The decision to take the path less trodden and push back against the cookie-cutter indie sound so prevalent in music today is a brave one for any band to walk. Chatting with Oscar from Gold fever prior to their gig at the Exchange last Friday, it was clear that authenticity and control of their destiny are far more important to Gold fever than following the yellow brick road all the way to Oz.
The authenticity of Gold fever is matched by their unique sound: a hybrid mix of modern-day rock fused with a VHS video shop of 80s nostalgia. Their combination of fast-paced catchy guitars, heavy bass riffs, shimmering synths, and danceable rhythms curates a distinct sound. Layered on top is a simmering pressure cooker of angst-driven lyrics from a mind that has much to say and yearns for the chance to say it.
It’s complex, beautiful, and the band delivers it with a charismatic and rebellious defiance of doing it their own way. The journey will be harder, but the reward so much sweeter.
Friday’s setup in the basement of the Exchange is claustrophobic, but it merely serves to focus the attention of those watching. The Bristol-based trio are deftly efficient in making sure the storyteller is the center of everyone’s universe. Em is, without doubt, one of the most accomplished bass players in the city right now, but the step back, shoe-gaze performance, coupled with Callum’s workhorse drumming, allows Oscar to shine.
There are no theatrics here, no pandering for applause or desperate search for adulation. This is a band that is deadly serious about what they want to accomplish and the way in which they want to accompany it. The crowd’s adulation and recognition will be something that happens as a natural byproduct of the way the band sets its stall out.
The set of seven tracks is blistered through at the pace of someone who has a lot they want to say and little time to say it. Having released three tracks up to now, you’d automatically think all three would be included, but there was no place for arguably the band’s most listened-to track to date, “DB Cooper.” Eyes danced across the floor to confirm this, but you won’t find a beautifully printed or even a hand-scribbled setlist at a Gold fever gig. As Oscar explains, each show should feel unique, and the band is more than happy to change things on the fly. From the seven, we are treated to tracks “Monolith” and “Papyrus,” which stand out alongside favourites “Que Sara” and “Leather (Wish I Felt The Same).”
The respect we have for Oscar, Em, and Callum in their approach can’t be easily expressed, but from the hundreds of bands currently playing the Bristol circuit, there are five that stand out as national contenders; rest assured, Gold fever is one of those five.
@thebristolnomad / @bristolnomad_gigphotography
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Chief, the one that bugs the team for team for their reviews and images. Creator and founder of The Bristol Gig Guide. Can usually be found swamped in admin or getting cramp kneeling at the front of a gig.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Videography work, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Republica, circa 1996.
First gig shot: Hands Off Gretel, at The Louisiana!
Dream gig: Huge metalhead and my ultimate dream gig would be shooting my heroes Slipknot at a huge stadium gig, or as festival headliners. And to experience shooting a headline tour outside the UK
