Golden Features @ The Horden, August 11
Shuffling into a sold out Horden Pavillion, the huge crowd surveyed the large empty hall, looking to the stage in awe. Hot off the release of his first LP Sect, Tom Stell, the man behind the Golden Features mask, had a lot of hype moving into this show. For the most part, the show delivered, and was start to finish an energetic, exciting and adrenaline fuelled vibe.
While supporting acts Doors, Nyxen and Big Wild provided enough fun to warm up the crowd, but as the anticipation overwhelmed the crowd, it was clear that everyone was here for the main event. The opening bass drone of ‘Always’, his debut album’s opening banger, blasted the audience with a shot across the vast hall. Flashing lights and a LED screen signalled the arrival of Golden Features. Surrounded by long white candles, Stell as the lone DJ evoked a biblical sense of grandeur as he led thousands of fans in dance, his long blonde hair swaying side to side with the rhythm of the crowd. Hidden behind a mysterious mask, he seamlessly transitioned between tracks, allowing the devoted crowd’s deep knowledge of his music to provide the excitement and energy that would carry them into the next track. True to Stell’s roots as a DJ, the Golden Features set mixed beats and looped effects to make the experience more consistent, rather than individually playing each song. While tracks like ‘Guillotine’ cheekily cropped up across multiple songs, tracks such as ‘Renewal’, ‘Worship’ and ‘Pyre’ provided the bread and butter of the concert, with deep thumping basslines and melodic electronic chimes forming a strong deep house foundation for the set.
The best songs were the ones that were able to directly and instantly invigorate the moshing horde. In particular, the more pop influenced songs that feature vocals from collaborating artists, such as ‘Tell Me’, ‘No One’ and ‘Telescope’. ‘Telescope’ specifically was able to intoxicate the crowd with its hypnotic verse and explosive chorus. Whether it was because the crowd knew the song the best or because Stell himself felt most confident with the hit, ‘Falling Out’ most enthralled the hyped masses, bouncing them between beats as the sea of hands and heads moved as one with the music. Utilising the possibilities of a larger venue such as the Horden Pavillion, Golden Features made extensive use of lighting effects. The stage itself became a spectacle, with flashing multi-coloured lights synchronised with the beat to create an intense audio-visual aesthetic that engulfed the entire venue. Saving the best for last, the show closed with a pulsing sheet of green lasers that beamed across the darkness, cutting through the thick foggy air to send the already crazed audience into a frenzy.
Transitioning from a club performer to large venues such as the Horden was not without its drawbacks for Golden Features. Due to the sheer size of the sold out venue, the sea of dancing spectators, fuelled on bangers and ambient adrenaline, stretched right to the back of the hall. Those who came early, on the one hand, were unable to leave the front of the mosh, and later arrivals were either aggressively pushed around, vehemently sent to the side seating, or casually swept up in the tide and thrown to the back. Unlike the cycles of engagement and revival that form the essence of a club experience, Golden Features at the Horden was a more static experience. Attempting to create a dynamic atmosphere, Golden Features lead the audience in dance, actively fighting the audience’s temptation to stay still.
These tensions between Golden Features’ upbringing in the tight confines of Sydney’s clubs and current trajectory towards larger venues speaks to the issues faced by club producers such as Stell in performing to a wider audience. Those relegated to the stadium-style seating in the stands were almost at a danger of becoming too immersed in the experience, and overwhelming the capacities of the seats. While this wasn’t an issue caused directly by either the venue or the artist, the combination of the two resulted in some ticket buyers drawing the short straw and having a diminished experience.
However, if the main complaint from patrons leaving the venue was that they wished the concert went for longer, then Golden Features clearly had more success than failure. For any other concert a lack of a feeling of fulfilment would be a nail in the coffin, but for Golden Features it is an indication of the show’s quality. This is indicative of Golden Features’ ability to encapsulate an audience and make an hour and a half of deep house vibes fly past without the audience even realising.
As this was Golden Features first national tour, it is expected that peoples experience was varied. The quality of his set, the light show, and the mesmerised crowd however, means that Golden Features is one to watch in taking deep house to the masses.
