For those always on the look out for potential Next-Big-Things, Hoxton Bar & Grill's Gold Dust club night if ideal - a night designed for trend-obsessed hipsters, good-time students and music geeks - in short, London's music buying public. So when two of GivePopAChance's most hotly tipped new acts for 2014 (namely Leon Else and Claire) popped up on the line-up for the first Gold Dust of the year, there was no doubt it was a great opportunity to gauge just how good our judge of musical character was.
Arriving just after 9 to the packed out/blacked out back-room of HB&G, we were just in time to catch a suave Leon Else take to the stage. Dressed all in black and humbly inching his way past an inconveniently placed keyboard to the stage, Else opens with "Protocol", his simmering James Blake-alike single, and his voice is as electrifying as on record.
However, just when you think you've got him pegged as the tortured artist type, the Londoner launches into "Us Against The World", an uptempo Script-esque anthem with flecks of "Get Lucky" disco sheen, complete with arm stretching choreographed moves and foot stomping. He surprises us further with set highlight "Refund", a steamy, soulful slow jam that first really demonstrates his sizzling falsetto. It goes down a treat and from that moment on, we begin to see Else's inner freak emerge.
Turns out this guy isn't James Blake, he's more Robin Thicke, a black man not-so-trapped inside a 24 year old white boy's body. He oozes sex, thrusting his hips during numbers such as "Purple Stars" and "Heart Beat", the subtley of "Protocol" nowhere in sight. As the set goes on and an enthusiastic crowd clearly gives him confidence, he exercises his falsetto muscle to ridiculous extremes. Whilst he may have a slight case of multiple musical personalities, there's no denying that when the showman in Leon is released, there's no getting him back in his "Protocol" cage.
Up next are Claire, who, contrary to the initial impression, is not the name of the stylishly top-ponytailed Pagan-looking woman centre stage, but the whole band, an indie-minded synthpop 5 piece hailing from Germany. However, until singer Josie Burkle drops the "we" bomb when addressing the audience, you might well be forgiven for thinking this is a solo act. Beaming from ear to ear, belting every gutsy note and bashing her electronic sample kit with gusto, it is impossible to take your eyes of Burkle as she contorts herself and flings her ponytail through a spectacular set of european electropop and nu disco.
Opening with the Niki And The Dove-esque duo of "Broken Promise Land" and single "Games", the band establish a definite and infectious sound, a much cleaner and European sound than that of Else before them. That's not to say that Claire's set isn't also full of surprises. There is a glorious 180 in genre when one jaw dropping number features a majestic post-hip hop shudder and a surprisingly awesome rap courtesy of Burkle. Later numbers also bring to mind Santigold. Closing with a ravey, burbling techno number, Claire have won over even the most anti-Europop of the hipsters here.
The two acts seemed to be testing the waters with genre and direction tonight, but considering we may have witnessed some songs and even personalities both acts may ditch at a later stage, there's no doubt that tonight showcased both Leon Else and Claire at the most exciting stage of their early careers - and perhaps the most dangerous too. Listen out for them both in 2014, and if all goes well, we could have a couple of BBC Sound of 2015 finalists here.
Listen to "Protocol" by Leon Else and "Games" by Claire below:
- Joe Copplestone, 27.01.14
It's no secret that the Scandinavians produce top notch pop music, but one thing that often eludes them is, alongside all the addictive melodies and sharp synth work, producing anything genuinely vulnerable and emotional. That's often why it's so well constructed - Scandinavian pop prides itself of its musical merit and production above sounding human. 
