The xx Look to Perform at the Beijing Exhibition Theater, Feb 3

原创 Kyle M. theBeijinger

The irresistibly danceable, Mercury Prize-winning, critically acclaimed trio The xx are set to perform at the Beijing Exhibition Theater in Xizhimen on Feb 3 (an unconventional venue choice, to be sure, though that won't stop we the Beijinger music geeks from eagerly attending). An official permit was leaked last week and made the rounds on WeChat (though we were unable to verify its authenticity at time of publication), showing the band's slated performance date as well as a list of songs that the censors have mulled over and approved.

Those songs include hits like "Intro," (a staple of TV ads and shows) from their debut along with "On Hold," and "Dangerous," from their latest LP I See You, and other songs like "Loud Places," the duet between xx vocalist and guitarist Romy Madley Croft and beatmaker Jamie xx from the latter's smash solo debut In Colour.

The xx's leaked permit to play

Featuring the dazzling productions of Jamie xx (born Jamie Smith, a star in his own right thanks to his Grammy-winning 2015 solo debut In Colour), the enthrallingly romantic vocals of Romy Madley Croft (who also handles guitar), and the subdued but grooving bass lines of Oliver Sim, The xx wowed audiences and critics with their minimalistic but moving debut, xx in in 2009. The album became one of the biggest sleeper hits of the decade thanks to Jamie's dubstep-flecked beats and the to-the-point playing of Croft and Sim. Demand for the band grew considerably after they licensed songs like "Intro," to ad campaigns and TV series like Law & Order (which prompted The Telegraph to declare "never heard of them [The xx]? Actually, you have").

The xx will take to the Beijing Exhibition Theater's stage on Feb 3

And while their 2012 follow up, Coexist, had a comparatively muted reception, Jamie's 2015 solo effort, In Colour, reinvigorated the beatsmith. When I interviewed Jamie xx this past spring, he told me: "Working on my [solo] record was fun because there were no rules. It didn’t have to sound like The xx. So we just carried on in that vein for I See You, because it was more fun." He added that he desperately missed his bandmates – who have been his friends and collaborators since they studied together at Elliot School in Putney, England – while touring on his own for In Color.

In the end, Smith said that also had a positive impact on I See You, adding: "My touring might have gone on a little too long, but it was because people liked the music. It meant that we were apart from each other more than we’ve ever been before, really. It helped in the long term because we all realized that our friendship comes first, before the music. And we need to be close to make good music."

The xx of their explosive musical chemistry to being dear friends

That passion and newfound joy is more than evident on I See You. Though The Guardian described the band as "pop's brooding perfectionists" and highlighted their introverted personalities in an interview leading up to the album's release, the trio sound anything but sullen on this new LP. Opening track "Dangerous," for instance, features bellowing horn samples from Jamie and vocals that amount to alluring come-ons from Croft and Sim. Midway tracks like "On Hold," are more melancholic, but none the less danceable, thanks to Jamie's relentless mix of house, disco, and dubstep in the instrumental. Those elements helped the LP land on numerous "best of" lists by the likes of Time magazine, which praised the trio for exploring "musical territory that’s warmer and richer than before," adding, "There’s no act better equipped to chart the intersections of happiness and melancholy."

Indeed, as Sim sings on I See You standout "I Dare You": "I'm in love with it/ Intoxicated/ I'm enraptured/From the inside I can feel that you want to ..." And though his muse is a new lover on that song, his lyrics also perfectly describe the way fans feel about his band's heartwrenching music, not to mention the anticipation Beijing devotees feel as they await The xx's Feb 3 gig in the capital.

No word yet on ticket prices or availability, though we'll update this article accordingly once we hear more.

Photos: c-ville.com, billboard.com, The Guardian

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