Something special is going on. You can feel it, almost see it, as it weaves between the fifty-odd souls filling up this estimable south London boozer on a rain-lashed Sunday night. An A&R scout would recognise it because the hairs on the back of their neck would stand to attention. The rest of us just know the feeling, even though we can't give it a name. The message it gives us, however, is clear: this band are going to be huge.
Goldrush - remember the name - are a young five-piece from the previously unsung Oxfordshire village of Steventon. Singer/guitarist Robin Bennett and his bass and keyboard-playing brother Joe, guitarist Garo and auxiliary bass/keyboard player Jef are all aged between 19 and 22. Drummer Graham, who also plays in a drum'n'bass outfit, is a little older. Yet collectively they have an understanding of and love for music that goes far beyond their years, locking into songs that hum and click around a country-rock base but that meander off into all sorts of different territories. They have a groove.
Comparisons to Coldplay are inevitable, and while Goldrush as yet haven't quite got the knack for the killer hit single the storied BRIT-winners have made their name with, it won't be long. Supporting themselves, they try out four new songs in their earlier set, all of which are better than the material they're more familiar with.
This is the second in a series of a four-night monthly residency at Twisted, a club run by music journalist Tim Perry, and you get the feeling that by the time they're back here on April 8 they'll have come up with another batch of strong and stronger ideas.
Radio 1's Steve Lamacq is in attendance, reportedly to offer the band a session, and if they retain as sharp a focus on their journey through the music business as they do on their music, there's no reason why they shouldn't be recording an album for a major label by the autumn.
Goldrush play with precision without being studied, something only the most confident of bands can manage, yet come across as relaxed, affable and even slightly humble. They're at ease with the music they create, which is expansive yet often understated, epic but minutely detailed.
Their encore -a cover of Bob Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released', modelled entirely on The
Band's reading of the song - is the giveaway. Like those Canadian pioneers, Goldrush wring soul out of country music, understand the blues and can turn the whole lot into compelling pop. Yep, that good.
