Julio Bashmore (real name Mathew Walker) is one of the UK’s most prominent figures on the House scene, after bursting into the limelight in late 2009. Influenced initially by his older brothers and electronic kings Daft Punk, Bashmore even made it to the mainstream chart in 2012 with ‘Au Seve’ as House music slowly infiltrated the mainstream. With 4,431,449 views on Youtube, it is undoubtedly his most successful song. Now in 2014, as House acts such as Disclosure and MK dominate the charts, Bashmore’s newest single ‘Peppermint’ featuring Jessie Ware is sure to be just as successful.
Playing at Warehouse in Southampton, Julio had a fantastic opportunity to make a lasting impression to fans both old and new by putting on a memorable live performance that matches the quality of his own songs. Warehouse is a great venue for dance music, recently hosting an amazing event with Rudimental. Unfortunately, the reality was far more disappointing.
The night overall was a great success for anyone who loves House music, with a great line up of support acts. Kowton (who have collaborated with Bashmore before) and Velour were great, playing a set of songs with new mixes and old favorites which you couldn’t help but dance to. The crowd were absolutely loving it, revved up for the appearance of the main act Bashmore. However, Julio Bashmore made a huge mistake by turning up at 3am to start his performance. Considering the event began at 10, this was ridiculous planning on the event manager’s part, as the crowd became impatient and tired waiting for the main act they had paid up to £20 for. And to be honest, it wasn’t really worth the wait.
When he finally came on, he honestly looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world. There was hardly any engagement with his excited audience, and his choice of songs were…strange. He didn’t begin with any of his famous songs, marking his entrance on to the stage, and chose songs which to be honest, were not as good as his support acts. It felt as though after all the build-up, something more was expected, some fantastic tunes or a great performance that got the crowd going. His lack of stage presence was particularly disappointing, his trademark hood and cap covering his face as he concentrated on his mix. He lacked the enthusiasm of his previous performance, most notably Creamfields. His set lacked any kind of personality or individuality, and it seemed as though perhaps he was better off in a studio rather than a live audience.
Overall, the night itself was a great House event, and Warehouse was an impressive venue. In the case of Julio Bashmore however, his lack of stage presence was disappointing and anti-climactic, and perhaps rather than seeing him live, stick to his Youtube channel.
