Xiu Xiu

It's not surprising that Xiu Xiu's stage setup is bare-bones. With a few microphones, a synth, snare drums, bells and various obscure flutes and kazoos, the performers - Jamie Stewart (lead vocalist, guitarist and brains behind the operation) and multi-instrumentalist comrade Angela Seo - looked strange amongst the branch-like setup. Xiu Xiu have proved time and time again that they will not play like anyone else, creating consistently avant-garde music that has evolved with the ever-changing indie scene. At their Pop show, they played songs that were both old and new, including 2003's minimalist self-loathing track "Sad Pony Guerilla Girl" from A Promise and 2010's "Dear God, I Hate Myself" from the album of the same name. A highlight of the show came when Stewart hooked his pink Nintendo DS to the amplifier, using what sounded like a keyboard emulator to perform his contribution to the song, virtually.