LIVE REVIEW: Hot Chip and the xx @ The Fox

It never seems just quite right when UK indie-gloom rising stars, the xx, open for a heavy rhythm and electro-pop band. First it was Friendly Fires at The Independent, now Hot Chip at The Fox. Not to say we were disappointed by either pairings, it was more like having red wine with mac ‘n cheese instead of steak…we love them both equally, but perhaps more so on separate occasions.

Despite the odd juxtaposition, British youngsters took their self-titled debut album to the next level. Perhaps they’re getting bored of playing through their entire catalog of 11 songs non-stop for months and months on end, maybe they’re getting an itch to record again (praying this is true!), but either way the trio took to spontaneous jamming, and in general, just rocking out. They’ve improved a great deal since the last time we’ve seen them, and considering that wasn’t too long ago, we’d venture to say they’re on a meteoric rise. But hey, someone please tell them the light bulbs in their rad “xx” stands are out. Kind of limits the effects.

Multi-colored unitards, copious amounts of glow sticks, and hammered dance enthusiasts could not be stopped once lead singer, Alexis Taylor sashayed on stage in his mustard yellow Hammer pants (ok, maybe they weren’t official Hammer pants, but they were oversized enough to generalize). A few songs stuck out here and there, but the energy of the show was like an anticipation roller coaster. The slow build up of mediocre songs rolled into an intense dance rhythm, and just when you thought things were getting fired up, the sea of gyrating bodies would come to a stand-still as Hot Chip showcased another mellow/less popular song…and that was the recipe for the entire show. The songs that were great were epic and amazing. The rest, somewhat forgettable. Being a huge Hot Chip fan myself, it wasn’t that we were all disappointed as much as we just weren’t as into it as we wanted to be. Quite honestly, the night would have been better served if they had just played The Warning from start to finish, but I’m sure the drugged out ravers would beg to differ.