Hot Chip and The xx Played Terminal 5 - Pictures, Review

Sometimes it feels like only a ridiculously awesome double bill will get us motivated to head to Terminal 5 – maybe our least favorite venue in New York – but if the British one-two punch of Hot Chip and The xx don't fit that description then we're not sure what does! It makes sense these bands are pals. Members of both hail from The Elliot School in the UK and now they’re crisscrossing paths on tour in the States (Both recently rocked Coachella.)

First the xx took the stage. Probably no other band has been hyped more in 2009/2010 and in this case it's well-deserved. They were mesmerizing. People have constantly thrown out words like "mellow," and "minimalist," to describe the black-and-white clad trio, but we were impressed with how the xx took their addictive debut album up a notch for their live show.

They've been hitting the festival circuit hard and the practice has paid off. Even at their quietest moments they had our full attention. It’s clear this band isn't going to burn out on the flames of their own hype. They're going to be around awhile and we can't wait to see what they do next!

Next came the headliners: the greatest Brit nerd dance rock band on the planet. Their new album "One Life Stand" is by far their most chilled-out so far, but fans expecting to jump, sweat (and even crowd surf!) weren’t disappointed. Some of the new songs sounded even better live, like "We Have Love" and "Take It In," and familiar classics like "And I Was a Boy From School" and "Over and Over" rocked.

Still, maybe we were spoiled by witnessing Hot Chip absolutely tear down the house at the much smaller Highline Ballroom at the MySpace secret show there in February. Blame jetlag or the poor sound at Terminal 5, but two of our favorite songs “No Fit State” and “I Feel Better” sounded a bit murky during the encore.

Even on an off night, Hot Chip are better than 90% of the bands out there - and the young and drunk crowd didn’t seem to notice.

Words and Pictures by Chris Goldberg

Many more photos at the HAD Archive

The XX Played The Independent - Pictures, Review

Last week, HAD managed to catch up with The XX at San Francisco's Independent, and we're glad we did. The band, who have been receiving an inordinate amount of internet hype over the last couple of months, managed to live up to expectations. Not only did they deliver on the awesomeness of their debut record, but they also managed to create a live vibe that was unquestionably well suited to their mellowed out sound.

The band will be headed eastward this week (including New York on Saturday), before heading back to Europe until spring. Catch them while you can!

The XX Winter 2009 US Dates
Dec 1 Bottom Lounge Chicago, Illinois
Dec 2 Phoenix Theater Toronto, Ontario
Dec 3 Le National Montreal, Quebec
Dec 4 Paradise Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 5 Webster Hall New York

mp3: The XX - VCR

Photos By Ujjwal Sarin, more at the HAD Archive