If you’re unsure who Joshua Bassett is, he’s the guy in the middle of the falling out between Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, immortalised in the former’s driver’s license (and much of the rest of her discography, if we’re being honest). If you’re not in teen drama arising from Disney Channel, he’s actually a fairly credible artist in his own right. Not at the globe-dominating level of his two exes, but last year’s The Golden Years was a legit little alt-pop album in its own right. Now, after being postponed by a few months and subject to some venue shake-ups, Bassett arrives back in the UK at his highest creative point yet. Ben Whitehurst headed over to Manchester’s O2 Ritz to catch it all.
Hetta Falzon




Joshua Bassett











Photos by Ben Whitehurst (Instagram)






