Couch Brings the Big Talk Tour to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee - January 29th, 2025
After a week full of ice and snow, Couch delivers some much-needed warmth to Nashville, TN. The show’s original location, The Basement East, lost power during the previous weekend’s ice storm and still sits dark; their first headline show in Nashville might not happen at all. With only a day to spare, the show finds a home at The Brooklyn Bowl. Despite being twice the size of the original venue, Couch takes the stage like they are made for it.
Couch moves around the stage with ease, pulling from a seemingly endless well of energy for nearly two full hours. Often described as “retro-pop,” the band finds a refreshingly modern live take on their music. Bold, brassy horns shine brightly over heady electronic keys while front woman, Tema Siegel’s, crisp vocals ring loud and true, a true powerhouse, never wavering or disappearing behind the music.
With seven members, it would be easy for any member to get lost behind their instrument, stepping into the background without much fanfare, but the band’s true power appears in their ability to showcase every member and their unique set of talents.
Eric Tarlin, the saxophonist of the group, stays upbeat and loose, bringing the house down with every riff; occasionally hopping off the sax and onto the mic for melodic background vocals. Trumpetist, Jeffrey Pinsker-Smith, punctuates each note he plays with a brilliant, bright sound, completing the brass section and helping make them a fan favorite of the night. Together, keyboardist Danny Silverstein and guitarist Zach Blankstein dominate stage right, their massive sound punctuated by flashing lights, and bassist Will Griffin rounds out each song with his warm, steady tone.
Over the course of the night, the band works their way through their new album but refuses to forget their classics like “(I Wanted) Summer With You,” frequently jumping back to their 2023 EP, Sunshower, the clear sonic foundations of their 2025 release.
This tour comes after the release of their much-anticipated debut album, Big Talk, this past October. From high school to college and beyond, Couch has history. It doesn’t take much digging on their Instagram to find photos of the members, much younger than today, busking on the streets of Boston, explaining the massive amounts of graciousness the band brings to the stage. Between songs, Tema emphasizes their appreciation for fans of the band, handing out cameras for fans to pass around, insistent on interacting with the community that supports them.
When the night finally draws to a close, the band wraps their arms around each other for one final bow, coming together before they depart Nashville and head on to their next stop.
Couch delivers a larger-than-life sound that transports listeners into their own playful, sometimes melancholic, world of brassy pop, most fully enjoyed live. The Big Talk tour is wrapping soon in North America, but Europe is ready and waiting, with the European leg of the tour kicking off in Scotland on March 5th. Find the rest of the tour dates on their website.
