The xx

Olympia Theatre, Dublin Tonight and tomorrow 8pm €37.50/€29.50 (sold out) 0818-719300

Yes, it’s the quiet ones you have to keep an eye on, and The xx are nothing if not calm and serene. For a band so young (they’ve only been around since 2008), they’ve certainly come a long way. Their 2010 debut album – the beautifully late-night whisper that is xx – won the Mercury Music Prize, and before you knew it this underground act were the talk of the town, their music used all over television shows (as well as by the BBC in its coverage of Britain’s 2010 general election!) and sampled by Rihanna (on Drunk on Love).

If the debut album eased the band into the mainstream, this year’s Coexist levels out the excitement by highlighting a creative mindset that sticks to its guns. This time, however, they align their unfolding slo-mo dreamscapes with skeletal beats that seriously flirt with the dance floor.

Gigs of the week, no question or doubt. (But, please, if you can’t get tickets, head to the one below.)

Can't see that? Catch this:Chequerboard Tonight, Dublin

TONY CLAYTON-LEA