Gig Review: The XX

..strangely i'm a little stuck for words after this gig, the venue - Shepherd's Bush Empire - possibly ruined what The XX could have done tonight. Maybe i'm a snob...and bigger, packed-out venues just don't please me...but a band like this deserve a less commercial space. The lo-fi emptiness was lost (and covered with chatter unfortunately) which for me is the beauty of The XX. But...i was still massively impressed with Romy's vocals in such a large venue with sparse backing and...wait for it, i finally appreciate the bass guitar...what Oliver does is mighty impressive. And definitely worth applause was the opening...the stage and lighting crew did something special with a huge white sheet covering the entire stage which then projected the band's silhouettes during Intro...visual genius, unfortunately...one of the most impressive parts of the night. i really still rate this band but i think i missed their smaller and better suited smaller venue gigs...

...eagerly awaiting Islands i was only disappointed to see it somewhat skirted over early on with speed and no grandeur...the set did build from that point however, with highlights being their cover of Womack & Womack's Teardrops and a very emoted version of Night Time...a song i have hardly registered on the album but now a new favourite..

Night Time - The XX