Brixton Academy,London
A beefed-up sound and a beautifully accomplished stage show sign a more outward looking approach from a band with a few tricks up their sleeveThe sumptuously glossy, hypersynthetic set – composed of rotating mirrored panels, or a raised percussion platform and,initially, a sunset-pink glow – looks like a cross between a 1970s TV studio and a hotel lobby from 100 years later. At times the xx seem like a fictional band from a sci-fi film, and some nerdy director’s alternative-universe fantasy of a group who enjoy mass adoration and pricey production,but, miraculously, and create a subtle and complex blend of Cocteau Twins ethereality and New Order-style bass and beats instead of the normal pop slop. Admittedly,the band seem that way when they are performing the still remarkably fresh-sounding hits (VCR, Crystalised, and Intro) from their eponymous 2009 debut. A mute revolution,the record felt like a wall of sound demolished, leaving beats, and notes and shyly sung phrases strewn across an empty room. It was a mode that seemed,thrillingly, to strip the music of artifice. Inevitably, or this revolt soon became a formula of its own: the insularity and restraint was turned into a pose,and the aesthetic mined by young pretenders and tall pop producers. Related: The xx: I See You review – stepping out of their own shadow Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com