The xx have made their mark!

Until just recently, The xx was a four piece band consisting of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith and keyboardist Baria Qureshi who only just left the band citing exhaustion as the reason for her departure. They formed a band in 2005 in Wandsworth, south west London, when the four met at Elliott School. Romy and Oliver, lead vocalists, have known each other since they were 3-years-old and started creating music together at 15-years-old. The female vocals and guitar are delicately delivered by Romy with Oliver pouring deep vocals and bass in for the balance. Jamie is the master beat maker on the MPC and he is absolutely brilliant to watch live. Some people say beat machines have no soul, but arguably Jamie truly does bring The xx songs to life.

Croft and Sim’s voices are like crushed velvet and cashmere together while they envelope and caress you with each word. And slow driving bass lines that drip into your ears like warm honey. The backbone is in the MPC with the beats cleverly arranged to give a little toe tap. I close my eyes and listen to her and then to him and get a warm fuzzy feeling that pours through my entire body. The breakdowns and the build ups lead into a full sonic island of melodic sound. The lyrics that sound like something Thom Yorke may have written in his journal when he was 19. On the song Crystalised lyrics like “…I’ll forgive and forget before I’m paralyzed…” hook straight into a dark place that exists in all of us. Helping us find and heal some buried hurt from a long lost love ages ago with each tender tone. Each song leads perfectly into the next for a body shaking ear-gasm.



The xx songs are brooding and mellow with some introspective rhythms. There is a modern goth feeling that oozes from this band while they don all black attire and new wave haircuts. If you could imagine New Order and The Pixies having a baby band…this would be it! Their debut album, xx, was released on Young Turks Records on 17 August 2009 and ranked #9 on Rolling Stones “best of the year” list. They have quickly become one of my favorites and I know I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of The xx from the looks of their healthy tour schedule. They will be at Coachella on April 17, 2010 so if you get the chance, catch this British wave of electro-goth goodness.