It’s probably the misfortune of a band like Austin Gold to be around today, and not back in rock’s halcyon days of the seventies and eighties, because they’d have been the perfect opening act for someone like Bad Company or Whitesnake, performing in large venues to several thousands, playing alongside top notch musicians and learning their craft the time-honoured way, before making their step upwards. But, if confidence and chutzpah are what it takes for a band to make a name for itself, then Austin Gold are on their way. On their Facebook page, they claim ‘see Austin Gold ‘live,’ that’s all the description you’ll need.’
Austin Gold are a band in the process of making a name for themselves on the gig circuit, as witnessed by their appearance at the Ramblin Man festival 2019, and gradually accruing a fanbase, calling themselves ‘the Gold Crew.’ The band members all come from backgrounds as disparate as rock, prog, southern rock, metal and blues and, as they themselves say, ‘It shouldn’t work, but it does.’
That it does is evidenced in this six-track eponymous release, which will be available only on vinyl or via Download. There’s evidence of various styles on this release… ‘Caught On You’ has a Bad Company meets ZZ Top / southern rock feel whereas ‘We Are Lightning’ has the same kind of ‘groove’ bands like Free used to effortlessly achieve. They can also rock as well but they do so tunefully, rather than just grinding out riffs, with tracks like ‘Starlight’ and ‘Here To Stay’. Nothing is overplayed and there’re no aimless, meandering solos which go nowhere. They evoke the ‘feel’ of the seventies but they’re grounded in the present time and it all hangs together positively. This mini-release is another step along the way of Austin Gold’s journey of onwards and upwards.
