Bar band's repertoire spans decades, covers all styles and sounds and reels in new fans.
Four weeks ago, few people knew Louisiana's swamp-pop supergroup Lil' Band o' Gold, despite their enjoyable album The Promised Land of six months back. Now, after their four-date national tour, hundreds will say they have been life-long fans.
Nominally fronted by founders C.C. Adcock (vocals/guitar) and singer-accordion player Steve Riley, the seven-piece - with Australian-based Lucky Oceans on pedal steel - is the best bar band-cum-dancehall outfit you could want.The Kings Arms was packed tight.
Their repertoire dates back to the 50s when rock'n'roll was another art form and alongside Cajun accordion pop and Southern soul, and with four vocalists - including Louisiana legend Warren Storm (on drums) - they cross all kinds of boundaries.
When keyboard player David Egan put aside the honky tonk hammering and sang in his achingly expressive voice, they sounded like the best of the Band; at other times, when Southern funky-soul kicked in, they were a slippery Little Feat. Elsewhere they came off like Fats Domino, and Adcock could pull out a Texas-style guitar twang when required.
The star turns, however, belonged to 73-year-old Storm, whose vocal style recalls the Charles (Bobby and Ray) with a touch of Otis Redding.
That the late Bobby Charles should be so often acknowledged (The Jealous Kind) was fitting, but they also offered a Cajun reworking of Larry Williams' Slow Down, and the classic Teardrops.
There was a flat spot after an hour but the final 45 minutes of their two-hour set (which included classics like Sea of Love) pulled everything back - and there was a generous encore.
Lil' Band o' Gold, whom Adcock referred to as a jukebox, let the bon temps - and some sad temps - rouler. Terrific. Y'all come back now. Realsoon.
Who: Lil' Band o' Gold.
Where: Kings Arms.
