Oliver Syme: This album cast demons out of it

The guitarist and baritone for the London indie pop band “The xx” gives a very personal start. We talked to him about the burden of secrets and coming out with HIV.

A huge city like London is not only made up of urban areas. Located in the southwest, Putney exudes a village vibe. Not much happens there. He doesn’t do it in the yearning but the great vocals of the internationally successful band “The xx”. Oliver Sim plays bass there and performs his fantastic baritone in wide scenarios. His voice has always been closely related to that of Romy Madeley Croft, whom he enrolled in kindergarten.

“On our way to school, music sometimes came through an open front door. At 16 we gathered all our courage and asked what was going on here. The answer was, ‘We are called banquet beggars and we are a record company.’ The teens loved it and asked if they could bring a demo tape. The lady on duty just said, “Yes, yes, sure!” They did—and they heard nothing more. “A few years later, we fell for this very sign anyway.” The rest is pop history: three great albums that hit the world.