Album review: AUSTIN GOLD – Ain’t No Saint

TMR Rock Records [Release date 18.10.24]

Austin Gold have made the Breakthrough Act category in successive years in our reviewer poll, most recently in 2022. That year’s album – ‘Those City Lights’ – saw the Cambridgeshire-based crew providing more distance from the blues rock that characterised their debut in 2017. Perhaps the closest comparator is King King in this respect and actually not dissimilar in musical approach.

‘Ain’t No Saint’ is a further development and the title track is a good example of where they are at in 2024. Starting with Gilmour-esque phrasing the song develops into a steadily brewing Foo Fighter-fest but still retaining its own identity. The USP is essentially frontman/guitarist David James Smith ably supported by Lee Churchill (Bass), Adam Leon (Keyboards/backing vocals) and James Pepper (Drums).

Early single ‘The Wire Defines’ could be construed as fairly routine classic rock but with a great chorus and transcending many of their contemporaries.

James Smith describes this as his most personal work to date reflecting a period of personal turmoil.

We commented in 2022 that the band have a pop sensibility and this is evident here throughout including ‘Hell Or High Water’ whilst James Smith does his best Chris Martin impression on ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Hang Fire’ could even be a more hard rocking Squeeze (or as we have noted before, the great Badfinger). This is more a reflection on the very good songwriting.

The keyboard work is fairly muted but certainly enhances ‘Down & Outs’ whilst one of two slowies ‘End Of Our Song’ demonstrates at least a variety of pace. (The other ‘Return’ would give Thunder a run for their money).

The band should have wide appeal because there are various elements in the mix which will chime with fans of bands like The Georgia Thunderbolts and Blackberry Smoke whilst satisfying those with a general penchant for essentially riff-driven classic rock.

Hopefully the band take the opportunity to rock out in the live situation and break out of essentially tight song-based structures. We need to hear more of that keyboard!

The band deserve a real breakthrough with this album . Ones to watch out for, again. ****

Review by David Randall

UK tour dates

Wed 04 Sep – Zerox, Newcastle
Thu 05 Sep – Garage Attic, Glasgow
Sun 08 Sep – Boileroom, Guildford
Wed 11 Sep – The Tree House, Frome
Thu 12 Sep – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Fri 13 Sep – Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
Sun 15 Sep – Waterfront Studio, Norwich
Wed 18 Sep – The Parish, Huddersfield
Thu 19 Sep – Rock City Beta, Nottingham
Sat 21 Sep – Underground, Plymouth
Sun 22 Sep – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Thu 26 Sep – The Black Heart, London
Fri 27 Sep – Factory 251, Manchester

Album review (Those City Lights, 2022)

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)