Childhood w/ LSA
Corsica Studios
10th June 2013
Riding out the wave of success debut single, ‘Blue Velvet’ brought last November, Childhood have returned from the studio with a brand new AA side, ‘Solemn Skies’ / ‘Semester’ packed with dreamy melodies and an infectious groove that’ll have you hitting the replay button for weeks.
There’s a video to match too, ‘Solemn Skies’ premiered on Dazed yesterday, featuring the four piece roaming lush landscapes clad in pastel colours, indulging in a spot of afternoon Frisbee. In celebration of all this larking about, Childhood come together with friends LSA for a release party down by the bridge in Elephant & Castle at Corsica Studios.
Newcomers LSA kick things off tonight, and despite a minimal online presence with only a handful of shows played, front man Will totally commands the stage. LSA plant their own take on that timeless early 00’s guitar driven indie pop sound, and it definitely chimes.
Cockles warmed, Childhood emerge for the main event, flexing effortlessly into their set with ‘Sweeter Preacher’. After gigging their way round England with the Palma Violets last year and a sold out show at Brixton Electric in April, they’ve spent time sharpening up their live set and it shows. Grabbing the audience’s attention instantaneously, Childhood force you to lock in with their tight rhythm section that paves the way for a duo of washed out chords and infectious leads, flowing like water onto the shore of front man Ben Romans Hopcraft’s gentle serenade.
This half-stoned Childhood haze drifts in and out of an upbeat swagger, softly accelerating towards the peak of their set, and the reason we’re all gathered in South London tonight: ‘Solemn Skies’. The single rockets into a sing along chorus followed by a groovy psych-out soundscape to close, approval of which is confirmed with rapturous applause and the throwing back and forth of shoes between crowd and band. Excellent stuff. Last number of the night ‘Bond Girls’ also proves an instant crowd pleaser and a true hit with the ladies it would seem.
The future is certainly bright for this foursome and the idea of an albums worth of these catchy tunes is an exciting one. Will they follow in the footsteps of their Palma peers and carry their phasers down to Rory Atwell’s floating studio to craft a psychy belter? I’m willing to wait and find out.
Dave Palmer