Basics are back for 2026, curating lineups celebrating diversity and up and coming artists.

Basics isn't seemingly defined by one bracket of promotion. Their tendency to forever innovate and hone in their USP continues to evolve through blending genre and artforms with each show they put on. They began in 2024 with intimate poetry and acoustic sets at venues such as Folklore Rooms, and since then, have put on a plethora of well-crafted events including transforming the Brighton Art Space (BAS) into a whimsical art exhibition/gig.

The illustrious A L P H A B E T provided the suave environment for the latest event at the tail end of January, where Basics gathered an array of sonically cohesive artists: Frankie Jean and Marshall, Alexxa Nava and Elsa. 

The initial Lineup included emerging rap talent Hutch as opener, followed by the glorious Alexxa Nava and the remarkably exciting Elsa, whose tunes dig into storytelling through the means of RnB and soul. However, it was unfortunate that Hutch could no longer perform at the show, leaving a gap for the sublime Frankie Jean to restore order to proceedings, executing what would be one of the most cathartic and beautifully crafted sets I've attended in Brighton.

FRANKIE JEAN AND MARSHALL

After venturing down from London, Frankie Jean heroically stepped in to open the show in a phenomenal fashion alongside collaborator Marshall on keys. The London-based artist predominately centres around a soulful sonic aesthetic, with a faultless vocal display exercising her range throughout the set. Her charisma was enchanting and won the crowd over instantaneously, which sustained positively throughout the set with some successful call and response work with them from her third track. 

Her songs hold immersive and vivid imagery, fixating upon growing up in London and the adolescent experiences you encounter there. Her storytelling was resonant for audiences in Brighton, London, and I'm sure all over, with a couple of the tracks confronting the notable difference in accessibility between self-medication and therapy. Marshall accompanied each track with some warm, enveloping keys with an attention to the rhythmic elements and a considered dynamic range. 

The second track proved to be a highlight of the set for me; the utilisation of space fluctuated with staccato and stabby chords, really heightening the vocal delivery. Frankie's closer left everyone awestruck with the lyrical motif of race and discrimination. A truly cathartic delivery ushered a profound pursuit for unity abundant in the room. The instrumental and vocal delivery were a pained and layered one riddled with despair and desire, which left me with one of the most beautiful performances I've seen in our city to date.

Alexxa Nava

After a relatively rapid turnover, we were met with the faultless Alexxa Nava, accompanied by two of her bandmates on drums and keys/synth bass. The entirety of this set was a masterclass in instrumentation and musicianship and left the room nothing short of inspired. 

Alexxa Nava has been perfecting and sharing her compositions with the world since 2022 and is abundantly proficient in flute, sax and writing. She has worked under some phenomenal names in the contemporary jazz scene, such as Denys Baptiste and is going on to play festivals as exciting as Glastonbury. She has certainly cemented herself within the sonic sphere, and it was starkly evident within her set at A L P H A B E T. 

We were graced with some Latin and bossa nova influence initially, with each layer playing a pivotal role in the increasingly impeccable vibe generated in the room. There was great use of the drum kit that dynamically sought out every part of the snare for different and appropriate timbres. The drummer also executed an incredible array of rudiments rooted in the percussive oriented solos, fluctuating between flams, six stroke rolls and different inversions of paradiddles to generate a really captivating instrumental display. 

The keys acted as an imperative glue for the majority of the set, with some really impressive flourishes and some truly magnificent tone changes. This was prominent in the third track, where the keys differed from its impressive yet dialed back position in the mix to a saw wave wet lead bass tone that drove the groove and altered the ambience of the room significantly. The array of stank faces and loosening of hips had the crowd submitting to the three-piece’s infallible performance.

Elsa

The emphatic success of the evening was concluded by singer/songwriter Elsa, a South London-based artist grounded in the realms of jazz, hip hop and soul. Elsa has a proficiency for storytelling through unique and impressive vocal deliveries and was accompanied by her band, composed of keys, drums, sax and bass, who had a remarkably cohesive look about them. Last year she released her debut EP How I Love Me, which consisted of five heartfelt tracks capturing the complexities of London adolescence, and both lyrically and sonically focused on personal growth and optimism with healing. Her releases over the last year have proved majorly successful, accumulating over 3.7 million streams on Spotify alone.

She opened her set with a track called ‘Better Days’; a lilting ballad-like number with the foundation of hip hop driven by a laid-back rhythm section sitting beautifully in the mix. Her vocal delivery consisted of considered runs with an undertone of attitude from her London intonations, driving home her poignant lyricism. The vocals predominantly sat with a low timbre, but throughout the set, we saw the extent of her capacity as a vocalist, reaching the higher end of her range to exacerbate the melancholic nature of her music. Her band were equally phenomenal, with each part not overly self-indulgent but treating the tracks with the appropriate care. Minimal treble on the bass elevated the warmth and relaxed nature of the tracks and the phenomenal basslines complimented the kick pattern, cementing synergy within the rhythm section. 

Her third track was a rendition of the track ‘Hey Ya’ by OutKast, which she executed with aplomb, taking out the lively energy and replacing it with a half-time jazz-oriented aesthetic, the way Elsa does best. The saxophonist added some inspiring flourishes, giving it a dreamy and luscious texture. She continued to play an array of tracks from her debut EP and from her single releases, all encapsulating what it means to be a struggling artist and seeking self-love, epitomised in the performance of her latest single, ‘Growing Up’. There was a slight sonic change on this track with warm forthcoming legato keys playing at the forefront of the mix, growing in intensity with each chord but retaining that ethereal and melancholic vibe. It was clear that Elsa was truly emotionally invested in this track and the sincerity of her lyricism.

The set and the night as a whole was a resounding success, and Basics can chalk it down as a night to remember in their evergrowing trajectory as an increasingly successful Brighton promoter. 

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