They’re young, they’re British and they have a signature sound that is equal parts sexy and ominous. They are the xx. The three-piece troupe from London, England, graced the stage of the Roseland Theater in Portland, Ore., this past Sunday. The xx have been touring the major cities in the United States in honor of the release of their sophomore album, “Coexist.”
When the xx took the stage Sunday night firing off an emotionally driven rendition of “Angels,” they were met with an overwhelming response from the sold out venue. You could literally feel the tension with every note and lyric.
“Coexist” was released to varied popular response. But where they may lack energy in their studio versions, they certainly make up for it with their live performances. Jamie Smith, more popularly known by his production moniker Jamie xx, is a master of live production. He finds comfort behind thousands of dollars of analog equipment as he jumps to various instruments, giving every beat his signature touch.
The xx went through many of their new tracks with a healthy amount of classic hits to appease fans both new and old. The energy followed a standard peaks-and-valleys format with the group fluctuating between slow, emotional tracks and more dance-centric rhythms. Jamie xx jumped around from synthesizer to bass drums and even to the mixer to lay down some deep house beats.
Oliver Sim, bassist and vocalist, moved around on stage with grace and feeling in every motion of his body. His presence resembled a combination of bass rhythm and modern dance. Opposite Sim stood lead guitarist and vocalist, Romy Madley Croft. Croft sang each lyric with precision and emotion. Croft and Sim fed off each other’s movement, emotion and instrumentation, creating a stage presence unlike any other.
The trio walked off stage for a brief moment before the crowd erupted and demanded an encore. Just as quickly as they left, they returned to perform a few more songs. They finished their encore to high praise, met at the front of the stage, took a modest bow and walked off.
Overall, the performance was exceptional. In spite of a few awkward hiccups with speaker feedback, the xx maintained an unwavering stage presence that no doubt left a lasting impression on the Portland crowd. Needless to say, the crowd left beyond satisfied.