Oliver Sim has canceled his upcoming solo tour. With his debut HIDEOUS BASTARD, the The xx bassist actually wanted to perform in Germany as well – on October 26th at Berlin’s Admiralspalast and on October 27th at Hamburg’s Uebel & Gefahrlich”, presented by Musikexpress. The shows will not be rescheduled.
Oliver Sim explains his tour cancellation as follows:
“Part of the reason Hideous Bastard came to be was imagining playing the songs live. But timing is everything and sometimes things don’t quite come together the way we’d hoped. The shows booked for September and October are sadly not able to happen so we’ll have to wait a little longer to hear these songs in a room together. I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused but I look forward to putting on a truly hideous show for you very soon.
Thank you for your patience xxxx”
Oliver Sim’s debut album HIDEOUS BASTARD will be released on September 9th. With “Romance With A Memory”, “Fruit” and “Hideous” he had already released various tracks from it. Finally, an almost ten-minute remix by his bandmate and producer Jamie xx followed. He had adopted Sims song “GMT”. Hear his version streamed here, as well as the original.
In addition to HIDEOUS BASTARD, there will also be a film called “Hideous” in cooperation with the streaming service MUBI, which was created in cooperation with Oliver Sim and the director Yann Gonzalez. Gonzales has also been responsible for Sim’s previous videos. “Hideous” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Screenings also take place worldwide, including in Berlin. Here are the dates:
Sep 06 London, UK – The ICA
September 07 Berlin, DE – Babylon Cinema
September 08 Mexico City, MX – House of Vans CDMX
September 10 Tokyo, JP – Human Trust Cinema Shibuya
Tickets are available at https://oliver-sim.com/screenings.
You can also find out more about Oliver Sim in the Musikexpress issue 09/2022.
ALL THREE MEMBERS OF THE-XX ARE NOW (ALSO) ACTIVE SOLO
His band mates Jamie xx and Romy Madley Croft had done it a long time ago. At the beginning of March, The xx’s Oliver Sim also followed suit and released his first solo single “Romance With A Memory” – produced by Jamie xx. The accompanying music video featured artists and drag performers Charity Kase, HoSo Terra Toma and Gena Marvin.
Oliver Sim himself said of ‘Romance With A Memory’: ‘I’m thrilled, excited, ecstatic, full of endorphins and so over the moon to finally be able to share ‘Romance With A Memory’ with you all. This is the first song I’ve ever released under my own name, I really hope you all enjoy it. The song was produced by my dear older brother Jamie xx.” And lest anyone have to worry that this beginning could mean the end of The xx, he adds: “PS I still have a loving and happy relationship with the band, with Romy and Jamie.”
At the beginning of April, Sim followed suit: Since then, his second solo single “Fruit” can be heard. The track is “a personal manifesto of his queer identity and self-acceptance, which he addressed to his younger self.” The accompanying video was also shot by French director Yann Gonzalez. “Hideous” and “GMT” followed.
With his electro indie pop rock band The xx, Oliver Sim has released three (acclaimed) albums as bassist, songwriter and singer. The still current one is called I SEE YOU and was released in 2017. The xx member Jamie xx released his solo debut IN COLOR in 2015 and singer Romy Madley Croft released her debut single “Lifetime” in September 2020.