Since the release of his debut project ‘String Thing’ in 2012, Shadow Child has grown to house music notoriety, performing on some of the biggest stages across the UK. In the last 4 years, he has created his own label Food Music, become a recognised radio DJ, and has had hits become firm fixtures in the house scene.
This academic year, the Lemon Grove has finally fulfilled its potential by hosting some bigger UK acts with Shadow Child personifying this upward trend in quality perfectly, courtesy of Hold It Down and Our House. Although Shadow Child was the headline act, a modified layout within the Lemmy allowed a separate stage to be created, with various artists from the garage scene performing including the likes of OVS and Bensley, booked by Beats & Bass Society.
The night may started slowly with a large portion of the crowd not arriving until the latter hours of the event, but Shadow Child’s reputation eventually drew a majority who brought with them an excitable atmosphere.
He Took the crowd from a state of anticipation to one of fulfilment
Despite the early lack of attendance, perhaps somewhat due to the emerging status of the supporting DJs, Shadow Child was singlehandedly able to turn things around. A set consisting of well put together remixes of some of the biggest UK house tracks, interwoven with his own productions did not disappoint. The set started off with his lesser known tracks and culminated with some of his biggest such as ‘So High’, ‘23’, and my personal favourite of the night, his remix of Hot Natured’s ‘Reverse Skydiving’. He brought the night to an exciting close, taking the crowd from a state of anticipation to one of fulfilment. Despite the very abrupt ending to the night, I was left with the lasting impression of Shadow Child’s ability to not only produce widely reputable tracks, but also work the crowd to create an atmosphere others simply could not.
Overall, the gig was enjoyable but lacked the necessary attendance for a buzzing atmosphere across the night that only a talent such as Shadow Child can entice. However, with the rapidly growing popularity of house music, it is nice to see that the Lemon Grove finally has the ability to attract artists of the stature of Shadow Child, helping to invigorate the clubbing scene across the city of Exeter. I hope this trend continues in the future, and the signs are promising with Hannah Wants appearing in the near future.