Last Saturday, December 5, I caught an excellent double bill at Webster Hall: Friendly Fires and the xx. I sneaked into the venue early and had a chance to talk to Friendly Fires' frontman Ed Macfarlane and lead guitarist Edd Gibson while the xx were soundchecking. Macfarlane and Gibson talked with me about their Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, plans for their sophomore release, due out in 2010, and what touring has been like for them in the States and around the world. As the guys revealed, since they often play with bands that have a totally different sound from their own punked-out, dance party vibe, the crowd can sometimes be unpredictable: *video shot by Shane Wilson