Vampire Weekend

The Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh - 3 May 2008

by Mike Gillard

New Noise finally gets its teeth into a Vampire Weekend live show; it was worth the wait...

"This band is different. They take to the stage with effortless cool and a confidence that only comes from knowing they’ve created one of the finest albums of the year"

A beautiful early summer’s day greeted Vampire Weekend’s arrival in Scotland, befitting their optimistic blend of ska, afro beat, and scholarly North American indie pop.

Let’s get one thing straight, this band is different. They take to the stage with effortless cool and a confidence that only comes from knowing they’ve created one of the finest albums of the year. They look good too - none of that wasted British indie band façade - they look healthy, energetic and almost annoyingly handsome.

Opening with ‘Mansard Roof’, the first track off their eponymously titled debut album, they sound brilliant, Rostam Batmanglij’s keyboard instantly grabbing the attention and the relentless drumming of Cristopher Tomson translating well live. Bassist Chris Baio is so full of life he could meet the energy demands of a small country but it’s lead guitarist and singer Ezra Koenig who really entrances the audience. Charming and nerdy at the same time, he jerks around the stage like a young David Byrne, showing a welcome enthusiasm for the songs he’s delivering.

Album favourites ‘A-Punk’, ‘One (Blakes Got a New Face)’ and ‘Oxford Comma’ all sound great. "If you want to dance then this is the song," proclaims Koenig when introducing 'A-Punk' and the crowd responds by raising the temperature of the venue by a few degrees. But particular standouts come from the more down tempo ‘I Stand Corrected’ and ‘M79’, allowing the band to show an emotional side and give Batmanglij’s orchestral synthesiser a thorough workout.

New song ‘White Sky’ offers Koenig his only chance to put down his guitar and gives us a delightful glimpse of what to expect on the next album. It’s immediately catchy, sounding like a more palatable Animal Collective with strong hints of Paul Simon thrown in for good measure.

"This is literally the only song we have left," informs Koenig towards the end of the set. Just as well it’s a good one. We’re left with possibly the catchiest song of the year - ‘Walcott’ - and it gets the whole room dancing. This is one band that definitely deserves the hype.
Francis said on May 14th 2008 [report abuse]

too right Mike. I saw them in London earlier in the year and they were incredible in an understated kind of way. Chinos and boaters are back boy!

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