Music review: The xx stole hearts in Manila

For all the words that couldn’t be said, The xx came through for the crowd who waited with bated breath for their performance last July 30 at the NBC Tent. Songs about yearning, loss, and the space between one’s hands rose and fell with the audience’s electric pulse that night. Oscillating from precisely fast-paced to solemn notes, the band gave a moving show, and no one was spared.

 

Everybody—you witnessed that even those who did their best to steel themselves—surrendered; their raised palms were a testament to this.

 

“We weren’t expecting this, which makes it all the more meaningful,” vocalist and bassist Oliver Sim professed as he gazed in wonder at the hundreds of faces that were fixated on him. “It’s our first time here in your beautiful country.”

 

A smooth bass line, a catchy guitar riff, and a good DJ are usually enough to turn heads in the music business. The xx had all of these but they also had an ace up their sleeves. Their lyrics seemed like words stolen from the mouth of a lover whose heart was freshly torn out of his chest or an ex who yearns for the warmth from a person she used to love.

 

There was a palpable sense of gratitude among the fans that evening, as though with Random Minds production house bringing the London-based The xx to Manila, a wave of similarly coveted acts streaming into the Philippines had been set into motion. As local band Taken by Cars warmed up the audience, followed by the always graceful, heart hitting Up Dharma Down, you could feel that we have arrived, and something unnamed but nonetheless thrilling was brewing in the music scene.

 

Opening with “Try,” you could tell that The xx had no desire to jump-start a frenzy, but instead, stoked a slow, lasting burn. By the time Oliver and vocalist and guitarist Romy Madley Croft chorused together for the second song “Heart Skipped A Beat,” a natural high was reverberating among the fans, taking them to a place where they had never been to before.

 

Remix artist Jamie Smith had a steady, intuitive touch on weaving a seamless flow of beats from start to finish. Smith stayed behind Sim and Croft but his talent was equally undeniable. He traversed the stage from left to right, juggling multiple instruments, mixing many sounds without skipping a single beat.

 

Their performance was a gripping marriage of lights and sounds; as “Sunset” dropped, you were transported outdoors, looking at a fireball of warm oranges, magenta, and indigo. Things escalated to an out-of-body experience as the laser show launched with “Night Time,” succeeded later on by “Shelter,” with the lights throbbing rhythmically, hypnotically.

 

Croft, vocalist and lead guitarist, tried her best to hide her emotions as the crowd cheered after every song. But in one particular break, the cheering got so loud that a crooked smile crept into her face. She quickly hid it but the people who saw it knew what it meant.

 

Even if Manila was a late addition to their tour, the reaction they got will be something the band will not easily forget.

 

Surprising everyone with “Intro” as the encore, they gave a witty, fitting close to such a thoughtfully orchestrated (though missing a few favorites), perfectly timed concert. The xx left you shaken, imploring for more—the very same underlying current of feelings found in their music, and the reason why they’ve had you spellbound for years. —KG, GMA News