popwreckoning

Even though I’m not terribly religious, I’m kind of a geek when it comes to houses of worship because I respect the traditions and what the buildings represent to its people. And for me, it’s even better when the house of worship in question hosts concerts because music means so much to me. Philly has its First Unitarian Church and D.C. has 6th and I Synagogue. The synagogue’s interior is a beautiful mauve, with blue and purple stained glass windows. I’d say without a doubt that it’s the prettiest place I’ve ever been to for the expressed purpose of a gig. For the xx‘s headlining gig Sunday night, I thought to myself that it was almost a shame that the altar was obscured by a huge black sheet with an X in the middle of it. I say “almost” because as you will read, we were in for a big surprise at the end.

Los Angeles electronic producer Nosaj Thing (real name Jason Chung) was the first of two opening acts for the evening. Media outlets have compared Chung’s sound to fellow Californian Flying Lotus because both incorporate hip hop into experimental, electronic sound and also utilize glitch-hop, a genre I’m not familiar with at all. I thought he was an interesting choice to open for the xx, since they brought London electronica artist Jon Hopkins with them last time they toured North America. Augmented by serious hip hop beats and what sounded like birds scuttling from a Macbook, Chung punched keys, twisted dials, and generally looked like a man possessed by the music. Overall, he was an enjoyable opening act.

Next, was the mysterious Swedish duo jj. Inbetween the sets, I talked to a friend of mine and he said jj was so mysterious, no one knew much about them because they don’t tour very much at all. I only knew one of jj’s songs, the ethereal “Let Go,” a song from their second album jj nº 3 released in early March. So seeing singer Elin Kastlander, with her curly blonde hair falling past her shoulders and dressed up like a hippie and standing on stage by herself, I had no idea what to expect. Then she opened her mouth and this gorgeous voice came out, fully complementing the Balearic beats emanating from a laptop next to her. Judging from audience’s enthusiastic clapping and catcalls, there were many jj fans in attendance that night.

As much as the audience was feeling the music, I felt bad for Kastlander though: she barely made eye contact with the audience and looked very uncomfortable standing there by herself as a light projector changed colors that reflected off her face and on the synagogue’s walls. What made things even weirder was her jj partner Joakim Benon, getting up several different times from his seated position on the stage and giving Kastlander hugs, as if for a job well done. I guess Benon does all the programming and such and maybe didn’t need to perform for performance’s sake, although at one point he did stand up and strap on an acoustic guitar to play a couple chords, to the crowd’s applause but yes, to say the least, the setup was strange.

The xx played two shows at Sixth and I on Sunday because the evening show had sold out so quickly, a matinee earlier in the day was quickly scheduled to meet ticket demand. It’s not often that any band will have a big enough demand to fill two shows in one day in Washington, so you know this band is something special. Their star just keeps on rising, with their songs appearing in an AT&T commercial during the Olympics and on “Gossip Girl” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” They haven’t really taken a break from touring, except in February when they canceled some European dates when guitarist Romy Madley-Croft‘s father passed away.

Having seen this London band several times already, I know why I keep coming back: vocals and guitar by Madley-Croft, vocals and bass from Oliver Sim and programming and percussion from Jamie Smith come together just right to make music that nearly brings tears to my eyes every time I hear their songs. “Heart Skipped a Beat,” with Madley-Croft singing, “It’s been a while / and you’ve found someone better / but I’ve been waiting too long to give this up / the more I see I understand / but sometimes I still need you,” should make your heartache. I know that’s the effect their music has on me. I noticed Madley-Croft has a new guitar, but her playing is still the same – spot-on and still incredible, sounding great against Sim’s bass lines and the percussion taps of Smith’s.

They’re a soft-spoken band to begin with, so it was nice to see bassist Sim loosen up after gauging the audience’s enthusiasm for their band and chat a bit with the audience between numbers. Before starting to play “VCR,” Sim smiled at us and said, “So nice to be back here on our first U.S. headlining tour!” (I guess the one they did here last November was a trial run?) He made everyone laugh when he continued with “[I'm] starting to feel that chili dog I had earlier…” Of course someone in the audience yelled out, “Ben’s?” Sim replied, “Yes, Ben’s Chili Bowl!” The place erupted in cheers. Before an absolutely gorgeous rendition of “Nighttime,” he commented with a grin, “This venue’s incredible! I feel like a religious figure!”

When the band returned for an encore, the backdrop with the X emblazoned on it became a sea of stars, perfectly suited to end the show with the wonderfully sensual “Stars.” While they might not be religious figures in the conventional sense, the xx always deliver a mind-blowing show, and this is one devotee who will keep coming back for more.

The xx Set List
Intro
Crystalised
Islands
Heart Skipped a Beat
Fantasy
Shelter
VCR
Do You Mind (Kyla cover)
Basic Space
Nighttime
Infinity
//
Stars

Tour Dates
Mar 31 – Webster Hall / New York City
Apr 02 – Paradise / Boston (2 shows)
Apr 03 – Metropolis / Montreal
Apr 04 – Phoenix / Toronto
Apr 05 – Wexner Center / Columbus
Apr 06 – Buskirk Chumley Theater / Bloomington, IN
Apr 08 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago (two shows)
Apr 09 – Varsity Theatre / Minneapolis
Apr 12 – Showbox SoDo / Seattle, WA
Apr 13 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver
Apr 14 – Crystal Ballroom / Portland
Apr 15 – Fox Theatre / Oakland%
Apr 17 – Coachella Music Festival / Indio, CA
Apr 19 – Riviera Theatre / Chicago%
Apr 20 – Koolhaus / Toronto%
Apr 22 – Terminal 5 / New York City%
Apr 23 – Sonar / Baltimore
Apr 24 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC%
% supporting Hot Chip

The xx: website | myspace | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | @ DC9 | @ Paradise | @ Newbury Comics, Boston
Nosaj Thing: website | myspace
jj: myspace

Since I was already scheduled to be in Boston for the second-to-last date of the Nylon Magazine Winter Music Tour, finding out that the xx would be doing an in-store performance earlier on the same day was just icing on the cake. I had gone to pick up my wristband for the event early Friday morning. When I asked the clerk on duty how many wristbands were left, she gave me this “are you out of your mind?” look, saying, “we just started giving wristbands out half an hour ago. We have plenty.” This gave me what turned out to be a false sense of security (figuring that maybe, just maybe not too many people in Boston knew who the xx were), so my friend and I would have plenty of time to get to the in-store at 5 and wouldn’t have any trouble having a good vantage point to take photos from.

When we arrived to line up outside the Newbury Street store at 4:30, there were at least 50 people in front of me. As quickly as the sun set and disappeared, the line on the sidewalk outside the store grew and grew until it went all the way down the block. I started chatting with other people in line, finding out that I was in the minority (being the owner of a coveted ticket to the sold-out Friendly Fires / the xx gig later on) and that many of them had shown up for the free in-store simply for a chance to see the xx. They appreciated finding out from me that the xx would return to Boston to play the Paradise again on April 2.

Five o’clock came and went, and I started to lose feeling in my feet and arms despite it being unseasonably warm for a winter evening in Boston. Someone asked staff who was monitoring the front door why we weren’t allowed in, and we were told that the band’s equipment hadn’t arrived yet. At about 5:50, the main door finally opened and fans trooped into the store. People and their winter coats were crammed into the store between the CD racks and unusual merchandise. A bit stifling.

A short while later, the xx appeared and the crowd that assembled for them cheered. They launched into the instrumental “Intro.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t see much with many taller people in front of me, but I could occasionally make out bassist Oliver Sim and electronic percussion / synth player Jamie Smith as heads bobbed up and down to the music in front of me. I was skeptical about how the band would sound in small record store, but as soon as the band started into “VCR,” I knew this was going to be one great performance.

The sparseness of the xx sound sounded gorgeous in the cramped, enclosed space. Several in the crowd shouted for “Islands,” which began beautifully with Romy Madley-Croft‘s tender voice that was later joined with Sim’s. “Crystalised,” the first song by this band that I’d ever heard, was spectacular. Interestingly, this song was left off their set list at the Paradise three hours later, so if any of my new “friends” I met at Newbury Comics that night are reading this: you got a special treat!

My impression of the crowd was that it was a mixture of fans and others who looked upon the xx as a curiosity. Either way, there was little doubt in my mind that each person left that night thinking, “Wow, I need to make sure I get a ticket when the band comes back here in April.” You can catch the band on a short headlining tour of America in March and April (touring with mysterious Swedish electronic group jj), followed by a turn as the opener for Hot Chip in late April.

Set List:
Intro
VCR
Basic Space
Islands
Crystalised
Nighttime
Infinity

Tour dates:
Mar 22 – Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge*
Mar 24 – Earl / Atlanta*
Mar 25 – Cat’s Cradle / Carrboro, NC*
Mar 28 – Sixth & I Synagogue / Washington, DC*
Mar 29 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia*
Apr 02 – Paradise / Boston*
Apr 05 – Wexner Center / Columbus*
Apr 06 – Buskirk Chumley Theater / Bloomington, IN*
Apr 19 – Riviera Theatre / Chicago%
Apr 20 – Koolhaus / Toronto%
Apr 22 – Terminal 5 / New York City%
Apr 24 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC%
* with jj
% supporting Hot Chip

The xx: website | myspace | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | @ DC9 | @ Paradise

Performance photos: Julie Stoller