Photographer by Eva Luise Hoppe
Angela Seo (L) and Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, which plays Crowbar in Ybor City on Oct. 7, 2024.
The now Berlin-based duo has been a staple of the experimental-rock scene for about two decades and built a dedicated fanbase on the strength of songs that are always on the cutting edge, but straddle the line between beautiful and ear-splitting.
It’s music for weirdos, and the tradition continues on Xiu Xiu’s 18th LP, 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips.
While most of the arrangements are organized in the Western folk tradition, the nine-track, 36-minute, outing is cathartic )“Common Loon”), avant-garde (“Bobby Bland”), and straight-up headbanging (“Veneficium”) all at once.
“Xiu Xiu is certainly not for everybody. But it is for very specific people, generally for people who are, in one way or another, kind of on the edge of some aspect of life,” bandleader Jamie Stewart recently told ABC News.
We’re on the edge, alright, and this gig could not have come at a better time.
Tickets to see Xiu Xiu play Crowbar in Ybor City on Monday, Oct. 7 are still available and start at $20. Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.
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