made the place more meaningful to them. “Australia has a special place in our hearts. We’ve been there so many times, made lifelong friends. The crowds are always fun.”
But returning after nearly eight years brings with it a sense of curiosity. Henery reflects on their most recent American tour, which marked their first in nearly five years. “It was wild to see how things have changed. The crowds, the vibe—everything was different. I think it’ll be the same when we go back to Australia.”
Basement’s fans won’t just be treated to a nostalgic trip down memory lane, though. There’s fresh material on the horizon. After a series of hiatuses that saw the band take time for other projects, Henery is eager to get back to work. “Sometimes distance and time away are good. You come back with a refreshed perspective. We know what we like. We know what we don’t like.”
The last Basement album came out in 2018, and fans have been waiting for something new ever since. So, what’s next? Henery is candid, sharing that the band has been writing new material and working on ideas during the holiday season. “We were together over Christmas, did a bunch of stuff in the States,” he says. But, as expected, recording hasn’t been easy. Henery’s Los Angeles home is a world away from the UK where his bandmates still reside.
There was a brief moment of doubt when the band reformed to work on new music, he admits. “I did have a fear, at first, that there might not be anything left. But Andrew and I were on the same page. We could be honest with each other about where we were at. We started messing around with ideas, then spoke to the rest of the band. We wrote a bunch of songs, just to see where we were musically. And every time we’re in the same room, it’s been flowing naturally.”
They’ve whittled down their demos to fifteen tracks and are planning to record in Los Angeles come May. As for when fans will hear the new music? Henery’s lips are sealed. But he leaves one last tease.
“I’d love to have music out by this year,” he says, leaving the rest to the imagination.
Basement will be touring Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Wollongong, Newcastle, before then playing New Bloom Festival. Tickets can be accessed here.
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