PHOTOS / REVIEW: Gold and the Rush || Big History @ Tipitina’s – 1/26/12

$8?! Deal of the Month.

The combined age of the two last bands featured at WTUL’s Back To School Bash at Tipitina’s would make them barely old enough to walk and somewhere deep into the Terrible Two’s. Having not heard of Gold and the Rush until yesterday afternoon, I was completely in the dark as to their sound and although they described one of their tunes written four months ago as “old”, they came off as road-tested, having already jelled into a well-formed Americana-tinged rock band, representing an amalgamation of too many rough-and-tumble outfits to name, but with an entirely unique vocal presence from bands prior. There were a couple moments of unexpected transcendence towards the end, delivering a revelatory set that’ll undoubtedly help build their following via word-of-mouth from those in attendance. Despite a rough vocal mix for the early portion of the set and an assumedly small catalog, Gold and the Rush put together nearly an hour’s worth of new, impressive material that teetered between pure-bred rock-and-roll, and country-infused punk-a-billy.

Big History @ Tipitina's - 1/26/2012 || Photo © Wesley Hodges

Although I’d heard a some of the local buzz surrounding Big History, I wasn’t all-too-familiar with their sound either and definitely wasn’t expecting a fully-developed, lustrous sound akin to an industrious, well-traveled band of producers two or three albums deep into the fray. Instrumentally, comparisons to New Order and Yeasayer (ODD BLOOD-era, particularly “ONE”) immediately came to mind for the local headlining dance-pop troupe. Most every song rode upon a thick layer of four-on-the-floor, dance beats and were infused with layer-upon-layer of synths and electronic flourishes to surround lead singer’s Meg Roussel’s smokey vocals. Ear-lingering hooks flew in from all directions during the set – violins, synths, keyboards, and MacBooks provided some much-needed depth that is lacking for many dance-pop bands undeserving of their recent popularity. Like yours truly, the band were the elders in the room, talking to the mostly college-aged crowd, telling them to cherish it, live it up, drink up, etc. throughout the set. Big History’s EP is solid, but to know exactly what this band is fully capable of, you’ve gotta come out for a show. Shit was hawt.

About the author

Wesley grew up in coastal Georgia and is a former resident of The Music City and The Big Easy where he helped get LMB NOLA off-the-ground after launching in January 2011. Over the past few years, he has also contributed steadily to JamBase and Relix Magazine. Recently, Hodges moved on to L.A. where Abita Beer is hard to find, costs about $6 if located and impromptu parading in the streets will most likely get you arrested on the spot.

 

Tags: Big History, Gold and the Rush, Tipitinas