The XX Factor

British band ''The xx'' performing during the Colours of Ostrava music festival in Ostrava, North Moravia this July

Romy-Madley Croft, one of the founding members of The xx says she still has to pinch herself when she gets on stage and performs in front of thousands.

The British guitarist and singer was speaking ahead of their forthcoming Asia tour that takes them to South Korea’s Valley Rock Festival Friday and Japan’s Fuji Rock festival today, before shows in Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan next week.

"We did it for a couple of years when there were only about five people in the audience, when you certainly did not feel like a success," she told AFP over the phone from Reno, Nevada. “Even now I have to pinch myself.”

She also said that their carefully curated performances, where the whole band wear black and stand in a statuesque manner, can leave fans emotional.

"Couples have come up to us after the show and told us how they got together with our music," she said. "Some people tell you that they’ve cried their whole way through the show, and you don’t really know what to say."

She continued however to explain that she can feel personally moved after her live performances with the band that she formed when she was 15 and at school with band mate Oliver Sim. "After each show I feel like I’ve gone through a whole emotional experience and come out the other side. It feels quite therapeutic," she said.

* AFP