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Oliver Sim Announces 2022 Tour Dates, Shares “GMT”: Stream

The post Oliver Sim Announces 2022 Tour Dates, Shares “GMT”: Stream appeared first on Consequence .

Oliver Sim has unveiled his new single “GMT” along with plans to embark on a wide-ranging tour in Fall 2022.

Coming in support of Sim’s horror-inspired debut solo album, Hideous Bastard , the trek begins September 29th in Seattle and makes stops in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and New York before hopping the pond on October 20th to play Copenhagen, Paris, Amsterdam, and more. See the full itinerary below.

Fans can sign up here for early access to the pre-sale, which starts on Tuesday, July 12th at 10:00 a.m. local time. General on-sale begins at the same time the following day via Ticketmaster .

On “GMT,” Sim declares he’s “On Greenwich Mean Time/ Missing you, missing you” before crooning, “Someone decided to save my life/ Pink and blue, pink and blue.” Watch its pink-hued music video, directed by Laura Jane Coulson, below.

“‘GMT’ was one of the first songs made for the record,” the xx musician said in a statement. “The song was written about pining over a love back home, thousands of miles apart on different time zones. It’s also a love letter to London.”

Produced by Jamie xx, the song joins previously-released tracks such as “Romance with a Memory,” “Fruit,” and “Hideous” as the latest offering from Hideous Bastard , which is due out September 9th via Young.

Oliver Sim 2022 Tour Dates 09/29 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 10/01 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern 10/02 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 10/05 — Chicago, IL @ Metro 10/06 — Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre 10/08 — Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre 10/09 — Boston, MA @ Royale 10/10 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall 10/11 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 10/20 — Copenhagen, DK @ Vega 10/22 — Paris, FR @ Le Cabaret Sauvage 10/23 — Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg 10/24 — Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal 10/26 — Berlin, DE @ Admiralspalast 10/27 — Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefaehrlich 10/29 — Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall 10/30 — London, UK @ KOKO

Oliver Sim Announces 2022 Tour Dates, Shares “GMT”: Stream Glenn Rowley

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Oliver Sim Shares The Beach Boys-Sampling Single ‘GMT’ And Announces 2022 Tour Dates

As the world awaits a new album from The xx , Oliver Sim is going ahead and taking some time for his solo career. He has a new album, Hideous Bastard , on the way, which he’s offered some previews of so far via a handful of singles. Today, Sim has delivered a new one, “GMT,” an ethereal and subtly thumping tune he co-wrote with his The xx bandmate Jamie xx.

Sim told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe of the track:

“I wrote this song with Mr. Jamie xx, my brother and best friend, and one winter he kind of decided to escape English winter, which is brutal, brutal, brutal. Real months where you question life and everything. So he went off to Australia and I chased him there. And we spent a few weeks in Sydney, did a road trip down to Byron Bay, listening to music, swimming a lot… we were listening to a lot of The Beach Boys at the time. When we arrived in Byron Bay, we started ‘GMT.’ Sampling is such a personal thing. You’re not just sampling because of how beautiful it sounds, but because of all of the emotional memories you have locked into it. We had to solidify the moment. We sampled The Beach Boys and ‘GMT’ was created.”

Listen to “GMT” above. Sim also just announced tour dates for this fall, so find those below.

09/29 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 10/01 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern 10/02 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore 10/05 — Chicago, IL @ Metro 10/06 — Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre 10/08 — Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre 10/09 — Boston, MA @ Royale 10/10 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall 10/11 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 10/20 — Copenhagen, DK @ Vega 10/22 — Paris, FR @ Le Cabaret Sauvage 10/23 — Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg 10/24 — Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal 10/26 — Berlin, DE @ Admiralspalast 10/27 — Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefaehrlich 10/29 — Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall 10/30 — London, UK @ KOKO

Hideous Bastard is out 9/9 via Young. Pre-order it here .

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Oliver Sim Announces New Album and Headlining Tour, Stream New Single “GMT”

British musician Oliver Sim—best known for his work as songwriter, bassist and vocalist of The xx—unveils a new song “GMT” and announces his debut album plus upcoming headlining tour with a stop in Los Angeles at the Wiltern on Oct. 1. Sim will also be playing several shows along the west coast and surrounding areas including […]

British musician Oliver Sim—best known for his work as songwriter, bassist and vocalist of  The xx —unveils a new song “GMT” and announces his debut album plus upcoming headlining tour with a stop in Los Angeles at the Wiltern on Oct. 1 . Sim will also be playing several shows along the west coast and surrounding areas including Seattle, WA at The Showbox and October 2 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore . See the full list of tour dates below.

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Get Tickets to Oliver Sim at the Wiltern

Tickets to Oliver Sim at the Wiltern go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, July 13 at 10am. There is a Live Nation presale happening on July 12 at 10 am. Fans can access the presale by using the following  ticket link  and presale password:  ELECTRIC

There is also an artist presale happening on July 12 at 10 am. Sign-up for Sim’s mailing list to receive his artist presale code.

GET TICKETS TO OLIVER SIM AT THE WILTERN

GET TICKETS TO ANY OLIVER SIM TOUR

Sim’s debut album  Hideous Bastard features a collection of songs produced by bandmate Jamie xx and inspired by Sim’s love of horror movies and his own life experiences. The album is set to be released Sept. 9 via Young. His new single “GMT” is the fourth single off Hideous Bastard and features full reaching vocals that roll over swirling and sentimental instrumentals. The resulting sound hums and rumbles with a familiar longing and feels as if it is a deeply moved by something presently out of reach.

“‘GMT’ was one of the first songs made for the record,” says Sim. “I’d chased Jamie [xx] to Australia to escape British winter. We worked in Sydney and road tripped down to Byron Bay, stopping at secluded beaches and listening to a lot of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson on the way. The first song we made was ‘GMT,’ sampling Brian Wilson’s ‘Smile.’ The song was written about pining over a love back home, thousands of miles apart on different time zones. It’s also a love letter to London.”

Pre-save  Hideous Bastard here .

Words: Patti Sanchez

For more on Oliver Sim, make sure to visit his website and follow him on Instagram.

OLIVER SIM LIVE : September 29 – Seattle, WA The Showbox October 1 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern October 2 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore October 5 Chicago, IL Metro October 6 Toronto, ON The Phoenix Concert Theatre October 8 Washington, DC Lincoln Theatre October 9 Boston, MA Royale October 10 New York, NY Webster Hall October 11 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer October 20 Copenhagen, DK Vega October 22 Paris, FR Le Cabaret Sauvage October 23 Amsterdam, NL Melkweg October 24 Brussels, BE Cirque Royal October 26 Berlin, DE Admiralspalast October 27 Hamburg, DE Uebel & Gefaehrlich October 29 Manchester, U.K. New Century Hall October 30 London, U.K. KOKO

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Oliver Sim shares new single ‘GMT’ and announces 2022 headline tour

"[It's] about pining over a love back home, thousands of miles apart on different time zones," Sim said of the track

Oliver Sim has shared a new track called ‘GMT’ and announced a string of headline dates for this autumn.

• READ MORE: The xx – ‘I See You’ review

The song is the latest preview of The xx musician’s debut solo album ‘Hideous Bastard’, which is due for release on September 9 via Young. It follows the previous singles ‘Romance With A Memory’ , ‘Fruit’ and ‘Hideous’ .

“‘GMT’ was one of the first songs made for the record,” Sim explained of his stripped-back latest offering.

“I’d chased Jamie [xx , producer] to Australia to escape British winter. We worked in Sydney and road tripped down to Byron Bay, stopping at secluded beaches and listening to a lot of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson on the way.”

He continued: “The first song we made was ‘GMT’, sampling Brian Wilson’s ‘Smile’. The song was written about pining over a love back home, thousands of miles apart on different time zones. It’s also a love letter to London.”

The track comes with a simplistic video by Laura Jane Coulson, a longtime friend and collaborator of Sim’s. It sees the singer perform ‘GMT’ in front of a changing sky backdrop and visuals of busy city streets.

Tune in here:

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“We wanted to make something simple and positive that focused on Oliver’s performance,” Coulson said. “I also wanted to capture his energy and show moments where we see a hint of his off-stage persona. We had so much fun making it.”

Having played his debut London solo show late last month (where he covered Placebo and was joined by bandmate Romy ), Sim is scheduled to embark on a North American, European and UK tour this September.

He’ll take to the stage at New Century Hall in Manchester on October 29 before returning to London for a gig at KOKO in Camden Town the following night (October 30).

Tickets go on sale at 10am (local time) next Wednesday (July 13). You can purchase yours here and see the full itinerary below.

Oliver Sim will play:

SEPTEMBER 29 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox

OCTOBER 01 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern 02 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore 05 – Chicago, IL – Metro  06 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre  08 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre  09 – Boston, MA – Royale  10 – New York, NY – Webster Hall  11 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer  20 – Copenhagen, DK – Vega  22 – Paris, FR – Le Cabaret Sauvage  23 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg  26 – Berlin, DE – Admiralspalast  27 – Hamburg, DE – Uebel & Gefaehrlich  29 – Manchester, UK – New Century Hall  30 – London, UK – KOKO 

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Oliver Sim is front and centre

By Stuart Brumfitt

A rendezvous on a street corner with a man you’ve never met is easier when that man is Oliver Sim. The 33-year-old is simple to spot: a rangy matinée idol, immaculate in Miu Miu . Plus, since he launched his solo career off the back of the three-album, world-touring critical success of the xx, he’s stepped out of the shadows (quite literally, considering the band’s hyper-obscured aesthetics) with a series of high-camp music videos, high-fashion shoots and high-impact storytelling.

We’re meeting in his childhood neighbourhood of Earl’s Court for a Queer Tour (subtitle: “A Mince Through Time”) of the area from 82-year-old Stuart Feather, an artist and former lacquer craftsman who moved here in 1960, seven years before homosexuality was made legal. I thought the ghosts of an old gay scene would appeal to Sim, who’s been talking up his love of all things horror through the release of his first solo album, Hideous Bastard .

Feather’s here to tell us what it was like when this was still London’s hottest gay area – not just a mass of chain stores and seedy three-star hotels. Growing up in the locale, Sim was unaware of the rich LGBTQ+ stories that swirled around him. “It’s a strange area to come back to, because in my head, there was nothing here,” he says. “It’s fun to see it in a different way. You automatically think life then must have been hard – but Stuart’s like, ‘No, it was fun: dope and acid!’”

Top, £1,437 and miniskirt, £594, Dion Lee. Trousers, £2,650, Bottega Veneta.

Feather recounts jolly times at The Bolton pub, where Harrods shop boys and Clarence House staff would meet for flirty after-work drinks. He conjures up lively images of The Coleherne, where leather fetishists came to party on a Saturday night and men in bell bottoms and beautiful sweaters would mooch down for a Sunday afternoon of jazz. His memory is tack-sharp: leather night was mostly performative masculinity (with men who didn’t even ride motorbikes holding helmets – ooo-er – while discussing the latest opera) and no queen would be seen dead in the same jumper twice on a Sunday afternoon. “I love it!” says Sim, attentive to Feather’s every description. “Just the visuals of the dress codes they had for different places!”

The tour makes Sim think differently about growing up here. “There were so many unanswered questions about this area, like, why wouldn’t my mum let me cycle around the cemetery?” he says. It should have been his shortcut to school, but his mum made him avoid it. Now he knows why: because Brompton Cemetery is a notorious gay cruising ground. Feather tells us he recently checked a friend out of hospital for lunch and they sat in the cemetery eating sandwiches, watching men hunting for sex among the gravestones. It’s that lightly pervy, Alan Bennett kind of Britishness.

Even though Sim didn’t know what a big part his childhood borough played in London’s gay life, he did come to Brompton’s pub for his first pint aged just 13. Sim envisioned walking into a scene out of Queer as Folk , but instead landed in an older bear bar where people were watching porn on TV. By that point, Earl’s Court had pretty much evaporated as a gay area, and Sim was instead drawn to an early noughties honeypot. “Soho was my teens: Ghetto, Trash Palace, G-A-Y, Heaven,” he says over pints of lime and soda (he became sober in 2016) in the former Coleherne, now a bog-standard boozer with no visible clues of its heyday.

“I was always around Soho. There were two worlds that I loved: Thursday night at Ghetto, which was Misshapes, so electro-indie; and then Wednesday night, Fruit Machine at Heaven [home to R&B, bashment and hip-hop].” Sim had different looks for the two very different scenes. “Fruit Machine I would wear colour and Misshapes I would go more goth. And I’d take out my diamante earring on Thursday morning after Fruit Machine.”

It’s easy to imagine a bright-eyed young Oliver Sim knocking around scuzzy, buzzy Soho with his oldest friend, Romy Madley Croft, just before they went on to form the xx with Jamie Smith. He was passionate about his clubbing looks, and on his early nights out, he met a young Kim Jones , now Dior Men’s artistic director. Jones remembers Sim being very shy. “We would be in the same clubs and social groups every night and he just seemed like a lovely guy. He seems more outgoing and confident in who he is now, but he is still the sweet Oliver I met many years ago. Brave and courageous and beautiful.”

By Frazier Tharpe

By Adam Cheung

By Daisy Jones

Now they’re firm friends: Sim sits front row at Dior’s men’s shows and, as a friend of the house, is often dressed head to toe in the brand. It’s easy to see why they like him – he’s got a languid sense of style that’s hard to fabricate. “He has that rock-and-roll look, like a modern Elvis ,” says Jones. “He makes clothes look so great.”

Coat, £7,040, Marni. Top (price upon request), Loewe. Trousers, £770, Altu at Matches Fashion.

Very early into his exuberant entry onto the scene, though – a time when most young gay people are ecstatically shaking off sometimes difficult adolescences – Sim’s world came crashing down when he was diagnosed HIV-positive. It’s something the public learned about this summer, through the release of “Hideous”, one of his first solo singles outside the xx. The track is gut-wrenching in its truth. It begins with Sim talking about feeling ugly, sick and perverse, then it teases out a final admission: “Radical honesty/Might set me free/If it makes me hideous/Been living with HIV/Since seventeen.”

With the release of “Hideous”, Sim is one of few public figures – along with Jonathan van Ness and Mykki Blanco – to have shifted the narrative around HIV in years. We’re past the terrifying early crisis of the 1980s, beyond the mega-celebrity red-ribbon-wearing of the ’90s, and – in the UK at least – we’re in a place where people who are diagnosed can live as long a life as anyone and where PrEP medication has vastly reduced the risk of getting HIV. Still, people are living with HIV and there remains a widespread lack of understanding of how far we’ve come with the treatment and prevention of the virus.

Before releasing the song, Sim contacted the Terrence Higgins Trust (a longstanding British HIV charity) to be sure he was up to speed with the latest language and information before he shared his status with the world. Ian Green, THT’s CEO, told him not to feel any obligation to educate people, but just to tell his story. Green says public figures sharing their status is a personal choice, but if they do it, the impact it has is tremendous.

“Despite the medical advances, there’s still stigma and a lot of that then becomes self-stigma,” says Green. “Somebody with HIV is three times more likely to have mental health issues than somebody who’s not living with HIV. So when people with a public profile talk about their HIV status, it demystifies it and creates an opportunity for people to have conversations. The fact that Oliver has – in a very genuine and understated way – talked about his HIV status has really had an impact and it will encourage others living with HIV to perhaps share that with friends or loved ones.”

Sim’s song provides comfort. The repeated question on the track – “Am I hideous?” – is answered by iconic ’80s gay singer Jimmy Somerville’s guardian-angel verse, telling Sim: “Follow my voice/Sweet nature boy/Just to keep you safe/Listen for me/Be bright, have trust/Just be willing to be loved.” Somerville, most famous for the eternal gay anthem “Smalltown Boy”, did backing tracks on five songs on the album after Sim got in touch with him during the isolation of lockdown.

Why tap Somerville, who of all the ’80s queer popstars, such as Boy George or Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, is arguably the least exalted? “I’ve known Jimmy’s voice forever. Then I started fully understanding what he means, going on YouTube deep dives and seeing videos of him on British breakfast television in the early ’90s. He comes across as quite combative, talking about HIV and Aids to people eating their breakfast. And I was like, ‘Cool, that’s the kind of support, that’s the kind of person I need in my life. And he’s fucking funny. Speaking to more experienced queens and speaking to Elton [John], there’s a certain type of humour, a knowingness of having been through things, but being able to be playful with it. It’s fire to me and I just want it in my life.”

He brings up Elton John because he’s another of his close friends and someone he consulted about coming out as HIV-positive on record. John, who’s done more than any public figure to raise funds and awareness for HIV/Aids since setting up the Elton John Aids Foundation in 1992, advised Sim to just do what felt right for him. And when he heard the resulting music, John strongly identified with the emotions it brought up. “Being gay, I found ‘Hideous’ really, deeply moving and very beautiful. It’s also very disturbing in lots of places,” says John. “What he’s saying about shame I can relate to in such a deep way... I grew up in the ’50s and so there was a lot of shame surrounding being gay. I didn’t know anything about being gay, I didn’t really have sex until I was 23 – it was all so taboo. And the shame, the rejection, and being an outcast in society... [it] has changed a lot, but it still has a long way to go.”

Coat, £6,000, Steve O’Smith. Top, £350, Chet Lo. Trousers, £450, JW Anderson. Gloves courtesy of Costume Studio.

While that song and the accompanying album, Hideous Bastard , are, at times, a difficult listen, there’s humour and lightness that act as a counterweight. Sim’s delighted when I show him a video I took on a tiny Greek island over the summer. Walking through the chora, I heard the sounds of “Hideous” floating out of a house on the Meltemi wind, being carried out towards the Aegean Sea.

It’s an unlikely holiday anthem, but heard there, the song suddenly felt light and free. It chimes with the statement Sim released with the song: “I haven’t written the record to dwell, but rather to free myself of some of the shame and fear that I’ve felt for a long time. So, I hear a lot of the music as joyous, because the experience of writing and recording it has been the complete opposite of what fear and shame have been for me.”

The majority of Hideous Bastard was produced by Jamie xx , with no involvement from Madley Croft (Sim reassures that it’s just an organic divergence into solo projects and that the xx will be making more music in the future). The album is a mixture of light and shade, kitsch and profound. Tracks such as “Saccharine”, “Never Here” and “GMT” offer up a mood that fans of the xx will have been craving, while “Hideous”, “Fruit” and “Romance with a Memory” see the emergence of a searing new solo Sim sound.

Jacket, £3,600, top, £920 and boots, £1,400, all Prada. Trousers, £2,890, Valentino. Belt, £500, Gerrit Jacob. Gloves courtesy of Costume Studio.

The album was created in Australia, Cornwall and Hastings, but mostly in his old stomping ground of Soho in Jamie xx’s studio, which “looks out over everything – it’s amazing.” Jamie xx describes different parts of the album as “like looking through a holiday photo”, since they worked on some of it out of an oceanside garage studio in Sydney, taking swims between recordings. The best part of recording for Jamie was the bond the pair felt. “We became even closer friends,” he says, “which I didn’t think was possible, but it reached new levels and I’m just very grateful for that.”

Sim loved being in Australia, but it’s also where he recorded “GMT”, a track that has him pining for rainy London . “It was amazing, and I get why people move to places like there or LA – you look fantastic, you sound fantastic – but sometimes the work is not better. I think you need seasons and a pinch of misery. Melancholy is important for being creative. It’s good to appreciate the sun when it does come out. I could bitch about London for days, but the moment anybody says anything about it, I will fight them! There is an inherent melancholy that I think is the reason so many incredible creative things come out of here.”

Madley Croft didn’t feel left out of the project and was pursuing her own (apparently Eurodance-inspired) album. She’s enjoyed being able to absorb the music that her best friend (since the age of three) made without her. “It was fascinating to me to see what Oliver and Jamie would make together,” she says. “I loved that experience of me being like, ‘Oh, I would not have made that musical choice.’ Not in a bad way. It’s been fascinating to see where they took it. I was excited to see what [Sim’s] imagination created, and lyrically, when I heard it, I was like, ‘Oh, well, I really need to up my game.’ He’s really gone to places that it’s brave to go to and he’s articulated it very beautifully, which is something I’m very proud of him for doing.”

Coat, £7,040, Marni. Top (price upon request), Loewe.

Perhaps the biggest departure for Sim on this project has been his embrace of camp horror, glitter and gore in his film, Hideous Bastard – it’s a far cry from the xx’s arch, cool monochrome visuals. Sim premiered the Yann Gonzalez-directed short at the Cannes Film Festival over the summer, where he was pleased to be upstaged by Sharon Stone at the premiere for David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future .

“When we had to do the big red carpet, I got a crash course in how you do it. One thing you’ve got to hope for is that a bigger star isn’t before you or after you,” he recalls. “If that happens, you get shuffled away and they hold you in this cattle pen. I was about to go out and Sharon Stone hit the red carpet and soaked up all the energy. I can’t contend with that! I walked out there and it’s like ‘flash, flash, flash’ for Sharon.”

At his own screening, he received standing ovations. It’s a sometimes-hammy, sometimes-touching, Bimini -starring film that’s inspired by his favourite horror films, Graham Norton’s risqué Channel 4-era chat show and Hype Williams’ music videos for Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, which Sim watched obsessively on MTV Base as a teen. “It was all so extra, so strange, so bizarre, so fun,” he says of Williams’ work.

Sim wanted this same kind of showmanship, fantasy, adventure and entertainment to counterbalance the fact that he’d made such a sincere and honest record. “I don’t want to present this like, ‘This is raw and real! This is me stripped back!’ No!” he says, guffawing at the idea. “There’s something so insincere about doing that, so I’m just like, ‘Give them a show!’ I’ve made this horror film and am trying to find ways to bring that to life in the live show.”

Jacket, £3,200 and boots, £1,400, Prada. Shirt, £295, Budd. Tie (worn as scarf), £400, Gucci. Shorts, £765, Louis Vuitton. Ruff (price upon request), Vivienne Westwood. Latex socks, £45, Libidex. Gloves courtesy of Costume Studio.

Sim hasn’t quite found his touring legs yet, though: some of his early dates were cancelled because of Covid and his September-October tour was postponed too. The few solo shows he did without Jamie and Romy were a little weird. “I haven’t hit my groove yet. I got into it by the last one at home, but it’s hard,” he admits. “I’ve been in the xx since I was 15 and always with my good friends. It’s just not having them. Also, [I’m] trying to put down my bass guitar . My bass guitar is my shield! It’s my weapon! It keeps my hands busy and I’ve only got it for like two or three songs solo, so the rest of it is trying to step forward and be that person.”

He’s figuring out ways to be on stage. In the xx, Sim was often shrouded in darkness, or low-lit to near ghostliness, whereas now he’s hyper-visible, front and centre stage. He may have hit on new ways of presenting his solo self by working with the stylist Ben Schofield on his GQ Style shoot though. “I was trying to explain how so much of performance for me is playing with a bass, so what the hell do I do with my hands?” says Sim. “And Ben’s like, ‘OK, let’s put you in a glove!’” It’s a camp “hey presto” moment! “Even when they’re not in shot, the gloves are for me. It’s like being in a full suit with lingerie underneath.”

As is often the case with Sim, you can see a small detail begin to open up his big, horror-leaning imagination. “What is more scary to me is somebody that’s presenting as normal. Any time I’ve gone to a goth club: the sweetest, loveliest people [but] the whole look is intimidating, like, ‘Don’t come near me, because I’m sensitive.’ Whereas the people that present the most normal and are trying to conceal something are far scarier.”

Through his new music, Sim hides nothing. It’s this soul-baring that, at its peak, makes the music so stirring. Elton John agrees: “I love the fact that Oliver deals with all this in his art head-on. He’s so open and honest; he’s an inspiration. I’m so happy he’s getting recognition as a solo artist, because his album is a masterpiece.”

Even though he’s made a record to cast off the shame he felt around his HIV status, Sim’s still asking questions around the subject, unresolved like a smart person should be. “I’m mindful I’ve made a record about shame and fear, but I don’t want to sound like a finished product. I still have fear, I still have shame,” he says, sitting in The Coleherne, the ghosts of leather daddies and queens in beautiful sweaters all around. “I’m just far less overwhelmed by it than I was.”

Stuart Brumfitt is associate editor of GQ Style

PRODUCTION CREDITS Photographs by Nicola Delorme Styled by Ben Schofield Photographer’s assistants: Erika Denis Febles, Robin Sparkes and Nicole Chen   Stylist’s Assistants: Kit Swann, Katie Smith-Marriott and Alana Newton   Set Design by Paulina Piiponnen Hair by Mike O’Gorman   Makeup by Anna Payne   Casting by Jonathan Johnson   Models: Fabio @ W Model Management, Fred @ Menace Model Management

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“Part of the reason Hideous Bastard came to be was imagining playing the songs live,” Sim wrote on Instagram. “But timing is everything and sometimes things don’t quite come tougher 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.” 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oliver Sim (@hideousbastard)

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OLIVER SIM: FRUIT TOUR 2022

Wed 29 june 2022.

Wednesday 29 June 2022

7pm Doors 8pm Support 9pm Oliver Sim 10pm End

Age Guidance

Music & Gigs

Assembly Hall

Oliver Sim —best known for his work as songwriter, bassist and vocalist for The xx — heads to Shoreditch Town Hall for his debut solo tour FRUIT .

Sim, born and raised in London, has been a member of The xx since its inception in 2005. After the success of their 2017 LPI See You , the band’s three members made a conscious decision to take some time to themselves. After a period of rest and reflection, and at the encouragement of friends, Sim began to work on solo material. Taking inspiration from his love of horror films and his own life, Sim put together a handful of demos and brought them to bandmate Jamie xx to flesh out.

All tickets sold in the stalls are for standing only. All tickets sold in the balcony are unreserved seating.

We will be taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of everyone in the building. Whilst at the Town Hall you must abide by all Covid-19 Safety Measures in place, which you can find here .

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The xx’s Oliver Sim Cancels Fall Tour

By Madison Bloom

The xx ’s Oliver Sim has canceled his upcoming fall tour . Sim shared the news on social media earlier today (September 1), writing that his September and October dates would no longer take place. The trek was scheduled to support his debut solo album, Hideous Bastard , which arrives September 9 via Young . “Part of the reason Hideous Bastard came to be was imagining playing the songs live,” Sim wrote. “But timing is everything and sometimes things don’t quite come together the way we‘d hoped.” He noted that ticket refunds would be made available. Find his full statement on Instagram .

Sim was slated to kick off the tour September 29 in Seattle, with subsequent shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and more, before a final gig in London on October 30. “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,” Sim added in his statement. “I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused but I look forward to putting on a truly hideous show for you very soon.” Sim detailed Hideous Bastard back in May. The album includes the singles “ Romance With a Memory ,” “ Fruit ,” “ Hideous ,” and “ GMT ,” the latter of which is produced by Jamie xx and samples Brian Wilson. Last month, Jamie xx released a new remix of “ GMT ,” featuring additional production from Floating Points.

When reached by Pitchfork, Sim’s representatives offered no further comment or information.

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Sim, born and raised in London, has been a member of The xx since its inception in 2005. After the success of their 2017 LP I See You, the band’s more...

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