Bassvictim live in London: a life-affirming experience from one of the most prolific, melodic talents in nu-gen electroclash

It’s been 20 minutes since Bassvictim were supposed to come on stage at the glamorous Troxy, where Maria Manow used to work as a bartender. The electronic duo – completed by Ike Clateman – have just released their major label debut, ‘Peace + War’, and tonight’s their biggest UK headline show so far. But 3,600 fans are waiting on tenterhooks; Bassvictim have gained a reputation for lateness, with the pair outright cancelling their Reading and Leeds slots this year due to illness. Will they even make it to the stage?

Read more: The bittersweet rise of Bassvictim: “Cool is the good, bad and ugly”

Thankfully, at 10 past midnight, Manow and Clateman arrive to huge cheers from the crowd. Clateman perches atop a glowing DJ booth, allowing him more room to egg on the audience and demand mosh pits. Manow, meanwhile, performs with renewed vitality; normally, she’s shrouded by smoke, but tonight, she’s fully out in the open. She dances with surprising agility to the agonised ‘God I Wonder’ like a boxer in the ring, and gently sways to ‘27a Pitfield Street’, capturing the sun-soaked romance of a classic London pres.

A few songs go by, and NME starts to wonder: did Bassvictim only use that major label money to pay for the white flags hanging from the ceiling and Clateman’s fancy booth? But the duo reveal another trick up their sleeves when they perform ‘Grow Up’: the flags become ablaze in stunning pastel colours, and from that point on, the Troxy is flooded with a giant beam of rainbow lights. It’s innocent, pure, optimistic, and possibly one of the most impressive lighting setups we’ve seen this year. Bassvictim’s debut album ‘Forever’ became one of the defining records of the laptop twee movement when it dropped last year, and the gorgeous holographic lights perfectly emphasise the sound of digital naivety.

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What separates Bassvictim as the cream from the electroclash crop is their sincerity. Manow is totally fearless on stage, rapping with unbridled braggadocio on ‘Forever Salty’ and belting an entire octave higher on ‘Wooden Girl’. There’s no concern for an apathetic, “cool” performance, and while they’re known for their more high-energy songs, Bassvictim aren’t afraid to stop the party and surprise the crowd, such as bringing out Worldpeace DMT for a totally acoustic cover of their collaboration, ‘Year of the Dragon’.

That sincerity also lends itself to what must be Bassvictim’s best quality. Their best songs are the life-affirming tunes that rise from the ashes of suffering and pain, pleading to live a little longer, to stay right here in the moment. When they conclude with ‘Curse Is Lifted’, the crowd give it one last glorious go: water’s flung metres high, multiple pits swarm on the floor, and the balcony jitters until it just about holds on. Manow and Clateman embrace each other, hold hands and bow.

A day after the show, Manow reveals she’s recently become sober. Her more energetic stage presence, she reasons, was a way to prove to the audience that she could still put on a show without being intoxicated. Bassvictim might have begun as a scrappy duo, but tonight is a surprisingly wonderful masterclass in using their newfound polish to elevate their endearing rawness and deliver an unforgettable show.

Bassvictim played: 

‘God I Wonder’
‘Jagódki (Blueberries)’
‘7’ (feat. Fimiguerrero)
’27a Pitfield St’
‘Alice’
‘Dog Tag Freestyle’
‘Happysad’
‘Grow Up!!!’
‘Canary Wharf Drift’
‘Wolves Howling’
‘Going Home’
‘Grass Is Greener’
‘Go Faster’
‘White Flag’
‘Mr. President’
‘Wooden Girl’
‘Sometimes I Believe In God (Sometimes I Believe In Me)’
‘L-ON-D-ON’
‘Forever salty’
‘Air On A G String’
‘It’s Me Maria’
‘Year Of The Dragon’ (with Worldpeace DMT)
‘Curse Is Lifted (club rmx)’