South London's most minimal romantics, the XX, are now officially a trio. The band were already forced to cancel a few of their tour dates this season because of exhaustion and now have confirmed that keyboardist/guitarist Baria Qureshi has left the group.
According to an interview with Stool Pigeon [via The Quietus], Qureshi left due to a mix of not enjoying the touring lifestyle and simply growing apart from the band.
As vocalist Oliver Sim put it, "We're a three-piece now. We've been in a band with Baria since we were 16 and known her since we were 12. It's just been a case of, I suppose, growing apart? It's a big jump from 13 years old to 20. I think we've just grown into different people and I don't believe touring was for her, really."
He went on to say: "It's been ridiculously sad, but I'm quite looking forward to seeing what spawns from here. For the first time in a long time we sat and worked, jamming in a rehearsal space trying to build up the live set again and have moved a bit further away from the album after a stage of just reciting it."
As you can see, the good news is the band are still fully functional and will play all planned shows in the coming months as a trio. Sim even added that he's excited about the possibilities facing the band, saying, "I feel like we're going somewhere else now - being a bit more creative, trying to put on a bit more of a show."
There are plenty of remaining North American tour dates, many of which are supporting fellow electro Brits Friendly Fires. You can see those dates here.
According to an interview with Stool Pigeon [via The Quietus], Qureshi left due to a mix of not enjoying the touring lifestyle and simply growing apart from the band.
As vocalist Oliver Sim put it, "We're a three-piece now. We've been in a band with Baria since we were 16 and known her since we were 12. It's just been a case of, I suppose, growing apart? It's a big jump from 13 years old to 20. I think we've just grown into different people and I don't believe touring was for her, really."
He went on to say: "It's been ridiculously sad, but I'm quite looking forward to seeing what spawns from here. For the first time in a long time we sat and worked, jamming in a rehearsal space trying to build up the live set again and have moved a bit further away from the album after a stage of just reciting it."
As you can see, the good news is the band are still fully functional and will play all planned shows in the coming months as a trio. Sim even added that he's excited about the possibilities facing the band, saying, "I feel like we're going somewhere else now - being a bit more creative, trying to put on a bit more of a show."
There are plenty of remaining North American tour dates, many of which are supporting fellow electro Brits Friendly Fires. You can see those dates here.
