She’s a great remixer, and a prolific writer, spitting out home-grown EPs faster than you can say “So Fast, So Maybe”, one of the good ones live, along with “Messin With My Head” and “No, duh.” And as for indie cred? Best tracks at the Media Club are “We Hate Everyone” (a collab she did with Liam from The Prodigy), “Less Than Zero” (featuring a The XX sample) and “Stop, Focus”, (which has us, uh headbanging to bits of The Decemberists’ “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid.”) See what I mean?  Which brings us to…

2. …the fact that she’s bridged the Great Crossover. K.Flay’s got b-boy fanboys, hipsters, headbangers, good girls and hardcore rappers all drooling for her. No easy feat, it’s kind of what Die Antwoord’s managed and K is winning them wit and skill, not rats and ridiculous. 

3. She’s got an amazing drummer out with her. Songs seem enormous live as Nick Suhr bashes out on drums and pads, earphone in so he can catch the loop. He’s an absolute pleasure to watch, and fills out the room beyond Flay’s Macbook. Astounding.

4. She’s goofy. On tour, she poses for pictures against signs of streetnames that she thinks are dirty. Bush Ave, Prince Albert St, etc. Can’t wait till she tours Dildo, Newfoundland.

5. She’s nice. Whether’s she’s sweat-ily agreeing to throw us the rockhands while at SXSW or taking time to receive every cup of gush that the young b-boys throw on her after the show, Flay proves that you don’t have to be a dickhead to be a rapper.

6. She experiments, just gets it out there. She’s done a ton of EPs, a ton of remixes and a ton of really good videos. ONE EVEN HAS PUPPETS IN EM! Check ‘em all here.

7. She’s genuine. A track loop fucks up on stage, she just laughs, shrugs, calls it like she sees it. Her computer is giving her a hard time. Nae bother. She starts over again. Similarly…

8. She’s no bullshit. No fronting. No cheesy gold chains or ghetto “chic”. She’s just…a cool kid, with nice trainers and a Nixon watch, a dual degree in sociology and psychology from Stanford, who likes the Joy Formidable….and can rap at Warp Factor 11.

9. She works her ass off and is super high energy. Bounces high off her red kicks, headbangs, drums along with Suhr, lunges into the crowd. There might have been only 50 people in the crowd tonight but she performed as if there was 500. That’s style.

10. She does this thing with her tongue. You know how they say “spittin’ out rhymes”? K spends most of her time rapping with her tongue sandwiched between her upper and lower teeth, as if it’s she’s biting down on it. It’s kind of totally adorable and impossible to miss.

11. This. Stick with it past the “La, la, la, las…” \m/

First-three-album-era Cure/new wave guitars mix with spare drum beats and electro blips, over which the London-Soul-kissed Romy Madely Croft and Oliver Sim whisper-sing. The live show treads a musical line between groove and catatonic (in a good way), but mixed with purrty lights, a bit of drumming from mixmaster/producer Jamie Smith and the occasional shy smile and marbles-in-mouths thanks from Romy or Oliver, they’re actually pretty good.

Better, in fact, than one might expect, considering that their debut (represented fully over the hour-long set) sorta falls into the category of music cool people want to fall asleep to (which a few fans in their seats at the show actually did). Not that the songs aren’t good, they are. But they’re also low blood pressure.

Yet, interestingly, the bulk of the fresh-faced, super-young  (for the XX? Really?) crowd at Vancouver’s Commodore on April 13 were more energetic than even the band. And were singing along. Loudly. Not what one would expect, right? Nodding and/or swaying, yes. But audience participation from preps and the Gossip Girl set? Did not see that one coming. So clearly the XX are on to something.

Give ‘em time. It’ll be really interesting to see what they’re like when they grow up.

The XX Live at the Commodore Ballroom was presented by Sealed with a Kiss.

The White Wizard, (J. Mascis from Dinosaur Jr) from the side of the stage at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver

Beth Ditto from the Gossip decided to reach out and touch someone(s) in Vancouver

Look! Indie Record Store Fans! And Sarf London’s 20-somethings, The XX, at Zulu Records

Billie Joe from Green Day always wanted to be the policeman in the Village People

What’s he doing here? John Taylor from Duran Duran, at Marymoor Park, Richmond, WA

C’mon and show us what you’ve got! Share links to YOUR mobile phone gig or band pics! \m/