The XX marked the spot last night at Shepherds Bush Empire in London. I was truly excited about seeing them open up for the glamorous Florence & The Machine. This was the first time I purposely went to a gig to solely catch the supporting act instead of the headliner. They are of course my favorite new pop band this year (Track of the Day 1/8/09)

When the quartet walked onstage to a plot comprise of drum machines, guitars, and a heavenly light presentation, I knew the next 30 minutes would be etched into my gigging history forever. The band played out the album with the same meaningful arrangements that exists on the CD.  As they rode through the set – the stand out tracks  ”Basic Space,” “Crystalised,”  and “Shelter” completely drove home how endearing their songwriting is. Both Romy and Oliver’s vocals were sweet and tender, while Jaime’s impressive coordination on the MPC and Baria’s magic touches on the keys summed up an epic full sound. It’s wonderful to see a group of 20 year olds make a bold attempt in making classic tracks for this generation and the ones to come.

Enjoy this latest remix by The XX of Florence’s You’ve Got The love and my  guerilla style iPhone shot vid below:

For the KSPACE-rs in the U.S. – go and see The XX when they embark on their North American tour supporting Friendly Fires on November 11. First stop Bowery Ballroom in NYC,  Nov 21 at Henry Fonda Theater in Hollyweird plus many more cities.