Bonnaroo Band of the Day: The xx

As we’ve been doing for the past several years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorites acts from from Bonnaroo‘s impressive 2017 lineup. As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, or most highly-reccomened among this year’s crop of artists. Though we’ll be jumping around, we’re loosely working our way through by day, and we’ll also be bringing you some special features and longer guides along the way, to help you plan your weekend before the fest. While these previews won’t span every performer, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend on the farm!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and keep reading to learn more about our Bonnaroo Band of the Day…

LEARN

Formed initially as a duo of singer/guitarist Romy Madley Croft and bassist/singer Oliver Sim while still in high school in London, soon expanding to include programming/production wizard Jamie Smith and keyboard player/guitarist Baria Qureshi (who would depart after the group’s first album), The xx erupted onto the scene with their phenomenal self-titled 2009 debut, and have remained one of the most celebrated bands in the indie rock world ever since. Thanks to the production expertise of Smith (who released his own solo debut as Jamie xx in 2015, and played Bonnaroo on his own that same year), and their eclectic penchant for drawing from r&b, soul, hip hop, and post-punk to inform their dreamy, electronic-laced indie pop, the band’s unique and atmospheric sound has brought them crossover success, and bagged countless high-profile placements, earned them numerous festival spots, global touring opportunities, and nearly unanimous critical praise.

2012’s Coexist largely expanded on their debut, incorporating more DJ and club music elements, as opposed to the more introspective and haunting tones of xx, and honed their poppy, rock meets electronic formula to equal praise. After a bit of a break, and influenced by Jamie’s solo effort, the band returned earlier this year with I See You, their most energetic and expansive album to date. Responsible for one of our favorite Bonnaroo late night sets in recent memory, we’re beyond thrilled to see The xx return, new music in tow, for a primetime performance this year. Not exactly obscure, if, somehow, they weren’t on your radar already, preview the band below and be sure to make their Friday night performance a mandatory part of your Bonnaroo weekend; they’re a wonderful contemporary precursor to U2’s more timeless rock set right after.

LISTEN | “Angels”