Solid Gold/O Children, London Queen of Hoxton

Solid Gold

Queen of Hoxton is noticeably one of the coolest new venues to grace the area this year. You walk in the door and you are surrounded by splash of Shoreditch scenester and a light pinch of city boy; the place fits the bill. Central location, great artwork, over-priced beer and already a history of great new bands. It’s the perfect place for a night of new music.

The atmosphere tonight is that of a suburban local gig – intimate. It certainly does not feel like your average Friday night show in Shoreditch, or something you would expect from a much hyped band such as Solid Gold. There are few hipsters milling around the crowd but audience shows a small but eclectic mix.

The support for tonight comes in the shape of O Children, a hotly tipped band at the minute. O Children sound like Peter Steele has been dragged kicking and screaming to a Joy Division karaoke night. Sedate vocalist Tobias is mesmerisingly active compared to the rest of the band, keeping every ounce of your attention with his baritone lyrics and emotive expression. The band play a good selection of down tempo melancholy with their latest single ‘Dead Disco Dancer’, eventually getting more reaction than the odd tapping foot. You can’t help but feel that every band member has listened to nothing but Joy Division and Bauhaus for at least two years. Despite their overly distinct Joy Division influences they play loud and engagingly to no avail, the crowd clinging to their seats and beer perches like their lives depended on it, nodding along, leaving only the band’s friends and fans to dance. Regardless, O Children provide what is a very enjoyable but unoriginal performance.

I see Solid Gold finish setting up their gear. We are all awaiting their unique blend of sombre dance music with baited breath: hyped and rehyped, Solid Gold are catchy and memorable. They entrap you when you are least expecting it. Instead of giving the crowd what they want they stand teasing us, waiting in the side lines building tension around the whole room, despite being almost half hour late. It’s worth the wait when Solid Gold burst out their first song and it seems every girl in sight is shaking their hips involuntarily and I can’t help but move in a similar fashion. Every step of the way you get the feeling the band have been short changed tonight at the Queen of Hoxton. They are made for packed sweaty gigs where all you can is jump and enjoy. Here they are wasted. In defiance of that, they give it their all and throw out their last single ‘Bible Thumper’ to the crowd, a top-drawer anthem for the drunk and fun loving. ‘Bible Thumper’ shows a slightly more up beat side to Solid Gold, changing the atmosphere of the room for the better. A spirited couple at the back are dancing hand in hand putting the rest of the audience to shame.

Solid Gold soon dive into their strongest and most uplifting track on their debut album, Bodies of Water, called ‘Synchronize’. The rolling beat gives the crowd a chance to groove openly and uncontrolled to a perfect Justice-esque wide bass line. Even to this mammoth of a song can’t get the male members of the crowd to do more than tap their foot. Solid Gold have it. They are just not allowed it tonight. Hoxton doesn’t have it to give…

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