Romy Madley Croft (right) and her bandmates in English indie pop act The xx will be pumping their brand of alternative rock through the Kitec Star Hall on Wednesday. The band stemmed from the dynamic duo of Oliver Sim and Madley Croft, who started making music together in 2005, when they were 15. Guitarist Baria Qureshi joined them soon after and Jamie Smith a year later. The release of their self-titled debut album in 2009 saw them make the transition from indie darlings to must-see mainstreamers. In 2010, the BBC used the album’s opener, Intro, in its coverage of the British general election, which saw the formation of a coalition government headed by Conservative Party leader David Cameron … “Dave the Chameleon”, as the then-governing Labour Party branded the now-prime minister in 2006, has been noted for fussing over his public image. Footage from a news broadcast from the Conservative Party Conference that same year showed him wearing four different outfits within just a few hours. Cameron has claimed he enjoys “chillaxing” and such activities as cycling and tennis. A keen player and fan of the racquet sport, he once played a game at 10 Downing Street with the man who recently became the first male British winner of the Wimbledon title since 1936, Andy Murray … The 2013 champion, who may soon be knighted, was born with a bipartite patella on his right knee – in layman’s terms a split kneecap – and has admitted the condition will cause him pain for the duration of his career. As a boy, Murray – whose quest for greatness has caused him to reluctantly cut down on his pizza intake – had a penchant for Milky Way chocolate bars and would save up his pocket money to watch James Bond films. His all-time favourite is Goldfinger, which starred a 34-year-old Thomas Sean Connery … Like Murray a Scotsman, Connery – whose portrayal of British secret agent 007 ranked No 5 on Premiere magazine’s list of 100 greatest movie characters of all time – claims he started smoking aged nine. He enlisted in the Royal Navy at 16, served for three years, then worked as a milkman, a bricklayer, a coffin polisher and a lifeguard. In 1953, he was offered a contract to play football for Manchester United but turned it down to pursue his acting career. Connery is, for many, the quintessential Bond; however, Roger Moore, who played the role on seven occasions – more than any other actor – has said he prefers the incumbent Daniel Craig … Craig is said to be an intensely private person but he broke cover in a 2011 interview when he referred to the Kardashian family as “f***ing idiots” for exposing their private lives on their realitytelevision show. Like Bond, he drives an Aston Martin, bought for him on the occasion of his 45th birthday, earlier this year, by his wife, actress Rachel Weisz. In November, he stated his desire to see a “dirtier” Bond girl in future instalments of the 51-year-old movie franchise, namely Barbadian pop artist Rihanna … Robyn Rihanna Fenty, who aspires to be the “black Madonna”, has recorded seven studio albums, picked up six Grammy Awards, and recently broke the six million mark for albums sold in the United States. She is only 25. The pop diva’s song Drunk on Love – which features on her sixth album, Talk That Talk – samples Intro, the widely heard track from The xx’s debut album and composed by its frontwoman, Romy Madley Croft.
