Backsliders Live at The Basement presents a three-member Australian blues band - guitar/vocal, drums/vocal and harp - live in performance at Sydney's Basement club, recorded under pretty well ideal circumstances.

I'm not totally grabbed by this group - music is such a personal thing - and while I can appreciate the performances, especially Dom Turner's fine guitar-work (especially some great slide-guitar), it's just not to my taste.

But that's not to deny that we should be glad that performances like these are being given archival recordings of such quality. The direction is perfect - there are no flashy, distracting camera angles from a director and crew intent on subordinating the music - and while the club ambience is dark, the performers are well detailed.

Fans of the group will find this a great item - nothing here takes away from the music; this is how good musical reportage should be.

Filming, presumably done specifically for DVD, is excellent, and the great film quality of this full-screen concert is augmented by a crystal-clear Dolby 5.1 audio track.

There is a worthwhile interview with Dom Turner outside The Basement, and the other extra is an additional live performance of The Backsliders' number Hanoi. Strangely, this is presented in widescreen, in stark comparison to the full-screen presentation of the main item.