By Jodi Root

My heart skipped a beat (literally), yesterday when I received a text from my friend asking if I wanted her extra ticket to check the long sold-out Friendly Fires & The Xx show at Bottom Lounge. With only hours to spare and limited crumpled bills in my wallet, I had to think fast—but obviously, this gal made the right decision. Inflated Craig’s List fee or not, I am still basking in the dreamy haze of last night’s priceless performance from two of today’s top indie outfits.

Other than The Xx and Friendly Fires sharing a common record label, I can’t really think of what would thread these two groups together on the same bill. The Xx definitely drew their own crowd last night, with all members of the audience intent on grasping every single audible breathy word and bass-infused lyric that seeped from singers Romy Croft and Oliver Sim. Their smooth, yet husky vocals complimented one another even more seamlessly live than on the record. Combined with the delicate, yet galvanized percussion blended with the tinkering of xylophone, thrashing of cymbals, a mix of synths and keys, and heavy but dreamy guitar work, the performance was easily described as epic. Topped off with the signature Xx bass work, the results were mind blowing—it was as if concertgoers were transported onto a dark, yet magical cloud—flying into a mass of dreamy oblivion. From soccer moms to the obligated hipster and even several packs of frat boys, the crowd was certainly an interesting array of people—but all were temporarily united with this 9-song set.

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The Xx had opened up at 9:25, kicking things off with the sleek, familiar guitar picks of the album opening “Intro,” getting the crowd excited for what was yet to come. Blue lights splashed onto the stage, illuminating the trio of mysterious English musicians. Croft softly and humbly greeted the crowd, “Thanks for coming out, it’s so good to be in Chicago, such a cool city,” which we later learned was the group’s actual first Chicago visit. The soundtrack effortlessly continued in album succession with a xylophone fakeout into “VCR,” followed with crowd favorites “Basic Space,” (literally, I heard a bro type exclaim in pure excitement, “I can’t believe they’re playing this song!!!”), “Shelter,” “Crystalised,” (Soccer moms put your iPhone video cameras up, what what), and the ever addicting “Islands.” Closing the set off was “Night Time,” “Infinity” and an instrumental track—the 45 or however many minute long set was definitely not enough. My heart sank when I realized there would not be an encore, and my favorite track, “Heart Skipped a Beat” was left unaccounted for. The venue immediately emptied following their final number, with 25% of patrons refueling on beverages, 25% grabbing a smoke and 20% leaving for good.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect in Friendly Fires’ set. Yes, I love their latest album. It’s kitschy, upbeat disco glam pop is undeniably dance party worthy, and their self-titled album was one of my most spun records last year. I had meant to check this group live on more than one occasion, but for whatever reason it never actually came to fruition. After the amazingness of what was The Xx, I almost felt bad for what the Friendly Fires had to live up to. This soon changed.

Before I knew it, the crowd had rapidly multiplied—sure, you could tell the dedicated Xx die-hards had split, but the fans that had straggled in later for the headliners definitely made up for their absence. As soon as Friendly Fires took the stage, it turned out to be a nonstop party. The moment singer Ed Macfarlane took to the mic and belted out the familiar, “Don’t you know some tiiiime,” the madness ensued as the show kicked off with the dance punk anthem “Lovesick.”

Lively and energetic, the Friendly Fires’ performance proved to be almost polar of their openers—where The Xx were sleek and mysterious, sexy and dark—the Friendly Fires were loud and in your face, flamboyant and fun—it was as if the two acts were not billed as counterparts, but more as musical cousins. The Xx is the makeout soundtrack whereas the Friendly Fires were the live party mix—the experience proved to be two entirely different shows, and in a good way.

The party kept kicking with “Jump in the Pool,” “Skeleton Boy,” “Hospital,” and “White Diamonds.” The crowd seemed to sway in parts and downright jump in joy in others. The addicting, dance beats those familiar with the album know and love, were accompanied with a nice addition of trumpet and saxophone, rounding out the overall performance. I had wondered how the album would translate live, but the accompaniment of the brass was definitely a nice touch. Other tracks included the crowd clap-along “Strobe,” the safari jamboree “Kiss of Life,” super dance jam “Photobooth” and the popular single “Paris” closed off the set. In between swigs of tallboys and manning the crowd, I’m sure a couple other tracks snuck in there, but overall the show was a pleasant surprise. I had come knowing The Xx would blow my mind, but ended up leaving with a reminder of how great the Friendly Fires are as well. It was indeed an incredible night for music at the Bottom Lounge, not too bad for a random Tuesday. I highly recommend catching either/both of these acts if you can; otherwise I know The Xx will be on the road again, hitting Chicago at the Riviera on April 19th with Hot Chip.

Discuss: Let us know what you thought of the show, drop a comment with your thoughts/reviews on last night’s show.

Buy: XX | Friendly Fires