TLC Spotlight: The xx Take on NYC
Posted by anthoNYC on August 18, 2009
The xx Photographed at The South Street Seaport, 8.14.09 by Anthony Cuellar
The xx are a South London-based quartet comprised of lead singers Oliver Sim (bass) and Romy Madley Croft (lead guitar), Jamie Smith (drum machine, sampler) and Baria Qureshi (guitar and keyboard.) The xx have described their influences as “everything from Aaliyah to Cocorosie, Rhianna to The Cure, Missy Elliott to The Chromatics and Mariah Carey to The Pixies.”
Thanks to Radio 1 we’ve had The xx on our radar and have been anticipating their stateside debut, beginning on August 7th with a string of 6 gigs throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. We were in Chicago for Lollapalooza but were lucky enough to catch their opening slot for Friendly Fires at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on the 12th and again at the South Street Seaport supporting School of Seven Bells on Friday August 15th.
Reminiscent of some of our favorite ’serious’ current bands (Glasvegas, White Lies) The xx have left an imprint on the left brain, appealing to my logical, analytical and literal side.
Onstage, The xx stand in a wall-like formation with Romy and Oliver’s harmonized vocals weaving in and out of beats and keys provided by Jamie and Baria. It truly is a team effort with each band member being crucial in creating the intricately worked layers that make their sound so fresh. With their dark post-punk aesthetic, The xx’s unexpected hushed lyrics delivered over minimalistic strums, keys and thumps are a subtle and pleasant surprise listen.
Keep your eyes and ears open for The xx whose self-titled debut album is out now in the UK and will be available in the US on October 20th. You may also hear a stream of the album right now on NME.
MP3: The xx – Hot Like Fire (Aaliyah Cover) or zShare
MP3: The xx – Teardrops (Womack & Womack Cover) or zShare
Music Hall of Williamsburg
South Street Seaport
Talent and Production Goes Live | Webago News said
[...] TLC Spotlight: The xx Take on NYC « Tastes Like Caramel … [...]
Friendly Fires at Music Hall of Williamsburg + Le Poisson Rouge « Tastes Like Caramel: Transatlantic Pop Culture said
[...] Pit, Cold War Kids, Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Band of Horses, Jane’s Addiction, The Killers TLC Spotlight: The xx Take on NYC [...]
Peter said
i’m seeing the xx at bournemouth 02 in september with florence, you’ve just made me twice as excited; i wish those two covers made the album though
thismusicwins.blogspot.com
CMJ: The Xx Secret Show at The Delancey | MP3 Music at MixBurner said
[...] most out of their time in New York. Back in August the band played about 6 shows in a week (See: TLC Spotlight: The xx Take on NYC) and last week played about twice as many shows in New York during CMJ including Thursday [...]