If the name Steve Prestwich sounds familiar, it is probably because he is (or was) the drummer for Cold Chisel, one of Australia's most successful and popular rock bands of the '70s and '80s (was it really that long ago?). As Cold Chisel have essentially broken up (twice - remember their brief reunion from a few years ago?), it should come as no surprise that the members of Cold Chisel have all moved onto other musical projects. Followers of Australian music will know of the solo successes of Jimmy Barnes and, to a lesser extent, Ian Moss, but many would not be aware that the remaining members, such as Steve Prestwich, are also still writing and performing music for a living.

Coming from a musical family is always a help when wanting to pursue a musical career, and following in his father's footsteps (also a drummer), Steve Prestwich played in several Adelaide bands after emigrating from Liverpool, before co-founding Cold Chisel in 1973. Competing with the vocal and/or writing talents of Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, and Don Walker, Prestwich never really had the chance to prove himself as a writer or a singer. The Steve Prestwich Band is the vehicle that now allows him to do both.

The Steve Prestwich Band - Live At The Basement was recorded during the Winter sessions in July 2001, and features songs from his first solo album, several new numbers, and four Cold Chisel songs either written or co-written by Prestwich. The Cold Chisel songs include two of their best, When The War Is Over and Flame Trees, both regarded as classics. The remaining songs are essentially a mix of rock, blues and soul, with a hint of country.

This band is a traditional set up based on drums, bass and guitars. There is some pleasing variation to the sound by way of piano, organ, slide guitar, mandolin, and some nice harmonies provided by band members. Many of the songs have a definite Cold Chisel feel to them, and several times I found myself thinking, "Yeah, Barnesy could do this."

The show is a fairly laid back affair and played to a small but appreciative crowd. This is not going to get you up and dancing, and would be best enjoyed as a genuine 'live' (ie. being there) experience where the smoky atmosphere and darkened room would undoubtedly add to the ambience. Watching in your lounge room is fine, but it's probably best suited to a late night viewing with a few friends, some small talk, and a whisky or two to give proceedings a real ‘blues-bar’ feel.

The Steve Prestwich Band - Live At The Basement is presented in full frame and, naturally, is not 16x9 enhanced. The opening and closing credits, however, are in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The entire disc is 105 minutes long (as stated on the case) but the show itself runs for only 81:39.

Colours are slightly oversaturated and are bold and vibrant, made even more so by the use of multiple coloured studio lights. Black levels are very good, but shadow detail is somewhat lacking. This can be attributed to the placement of the studio lights and the room being very dark to start with. Mostly, the picture is sharp and clear except for one camera that is placed too close to a kick drum or a bass speaker. When this camera is used, the image shakes slightly and slips in and out of focus in time with the beat. There is also some lack of sharpness when performers are placed under blue light, but this is a very common problem with live performance releases.

The only frequently occurring problem is some slight aliasing of guitar strings. This is another common problem with music DVDs. Also noted were some very infrequent and barely noticeable video glitches in the form of white flashes, but these are so minor they do not cause distraction.

There is no layer change as this is a single layer, single-sided disc.

The English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, the only audio option, is adequate. There is a definite "live" feel to the whole thing, but the opening few songs sounded a bit flat, probably due to poor mixing. Fortunately, this soon improved and the sound became a lot clearer as the band began to warm up. The focus of the music is very much to the front and well spaced, with the minimal crowd noise placed mainly at the back. Low level sounds are good and the subwoofer works away quietly providing warmth to the bottom end. Being a fairly bluesy show, the bass guitar is quite prominent in the sound.

No audio-sync problems were apparent, and apart from the first few tracks where all the sounds were a bit 'muddy', vocals were clear. There is minimal chat from Steve and none from the band. Steve has a deep, earthy voice, which suits the music. At times he sounds a little like Ian Moss, and occasionally a bit like Tom Waits.

As far as extras go, there is a 21 minute documentary, consisting of mainly a question and answer session, a few random quotes, and excerpts from the show. It includes a three-song acoustic performance recorded at The Basement.com.au 'radio station' located beneath the television studio and hosted by Doug Mulray. A mix of colour and back and white is used, and it's a full frame Dolby Digital 2.0 presentation. The other 'extra' is the ability to select each of the three acoustic songs contained in the documentary individually.

Those familiar with any of the Live At The Basement series will know what to expect. This time it is the turn The Steve Prestwich Band, and while there are a couple of really nice songs, this is probably best going to please die-hard fans, and anyone with a serious interest in blues-based music.