Drawing us in with dramatic keys, bold drums, cerebral ad-libs and a fierce electric guitar performance, Gordo Bardot opens Big Bad Fire with theatrical grit, instrumental mastery and brooding vocals as he sings, “I’ll pick up the pieces from the chaos all around, I’m watching intently as the circus rolls into town, disaster’s calling you every day, but before you go, I’ve got something that I would really like to say… you’re going to the big bad fire…”
From the outset, there is a sense that something chaotic is about to unfold. The instrumentation builds into an appropriately combustible atmosphere. As for the narrative, Big Bad Fire takes a morally questionable situation and turns it into a tongue-in-cheek musical reckoning. It’s laced with poetic prowess and explores the idea of karmic consequences without becoming overly heavy.
There is no doubt that Big Bad Fire holds a cinematic allure. We could imagine the track landing in a darkly comic sequence in The Gentlemen, The Day of the Jackal or Succession. It would also work in a film like Saltburn. The commentary is kinda genius and zeitgeist in a lot of ways, it’s like a cheeky and subversive post from X was transformed into a song. Gordo confesses, “It was inspired by seeing someone do really bad things in life, on the verge of evil, and for this, I wrote a tongue and cheek song about how they will go to the big bad fire for their actions.”
The piano is particularly important to the story of this release. Gordo Bardot explains that the song began when they simply sat down at the piano and everything flowed naturally. Vocally, Gordo Bardot embraces the theatricality of the narrative, delivering the lyrics with a brooding intensity. Fans of Queen and David Bowie would absolutely be able to vibe with Big Bad Fire.
Recorded at Mix GLA in Glasgow, Big Bad Fire also highlights the impressive independence behind Gordo Bardot‘s wider artistry. Needless to say, we are intrigued by the distinctive world Gordo Bardot is creating and have added Big Bad Fire to our New Music Spotlight playlist and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Gordo Bardot, including All The World’s A Stage, and Planet Strange.