Live Review: Golden Features

For a show that sold out at lightning speed, as well as building a level of anticipation approaching feverishness, expectations were high among the home crowd for Golden Features.

Instead of adapting to the existing light and sound set-up within the Metro, Golden Features, otherwise known as Tom Stell, opted to establish his own ambience with two glaring backlights and a single spotlight. As a result, his entrance, with his trademark golden face mask, was vaguely reminiscent of a Kanye West stadium opening.

Obviously intent on kicking things off with little hesitation, Stell launched into Baxter from his recently released EP, XXIV. What appears at first to be a melancholy song about the passing of his best friend instead builds into an explosive celebration of dance and the retention of good memories of time spent together. This emotional dichotomy in sound and production has been especially evident in Stell's latest release and proved to be an absolute spectacle in live performance.

Unafraid to break out the shamelessly addictive bangers, with Valentino Khan's Deep Down Low Stell sparked an impromptu mosh and a knotty mess of sweaty limbs on the bottom floor of the Metro. Freshly amped and hanging for more, the crowd was then treated to a double shot, with the #1 hit from Stell's self-titled debut EP, the bass-heavy Factory, followed by his collaboration with Nicole Millar, Tell Me, which had the crowd passionately singing along. Given the online obsession with fawning over Stell's new release with Thelma Plum, No One, it was surprisingly received with little fanfare. Instead, the more pop-driven Telescope (featuring K.Flay) was swept up in an all-encompassing singalong, which even seemed to surprise Stell a little as he lapped up the audience-wide love.

Even considering his dedication to his image and the visual performance he puts on, the demands for an encore were answered above and beyond the call of duty. Ripping off his mask and launching into Do You?, Stell broke free of his stage persona and let loose to such an extent it put the sweat-drenched mosh of the Metro to shame.