The xx
Festival Hall, Melbourne
Thursday 4 April 2013
Image courtesy of www.pigeonsandplanes.com
Festival Hall was humming with a muted, respectful, reverence, as the xx trio humbly took the stage, in an understated, no-fuss purposeful way. It was a stage of minimalism: unfussy restraint with the lighting all blues, blacks and whites – all the shades of a lightning bolt over an inky lake on a dark night, with waves lapping at the shore. The UK act’s sound had just these qualities – explosive, restrained power, with gentle, introverted quietude.
The haunting, self-possession of these talented, black clad antiheros was palpable from the first note of “Try” which opened the set. The xx gave us a pared down, teasing, version in a goosebump-inducing miasma. Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim’s long history of collaboration was evident, their intuitive aching vocals were seamless, and they were completely in sync throughout the set.
Jamie xx provided most of the visual interest, his complicated antics delivered with a dark nonchalance as he moved effortlessly between the drum pads and keyboard, casually dropping in samples with perfect timing. These urban guns are real professionals and clearly very talented, with a rhythmic understanding of the spaces between each note and sound. Drawing from their 2 albums (2009’s Mercury Prize winning ‘xx’ and 2012’s ‘Coexist’ which debuted at number one in the UK, Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland), the consistently ethereal pop electro worked to gently fill a venue traditionally more aligned to rock gigs. It was interesting to see how their skeletal, sparse sound worked here. Despite a couple of alarmingly rattling moments of reverb in the giant ancient speakers and another little patchy sound glitch, moments of pure genius were allowed to shine through.
“Infinity” was the emotional climax of the show, with stark lighting flashes punctuating each drum beat and reflecting off the quadruple drum pads, showing Jamie xx positioned like a transcendent god in an acid dream. After teasing the crowd into an appreciative, loose, plaintive state, the band disappeared and a dramatic reveal of a 3D X at the back of the stage, smoking like an afterthought, lingered to tantilise the crowd who stomped out their request for an encore on the trusty Festy Hall floorboards.
Emerging again with a fulsome version of “Intro”, they saved the smoky, heart-torn “Angels” (the first single from ‘Co-exist’), for the final encore which was a clever strategy- the lyrics were so very, very fitting, and each word was echoed in appreciation.
“… and the end comes too soon, but I think I’m ready, being as in love with you as I am – being as in love with you as I am, being as in love with you as I am, being as in - lo-oh-ove.”
It’s love alright, though perhaps not an entirely healthy relationship, leaving a nostalgic, hollow emptiness when it’s over – completely, stultifyingly addictive.
Naomi Taig
The haunting, self-possession of these talented, black clad antiheros was palpable from the first note of “Try” which opened the set. The xx gave us a pared down, teasing, version in a goosebump-inducing miasma. Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim’s long history of collaboration was evident, their intuitive aching vocals were seamless, and they were completely in sync throughout the set.
Jamie xx provided most of the visual interest, his complicated antics delivered with a dark nonchalance as he moved effortlessly between the drum pads and keyboard, casually dropping in samples with perfect timing. These urban guns are real professionals and clearly very talented, with a rhythmic understanding of the spaces between each note and sound. Drawing from their 2 albums (2009’s Mercury Prize winning ‘xx’ and 2012’s ‘Coexist’ which debuted at number one in the UK, Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland), the consistently ethereal pop electro worked to gently fill a venue traditionally more aligned to rock gigs. It was interesting to see how their skeletal, sparse sound worked here. Despite a couple of alarmingly rattling moments of reverb in the giant ancient speakers and another little patchy sound glitch, moments of pure genius were allowed to shine through.
“Infinity” was the emotional climax of the show, with stark lighting flashes punctuating each drum beat and reflecting off the quadruple drum pads, showing Jamie xx positioned like a transcendent god in an acid dream. After teasing the crowd into an appreciative, loose, plaintive state, the band disappeared and a dramatic reveal of a 3D X at the back of the stage, smoking like an afterthought, lingered to tantilise the crowd who stomped out their request for an encore on the trusty Festy Hall floorboards.
Emerging again with a fulsome version of “Intro”, they saved the smoky, heart-torn “Angels” (the first single from ‘Co-exist’), for the final encore which was a clever strategy- the lyrics were so very, very fitting, and each word was echoed in appreciation.
“… and the end comes too soon, but I think I’m ready, being as in love with you as I am – being as in love with you as I am, being as in love with you as I am, being as in - lo-oh-ove.”
It’s love alright, though perhaps not an entirely healthy relationship, leaving a nostalgic, hollow emptiness when it’s over – completely, stultifyingly addictive.
Naomi Taig
Image courtesy of Matthias Clamer
Image courtesy of Matthias Clamer
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Image courtesy of Naomi Taig
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