“London, I love you so much,” Romy Madley Croft told the cheering crowds at the Roundhouse last night. “It’s a Wednesday night: let’s make it feel like the weekend.”
Up until recently, most knew Romy best as one third of the Mercury Prize-winning minimal pop trio The xx, but between albums (the band have been back in the studio recently) she has also been cultivating a solo project heavily informed by the most euphoric strains of dance music.
For her solo debut album, Mid Air, she worked with with Madonna collaborator Stuart Price, the American DJ Avalon Emerson, Koreless, and in demand producer Fred Again.. as well as her xx bandmates Jamie XX and Oliver Sim.
And Fresh from the release of that debut, and still riding the wave of her recent Brit Award nomination, she certainly rose to the challenge of transforming a drizzly mid-week into a big night out.
What followed was an hour of club classics worthy of a Saturday night festival slot. Last night marked the first of Romy’s two nights at the Roundhouse, titled Club Mid Air.
First up was a shimmering version of Weightless, which had the crowd swaying along – swiftly followed by thundering renditions of Lifetime and The Sea, which set the tone for the rest of the evening.
To raucous cheers – sometimes so loud that she had to pause and smile, waiting for the crowd to quieten down before starting the next song – came a foot-stomping Did I, followed by Loveher which – though fun – was slightly marred by her faltering on the higher notes.
There was new music, in the form of a remix of Welsh singer Donna Lewis' iconic I Love You Always Forever. For longtime fans, there was stuff from the back catalogue, too: most notably in the form of a remixed version of Angels, from The xx’s 2012 album Coexist.
Madley Croft gave it a solo twist – but then her The xx bandmate Oliver Sim returned the favour, strutting on stage in a sparkling gold jacket to duet on her hit single Enjoy Your Life. And even if his husky voice didn’t quite work for the song, did it matter? The crowd was lapping it up.
“Make some noise for my best friend Oliver,” she sweetly told us after, before turning to him. “Thank you for singing with me again,” she said. “I’ve missed it. I love you.”
And that love was very much present for the rest of the night, too. Madley Croft brought the energy, dancing around the stage solo with her arms flailing, while crooning her lyrics to the exuberant crowd, who chanted them right back.
By the end of the night, drinks were flying around as the heavy hitters came out: She’s On My Mind, followed by a double whammy of Lights Out and Strong, which brought the house down and the lights up.
“Give it up for this diva,” Sim crowed at the end of the night. One thing’s for sure: Wednesday club nights have rarely been this fun.
