Jamie xx is a massive chiller. He surfs, does yoga, and makes music. He also sells out two shows at Alexandra Palace in the middle of a rainy week in September, and few chillers can do that. Which makes him interesting.
Jamie XX - real name Jamie Smith - is someone with broad, massive appeal. He makes crowd-pleasing music for swarms of handsome faces (male, mostly) in their twenties, thirties, forties and beyond, wearing – as per last night – tattersall shirts with mid-length sleeves. In short, it’s 2017-core. Which would normally be embarrassing, but Smith is one of those very lucky artists whose mainstream status hasn’t negatively affected his credentials as a Cool Dude that Cool People listen to. Besides Loud Places, you may not know the tracks by name – Dafodil, Idontknow, Baddy on the Floor –but you’ve definitely heard them, enjoyed them, bopped along to them in the car or –if you were there last night – maybe on the dancefloor.
Since rising through the ranks as one third of the xx (which won the Mercury Prize in 2009 for their debut album), Smith has built a career off of cleverly crafted, widely appealing and reasonably un-experimental dance tracks. In other words, he was Fred Again before Fred Again. (Fred Only Once, if you like.) At 35 he is learning to monetise his image as a former 365 party boy turned seasoned and intelligent producer; meaning he’s at a point in his career where he will only do the biggest gigs, like Glastonbury. Any event with Smith – say, a recent concert that also involved Charli XCX – is an achingly hot ticket.
And so, to Ally Pally. This is not a venue known for good acoustics or good lighting. Which is a problem for the DJ, who is all about both. I don’t know whether he sent the troops in early or whether Ally Pally went through a pre-emptive refurb of their light and sound systems when they booked him. Suffice it to say the acoustics were top notch and the single strobe of light (red, brat green, then blue) was a very nice touch. Full marks.
As for the set itself: Smith is clearly not bothered with smashing any mould, or indeed any eardrums. This was a medley of his greatest hits into which he occasionally threw drum and bass (the fifty-somethings appear to love this more than most). He knows this is a broad church, and he plays to it like a pastor. He is an excellent reader of crowds, an expert selector and very good at sampling. All of this, however, does not constitute sending it.
I went last night with two friends who have seen Jamie XX live before (I hadn't). And while he is an expert selector, they point out, his job is to be a mixer. It’s a job they’ve seen him do better than anyone else, but sadly not one on display last night. There were no truly interesting or original mixes: a predictable set and, not to put too fine a point on it, one that could have been put on by anyone with good decks and a pre-downloaded Jamie XX playlist. That's not to say I didn’t have a great time – I did – but the true dance music enthusiast might find something lacking here.
Now, to give Smith the benefit of the doubt: it was a Wednesday night. People have jobs. Some even have real jobs. Maybe tonight he’ll really send it. I really hope he does.
