The xx’s Night + Day in Berlin – photo diary

On Saturday, the xx bring their Night + Day festival to Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. So what happened when they staged it at an abandoned theme park in East Berlin? Romy and Jamie talk us through their photo album ...
  
  


XX In Berlin: Rainy stage
Romy: 'Olly onstage as we were setting up. It was the biggest thing we’ve ever done in terms of our own shows – you just hope it all goes to plan.'

Jamie: 'We went to the site the day before to watch it being set up and make some small changes. In Berlin people were hanging advertisements up, which we were strictly against so we had to get them to take them down. Making sure there was no branding everywhere was also important because it was our own thing and we wanted it to concentrate on the music'
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: Beer & suitcase
Jamie: 'I like to carry my own records when I DJ because I worry they might get damaged. I don’t buy many expensive records but it takes me a long time to find certain ones. My most treasured one right now? I’m enjoying playing a 12in version of Why by Carly Simon' Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: xx
Romy: 'This is me with Olly. I think this was taken just before the doors opened. We went for a walk around the empty site to get a feel for it. This picture was a moment of: "Oh wow, we’re really doing this, I hope it goes well!" It’s nerve-racking, like throwing a birthday party and hoping people turn up!' Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: Dinosaur
Jamie: 'There were loads of these dinosaurs around the park. I guess that was the theme of the place when it was in business. Most of them were half-broken, they had fallen over with bits stolen from them … it was quite creepy really. People were clambering all over them and breaking into bits of the park to go on the rides – even though they weren’t functioning'

Romy: 'People kept telling us there was this theme park they’d broken into before. I was quite impressed we managed to put on a festival there – it’s quite a health hazard! I’m not sure if it would have been approved in England – there was definitely the prospect of someone getting quite hurt! You could climb into the tunnel of the rollercoasters or on top of the big wheel'
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: Faces
Jamie: 'There were 11,000 people there in Berlin'

Romy: 'We used to play to older crowds, people over 30 … now there are a lot of people our age and younger, it’s exciting and a bit more nerve-racking because it’s your peers'
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: xx
Jamie: 'We made a point of going out into the crowd and being involved in the festival'

Romy: 'These are the biggest things we’ve ever done in terms of our own shows. The aim was to do something with a bit more personality than, say, the O2 in London or whatever. We wanted to give people the sense that we’d thought about more than just walking on stage and performing'
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
The xx in Berlin: Child in headphones
Jamie: 'I’ve seen a few YouTube clips of kids liking our music – I couldn't tell you why they like it but they seem to. It was quite a family event really. We had a lot of areas just to chill out in and do other things' Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: Rainy fans
Romy: 'We were pretty unlucky with the weather here. But I was pleasantly surprised by how the people embraced it, dancing around with umbrellas. A lot of the other bands embraced it as well – Kindness skidded along the wet stage'

Jamie: 'It was pouring with rain at times but everyone was in good spirits – they seemed happy sitting in the wet grass getting muddy. It was such a weird, eerie, setting that I think the rain worked really well'
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: Dancing fans
Jamie: 'This was in the DJ park, my favourite area of the festival – it was full of people blowing bubbles and dancing' Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: Front  row fans
Jamie: 'We always put it into our contract that we only play at night-time or sunset. You get a really nice view from the stage at sunset'

Romy: 'Our music was all written at night so it suits playing late shows. We’ve played at 4pm in the blazing sunshine but the night is best – it adds mystery'
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: Spotlit
Jamie: 'We try and turn our set into a bit of a journey. There are dancey, uplifting sections and also some really intimate moments'

Listen to Jamie's mix from the festival here!
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
XX In Berlin: LIve on stage
Jamie: 'It’s always been a challenge for us just to be on stage. We never thought we’d be playing stages as big as this. In terms of stagecraft, Olly and Romy have really stepped up … I’m trying to get there but luckily I’m not at the front so I don’t have to do it so much'

Romy: 'Going into this tour for the second album, we were aware that we needed a show that worked in a bigger venue – so that the person at the back of a field can still get into it'
Photograph: Alexandra Waespi
 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*