To me, The xx are one of the most interesting bands to come out of the UK in the last decade. Their glorious self- titled debut album was a revelatory success to their fans but was more of a slow burn for the general public. None of the singles from the album made an impact on the charts but the band’s decision to license their songs for use in television turned out to be a masterstroke as the beautiful, chilled out indie pop of Jamie, Romy, and Oli was used extensively, making it almost impossible to avoid if you sat down to watch television in the evening. Their music was even used in coverage for a general election! This slow burn culminated in ‘xx’ winning the coveted Mercury Music Prize, which lists musical powerhouses such as Arctic Monkeys and Pulp as previous winners. Winning the Mercury Prize vaulted The xx right into the mainstream of UK music and allowed them to build their own studio to record their sophomore effort ‘Coexist’ which would debut at No.1 in the UK, firmly establishing their new found position as the darlings of indie pop in the UK.
Ever since I heard the track ‘Intro’ I’ve been a huge fan of The xx. The track checks in at a brisk 2 minutes and 8 seconds but it doesn’t waste any time. It is pulsating and hypnotic and is a microcosm of what makes The xx who they are and what makes them so great, it’s no surprise to me that there are videos of 10 hour loops of this track online. The minimalist instrumentation combined with the haunting vocals is the template for almost every track The xx have released. Whilst I love that template, it did make me a bit sceptical of what a live show from The xx would be like because I wouldn’t really describe them as high energy. Jamie’s solo album and the barnstorming single “On Hold” released at the tail-end of 2016 helped dissuade some of my scepticism but as I waited for them to come on stage, I was still slightly worried.
This was the opening night of the UK leg of the tour which is in support of the new album ‘I See You’ which was released to very high praise amongst fans and critics. The new record sees Jamie xx’s ventures as a DJ bleed into the band’s music with songs like “On Hold” and “Dangerous” fusing elements of alternative dance and R’n’B layered underneath the distinct vocals of Romy and Oli to maintain that quintessential xx sound. With a new album comes more fans, the arena was a 10,000 capacity venue and was later revealed by Romy as the biggest venue they’d played (excluding festivals). This meant a lavish stage design which included monolithic rotating mirrors, lights that would form the shape of an X, and a giant square mirror that was raised and lowered throughout the gig to give the crowd a bird’s eye view of the musical architect known as Jamie xx do his thing, which was all very impressive. I especially liked the lights changing to a rainbow hue for the duration of ‘Loud Places’ evoking the cover art of Jamie xx’s superb solo effort “In Colour” and providing audience members the opportunity to get that perfect gig photo.
Whilst this was all very pleasing on the eye, none of it means anything if the music isn’t good and I am happy to report that the music wasn’t just good, it was fantastic. The xx live are a different beast to The xx in the studio, but in the best way possible. Playing a set clocking in at just under 90 minutes that featured a good mix of songs from across all 3 albums (and one Jamie xx song), the band had an infectious energy that you would not guess they were capable of if you only listened to their studio work. Many songs featured extended bridges and reworked elements to make them fit better for a live setting. One of my favourite images from the night was Jamie furiously banging on the drums during the protracted ending of ‘Infinity’, something I was not expecting at all when the night started. Special praise has to be given to Jamie, he was all over his horseshoe set up of music making tools as he provided the sultry beats that got people dancing throughout the night and were the foundation which Romy and Oli were allowed to build on. The vocals are often seen as The xx’s selling point but without Jamie’s virtuoso production, they would not be where they are today.
The xx are a band that have been making music together since 2005 and it shows. The vocal harmonisation can’t be faulted and the support amongst band members is evident. Romy performed the song ‘Performance’ solo and when she finished Oli went over to give her a hug which was a sweet moment, it really showed the bond between the band members is as strong as ever. The song itself was stunning and a wonderful way to showcase her supreme talent. But the band were at the best when they were playing together and firing on all cylinders. ‘VCR’ and ‘Loud Places’ were definite highlights of the night for me, the former being the perfect opportunity for the audience to sing along whilst the latter kick-started the audience into what could be mistaken as a mass dance-off as some individuals were breaking out some wild moves. The beat and the aforementioned rainbow lighting made it feel like we’d been transported to a dirty underground club night, a stark contrast to the chilled out vibes of ‘VCR’, but that is just a standard time with The xx, and what a time it was.
The real jewel in the crown of the night however was the encore. Leaving the stage for barely five minutes whilst ‘Loud Places’ closed out with a driving drum beat, the band came back on to play 3 songs that showed The xx are comfortable playing on any stage. ‘On Hold’ continued the dancing from ‘Loud Places’, ‘Intro’ caused hysteria and it flowed perfectly into ‘Angels’, a sublime love song that transformed the crowd into a choir that reverberated every single lyric. With the exception of a slight mistake on one song where either Romy missed her cue or her guitar wasn’t working, you would never have guessed this was opening night. This gig was a band almost at the peak of their powers demonstrating why they are so revered. They have multiple festival headline slots lined up in the summer which will surely be a sight to see.
More info about The xx and their tour can be found here: thexx.info