The xx, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

Tonight’s show at Shepherd’s Bush marks the release of The xx’s new album ‘Coexist’. ‘Not only is this a special day because our album is out but we’re also back home in London’, says Oliver Sim during the show. It’s what makes tonight’s gig such an uplifting celebration.

The restraint of their sound with its whispered vocals and night-time sonics – together with their introverted public image – suggested that tonight’s show may be too one-paced. ‘We thought our music would never leave London’, Sim says later, as if to highlight this idea. And the point seems to be underlined by the band playing opener ‘Angels’ behind a gauze screen with a drifting sepia projection.

Yet as the gig progresses the restraint on the albums is replaced by a power and elegance as Jamie’s dance beats take hold. There’s still the fragile emotional interplay between Romy and Oliver but songs also grow and build and are given extra layers by the production so that at times it’s like a (more subdued) dubstep club.

The fact that their sound is so stark at times that it means there’s a lot of sonic territory to move into and Jamie has filled these spaces with new sounds. It also means the dynamics of the band seem to have shifted, in a positive way. Tonight each member plays their role: Romy’s emotionally drenched vocals and guitarful of reverb perfectly complements Oliver’s luxuriously deep voice. Yet tonight – and it’s been mentioned numerous times since the album was first streamed - Jamie’s influence is clear. He unpacks his box of tricks to offer us submerged beats, rumbling basslines and clattering thunderous metallic percussion.

Their music has often been about the space in between the notes, the pregnant pauses and enveloping dreamy landscapes. And after ‘Angels’, versions of ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ and a minimal version of ‘Crystalised’, given a lot of space, are perfect examples of their mastery of this.

But it’s midway through the set that things start to develop. The opening steel drums of ‘Reunion’ followed by ‘Sunset’ and ‘Basic Space’ see the crowd treated to dancified dubstep anthems. It’s the buildups, and emotional climaxes that work so well. The production is next level and the crowd start to jump, something that it was previously difficult to imagine at an xx gig.

Yet despite this confidence there’s still a modesty at play. ‘There’s nothing more nerve-wracking than catching your grandmother’s eye as you’re playing a massive show’, Oliver says and they constantly thank the fans for being here tonight.

Then there’s a warming ‘VCR’. Even after 500 listens it still creates a tingling that radiates through your body. For those who claim they are dull, this is a reminder that The xx are a band who can create those special moments between crowd and performer and have it emanate throughout the entire audience.

As the gig comes to a climax, ‘Infinity”s crashes of thunder get faster and faster and a giant transparent ‘X’ is unveiled. Intro, merged together with Tides, starts the encore before Stars builds and builds, feelings of frisson pulse through the venue and the X glows almost as warmly as the crowd.