It feels weird presenting these pictures as is. In bright colour, that is. Unscuffed, clear...during office hours.
It felt just as weird being in attendance when the xx played this little afternoon show a few weeks back. The xx deserve halflight, shadows, perhaps rain. If not then at least a little solitude. None of these things were on offer as the three-piece crammed into the window of Polyester Records in Melbourne's Flinders Lane.
Gawkers stopped to stare - (in fact, despite it being a ticket only event, those peering through the window onto beat-maker Jamie Price's array of pads and pedals probably had the best seat in the house) - punters shushed in hushed reverence and the trio looked suitably nervous. As singer Romy quipped mid-way, "We're not used to looking directly into peoples faces. It's weird". For us too, hemmed in tight with the black clad band, rumbling through a six song set in broad daylight - all of us fishes in the bowl.
Nice slacks.
(Pics: Ariel Katz)