WORDS: CLIFF JOANNOU
I AM STANDING IN THE QUEUE for the bar at a busy gig. The xx, the brilliant South London trio who seem to have captured as much of the nervous mood of their generation as Massive Attack did mine in the early Nineties, are playing. They deal in small sounds that remind me of learning to gain confidence.
But recently they’ve become noisier in a beautiful, still way. The best pop music always tells you something about growing up. It is its special, bespoke skill.