On the Embraer services, Golds can get the front row seats, but initially the rest of passengers, including Silvers, will be confined all the way to the back. As the aircraft fills up, they then open more rows in the middle and eventually the front - this is to balance the airplane from fuel economy point of view.

When you get near to check-in, if the aircraft remains middle loaded, you get the situation with a lot of people in the back, the Golds filling up the front, and not much in the middle. Even if there aren't so many Golds (and this is the Edinburgh service, so Golds galore!) then when you get to OLCI the system won't allow you to move to another front seat since they will block the other front seats to help the trim factors.

In this situation there are no easy answers, other than to shuffle yourself off to another seat once onboard (and after speaking to the crew). Alternatively go to row 4 or so in the first instance if you have booked several weeks off. Some passengers will cheerfully wedge you in even on an otherwise empty flight, and not all crew pick up on it.

In the reverse direction, going back to LCY, it is often better to have the last row, since both doors are generally opened, and because the aircraft is looped around, the last seats are nearest the terminal.