Cultural hub uses jazz and soul to bring us back together

Music institution Bassline, which began as a venue 32 years ago, is now a roving concert company about to put on its annual festival. By Bridget Hilton-Barber

- Bridget Hilton-Barber

Lesotho-born sensation Maleh will perform at the 2026 Bassline Fest.

(Supplied)

“In 1988 I ran away from being conscripted into the apartheid army and fled to London,” says Bassline founder Brad Holmes.

“There I worked as a waiter, six days a week, 10 hours a day, for several years in a fancy restaurant that played jazz all the time, which turned me onto the genre. I flew home within days of Nelson Mandela being released from jail and started to see opportunity. There was a massive desire among people back then to break down the barriers of apartheid, and an intimate jazz spot was a perfect way to fuel that.”

It took 27 rejection letters from banks and potential sponsors before an American banker put up some money to start a venue. Holmes bought all the tables, chairs and kitchen equipment at auctions, and on 3 September 1994 Bassline opened its doors on 7th Avenue in Melville.