“First of all, I want to extend my deepest apologies to everyone here for taking such a long time to play in Jakarta,” bassist/vocalist Oliver Sim said in his trademark baritone voice to rapturous applause from the audience filling JI Expo Kemayoran in Central Jakarta on Jan. 23.

Jakarta was the first stop of their Asian leg of Oliver Sim, Romy Madley Croft and Jamie Smith’s long-running “I See You Tour,” which was held to celebrate the release of their newest album, I See You. The band continues their tour of Asia with stops in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan. 

Released in January 2017, the album showcased a departure from the minimalist sounds found on the band’s previous two albums, XX ( 2009 ) and Coexist ( 2012 ), and welcomed a warmer, more club-friendly and bluntly house-influenced sound.

The set list consisted of The xx tunes new and old, with a surprising emphasis on their older, more stripped back material, but given a new, warmer life in tune with the vibes felt on I See You.

For one, older songs from their 2009 debut translated well into the new setting, with some tracks such as “Shelter” and “Heart Skipped a Beat” being given slight to drastic changes in their structure and composition, both notably more danceable.

For I See You, guitarist/vocalist Romy Madley Croft did admit that the band was pushing into a new territory of sound because of their desire for experimentation, and also to address some of the positive events that had occurred in the members’ lives.

A particular moment of joy in the four years between Coexist and I See You was Romy’s engagement to her longtime girlfriend, designer Hannah Marshall.  

But mainly, the positive vibes were a result of the band wanting to take their sound further as they progress as musicians.

“I guess it’s a bit warmer now, the music, because there’s also a desire for us to experiment with our music so that it can reach a wider audience and more kinds of people could listen and relate,” she said in a brief interview before the show.

For the band members, their music has always been an outlet for their deepest emotions, and their efforts to make them public are part of their desire to connect with the audience, who might be feeling the same way.

“What we want to do at xx shows is to create a space where everyone can just be free of their own problems for a night, and feel with us,” Oliver said in the middle of their set.

The brief semi-encore moment, where drummer and programmer Jamie Smith was alone on stage, was probably the moment that most fans did not expect, but it would not be strange if it had been planned for the night.

When The xx took a break from touring in 2014, the producer worked on his solo material, culminating in his 2015 debut album In Colour under his solo moniker Jamie xx.

In Colour received universal acclaim by audiences worldwide and solidified his own name in electronic music history. On that album, both Oliver and Romy make appearances on one song each, highlighting the trio’s solid camaraderie.

Oliver’s song on In Colour, “Stranger in a Room,” was not played in Jakarta, but Romy’s song “Loud Places” ended the band’s main set with a sea of bright, technicolors emanating from the lights as Romy crooned through one of the most emotional songs to have been created this decade.

It is no surprise that Romy and Oliver have been friends since they were kids, as the pair bounced off and understood each other’s emotions as if they were their own.

It was after “Loud Places” that Jamie took brief command of the stage, delivering a very brief solo set of house beats layered over the top of his remix of the band’s new single “On Hold.” The song was duly played by the band upon Romy and Oliver’s return to the stage.

As the night drew to a close, Romy addressed the crowd with thank yous that oozed pure love and gratitude for every single person who attended the show.

“Each and every one of you means a lot to me tonight. Thank you for your love,” she said to rapturous applause before going into the band’s 2012 single “Angels.”

And just like that, the show was over. The feeling of space the band had created had suddenly vanished to the confused audience, who eventually walked out feeling incredibly content and touched by the top-notch show. Those who came to dance danced, and those who came to feel felt. Perhaps even both.

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