Monday, April 29, 2013

The xx - 9 April 2013, Brisbane Convention Centre

w/ Jagwar Ma

I’ve always liked the Brisbane Convention Center as a music venue. Although a little clinical and sports carpeted floors which is so not rock ‘n’ roll, the sound is always right and it vibes well. Tonight English sensation The xx wrapped up their Australian tour. Supported by Jagwar Ma it certainly was a concert to remember.

Australian dance act Jagwar Ma came along for the ride around the country with The xx and tonight truly knocked my socks off. They had an instantly recognisable sound and had a immense energy that they maintained for the entirety of the set. It is interesting when an electro band has a song where the bass is completely dropped out, making it lose the sensation of it slapping you in the guts. When the entirety of the set had been like that, it was certainly bizarre to not have it. Half way through the song it kicked in again, however a mistake? Who’s to know?

The xx were out of this world. From the very first notes they had the entire audience captivated and in silence during their songs. To tell you the truth though, I expected more production wise from the show. They had this great projection screen rigged up, but only used it for two maybe three songs and when they did, at times they flooded the stage with front lighting which rendered the projections pointless. Lighting 101 right? However, during the last song when the screen was raised to reveal their signature X and it was pretty rad.

The music was flawless. It was so great to see Jamie, controlling all the production, actually creating live drum patters on pads rather than just pressing play on the computer. There was so much happening up back, I wish that I could have seen it better than I did. Oliver and Romy work so well together as vocalist with the richness in Oliver’s vocals complemented by the lightness of Romy’s voice. They played track from both of their critically acclaimed albums, including “Islands” and “Chained”. Throughout the set the audience were sill and silent, captivated by the lush tones being produced infront of them. However, when them came back for their encore and played Angels, there was a moment when all the couples in the room held each other a little closer. It was cute.

It was a seriously amazing concert and I think a perfect way to end the bands’ Australian tour. Kudos guys!

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