and in the dark, i can hear your heartbeat

As most would know by now, Florence + the Machine and The xx will be performing at the Esplanade Theatre this Sunday, 7 Feb.

Here's what the press release says.

The beguiling London three-piece The xx will open the February 7 show and are sure to win a legion of new fans with their unique blend of music which embraces an artistic thread that resonates with critics and fans due to the universal influences that pepper their repetoire. This critically acclaimed band of quiet achievers are a compelling live act and Singapore fans are in for a treat.

Performing the same night is award winning indie artiste Florence & The Machine. Equipped with a mega voice and a repetoire of songs including radio favourites ‘Kiss With a Fist’, ‘Dog Days Are Over’ and ‘The Drumming Song’ from her roundly praised debut album ‘Lungs’, Florence has been hailed by UK daily The Times as "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment". The album has been in the top 40 UK charts for 22 consecutive weeks, going three times platinum in the UK alone. Classy and confident with a vocal range that is as big as the imagination it expresses, Florence will be completely in her element with her Singapore fans absorbing every sound, lyric and action.

Not that we already do not know how beguiling and alluring The xx's minimalist semi chants are or how stratospheric this mega-voiced artiste can go (along with her band), so we in Singapore are definitely in for a treat on Sunday.

Buy your tickets here if you havent, but there's only 1 category left and in 2 other categories, there's only single seats available. But but but, better than no seats!



If anyone's wondering why The xx is a trio yet there's 4 of them in the picture, it's cos Baria Qureshi(extreme right) left due to personal reasons.

The xx - Stars
Interesting lyrics talking about a girl drawing the line on the first date with a guy, but allowing him to cross the line if it comes down to it. And subsequently, they sing of "But if stars, shouldn't shine, by the very first time, then dear it's fine, so fine by me, 'cos we can give it time, so much time, with me" - which I take to mean that if the sparks don't fly the first time, it's fine as all they need is time. This brings me to something I read somewhere (can't remember), that it could also refer to their debut album, that if it doesn't shine, it's fine by them, but all they need is time. But clearly, their worries are unfounded as they've dazzled everybody with their brand of lo-fi electronic.

The xx - Heart Skipped A Beat
Yet another precocious love song, this talented English trio never fails to amaze me. Listening to the songs again and again, will always reveal nuances that weren't picked up previously. Gorgeous.





Florence + the Machine - Cosmic Love
Love the flourish at the end.

Florence + the Machine - Hurricane Drunk
Slated for release as the 6th single for her spectacular debut album "Lungs". She invokes a feeling that almost everyone has felt - heartbreak, and how she's going to drink that away, yet she doesn't need help as she's already caught in the hurricane. Intricate song that belies the higher vocal range used by Welch. Really lovely, even more so once it hits home with you.