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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Kitty Empire

Romy review – a masterclass in bittersweet feeling

Romy at the Roundhouse, a beam of light coming down from the top right hand corner
‘Elegiac and therapeutic’: Romy at the Roundhouse. Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer

Romy Madley Croft, sometimes of the band the xx, is somewhere on stage, veiled in a thick fog of dry ice. Amniotic beats throb in the distance. We’re nearing the end of the first night of her two London Club Mid Air sets in which Romy’s celebrated solo debut album of last year, Mid Air, tours the world in the company of DJs, lasers, fat bass frequencies and the very occasional special guest.

Accompanied by musical director Francine Perry on a bank of electronic gear, Romy has been singing of new love and nursing some old hurts, all to thumping 4/4 percussion, rave stabs and the odd house piano. It’s a masterclass in bittersweet feeling, delivered through euphoric rhythm. Suddenly, a familiar voice takes up Romy’s lyrics.

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