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Cerys on 6 - 31/07/2009

Logo for Cerys on 6 - 31/07/2009

The XX are a London quartet, featuring the dual lead vocals of Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim (who also play lead guitar and bass guitar respectively), Baria Qureshi (keyboards and guitar) and Jamie Smith (beats, MPC sampler). Bonding over a shared love of dark, emotive 80s guitar sounds and the high-end sheen of American R&B, The XX's unique sound befits a band whose wide range of influences include everything from Aaliyah to Cocorosie, Rhianna to The Cure, Missy Elliott to The Chromatics and Mariah Carey to The Pixies. These influences combine via beautiful, hushed vocal duets and a brilliantly inventive use of samples and low-end frequencies to produce sweet, melancholic pop. They are currently putting the finishing touches to their debut album.