X factor times two: The xx live in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - If there's one major takeaway from The xx's concert at the NBC Tent last Tuesday night, it's the Filipino audience's appreciation of good music regardless of popularity or genre.

Recently, it has become increasingly common to hear news about an international band or artist touching down in Manila to entertain legions of fans and pop music enthusiasts. The capital has been placed in the worldwide concert map, with big artists like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Psy and Maroon 5 performing before thousands of Filipinos.

It appears to be an easy formula- get an international pop star to perform in the Philippines and you'll get a successful concert, all thanks to the Pinoy's love of all things mainstream. But what if artists involved play music that is nowhere near mainstream pop?

Still good, apparently.

The xx, a British trio composed of vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, and remix artist Jamie Smith gave their Filipino fans a taste of their enigmatic brand of music in a jam-packed night full dreamy songs and fantastic lights. The entire NBC Tent was filled with a dark, mysterious and dreamy mood, punctuated occasionally by fans shrieking at every song's start.

The band started out in 2005 and carried on to receive critical acclaim for their albums titled xx and Coexist. Their debut album, xx, won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize in 2010, sealing their reputation as one of the best British bands of current time.

Performing hit songs that included Islands, VCR, Crystalized and Angels, Croft's seemingly hard exterior yet soft core, matched with Sim's intense swaying and piercing looks at the audience made for a memorable and rather unusual night for Filipino music enthusiasts and concert-goers alike. Despite the softness of the band's songs- a mix of low tunes and near-whispers, the intensity of both Croft and Sim and the use of quirky lights created a one-of-a-kind concert experience that was both visually and auditorily pleasing.

Croft and Sim's brand of mysterious, understated coolness matched with Smith's masterful creation of ambient music and chill sounds makes the band a definite standout among other artists, a unique group Filipino music junkies can definitely look up to.