I have been busy with concerts this week due to the always welcomed spring break at hand. I just got back from the xx at Webster Hall a few hours ago. What a fantastic performance from the xx. They totally brought the house down live.
The first opener was LA electronic artists/dj Nosaj Thing who got the party started with chill beats. I had fun moving around to his electronic delights, and plenty of other bodies were boppin’ along as well. Up next was the blog sensation jj who I was excited to see. Well guess what? They were one of the biggest disappointments ever. Let me put it this way. It was basically Elin Kastlander singing over Joakim Benon’s macbook. Oh wait, Joakim strummed his acoustic guitar for about 30 seconds for two songs. Then he walked off during the middle of the set and didn’t return. Cool man! They had no stage presence, and no interaction. I really enjoyed their debut album, but all of the songs came off flat and bored live. They didn’t seem to really give a shit about their performance, and neither did I after seeing Joakim walk off stage.
Thankfully the xx came and cleaned up the mess. They started their set behind a huge white curtain glorified with epic lighting that showed all three members as huge silhouettes dramatically playing “Intro”. They played all of the songs on their debut album, including a cover of a Kyla song called “Do You Mind”. Going into the show I was worried about how the xx would put the songs together live while keeping the crowd involved and interested. They had no problem. They gave songs like Basic Space and Night Time a new life live, engaging the crowd with extra bass and dance inspired electronics. Romy Croft and Oliver Sim’s voices were top notch live delivering all of their lyrics with the same passionate consignment that made their debut so excellent.
For such a young band, the xx had incredible stage presence. They acted like seasoned veterans who have been dominating the scene for years. Oliver Sim manned the stage with an ultra cool swagger that all front men should take note of. He is naturally cool just by being himself. He didn’t have to do more than play his songs in order to impress me.
Some bands just have it, and the xx are one of those bands. If you were at Webster Hall last night you realized that the xx are not just some over-hyped band that will fade over the years. They are going to be around for a long time, and I welcome them with open arms.
Setlist (visual proof below)
Intro
Crystalised
Islands
Heart Skipped A Beat
Fantasy
Shelter
VCR
Do You Mind (Kyla Cover)
Basic Space
Night Time
Infinity
Encore:
Stars
Check out all the photos after the jump by clicking read more! :
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