- On Thursday night, The xx played the second of seven sold-out shows at Brixton Academy in support of their third album, I See You. The LP, which came out in January and went straight to number one, was their first in five years, and it marked a significant shift in musical direction. Gone was the earnest melancholia and sparse drum programming of xx and Coexist, replaced with colourful samples, festival-friendly choruses and, in some cases, banging house beats. Popularised by the band's beatmaker, Jamie "xx" Smith, it's a big sound for which you need a big show. Thursday, then, was The xx slicker, louder and more saccharine than they've ever sounded, but with enough of the same endearing showmanship, open-hearted sincerity and—let's face it—old songs to pull it off.
A beatless melange of flute, piano, maracas and shrill laughter wafted through Brixton Academy as I walked in. Off to the side of the stage, the night's opening DJs, Ben UFO and Beatrice Dillon, stood about chatting and sipping beers, taking their time between mixes. The vibe down below was just as laid-back: groups of girls in "X" T-shirts took selfies, while partners scurried off to get drinks for their better halves. The crowd paid more attention to the night's other support act, Kelela, who showed off her impressive vocal range across cuts like "A Message" and the evergreen "Rewind." By the time she left the stage, replaced by a swarm of roadies, the room was purring in anticipation of the headline act. "If they open with 'Intro,' I don't know what I'll do," one girl announced to her friends.
It wasn't a decision she ever had to face—Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith strode onstage and launched straight into "Say Something Loving," the slow, uplifting second single from I See You. The atmosphere in the venue instantly turned euphoric. Framing the band were several revolving mirrored panels that made the stage look more spacious, if a little like a Topshop display. The shiny backdrop felt of a piece with the new album, which the trio played almost in its entirety, interspersed with a generous spread of classics. "Islands," "Sunset" and "Infinity" sounded better than ever. "Lips" and "Performance," two passable cuts from the new record, were elevated by the occasion. As the latter drew to a close, Sim walked over to Croft, who had performed the ballad solo, and planted a kiss on her head.
The newer material fared less well in the second half of the show. Soppy dance floor numbers "I Dare You" and "Dangerous" were rescued by a house party-style mash-up of "Chained" and Shanks & Bigfoot's "Sweet Like Chocolate," which, cheesy as it sounds, sort of worked. The onus, by this point, was on Smith, whose hands darted from MPC to CDJ to cymbal with impressive timing. After a live rendition of his own "Loud Places," complete with rainbow-coloured light show, the band left the stage to the sound of a single thumping kick drum. Smith reemerged first, taking up position on his raised percussion station and mixing straight into The xx's recent Hall & Oates-sampling hit, "On Hold." Brixton Academy threw up its arms for the nth time. Next came "Intro," the stripped-back opener to their timeless debut album. The contrast between the two was stark—The xx now VS. then. I know which I'd go for every time, though I'm not sure many of Thursday's 5,000 punters would agree.
Photo credit /
Jamie Macmillan