VAMPIRE WEEKEND (London ULU, 24/02/08)

Inexorably attracting every skinny-jeaned, floppy-fringed youth within a 20 mile radius, Vampire Weekend’s headline gig at the University of London was a chance for New York’s brightest young things to prove they’re worthy of the massive hype being bestowed upon them. Their debut album is likable enough, an Afrobeat inspired collection of jangly guitars, erudite lyrics and Paul Simon-esque melodies, but it’s certainly not the classic some quarters are making it out to be. So it came as a pleasant surprise that their live show, although strait-laced in many respects, was way more enjoyable than I possibly expected.

Apart from the odd tempo change they stuck very close to their recorded sound, but their proficiency and energy stopped this from being a lazy sleepwalk through their back-catalogue; like the Soweto sound they appropriate so liberally, their music is made to be performed live. Even the irritating Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa was more bearable in its live incarnation, and all was going swimmingly until disaster struck and a rogue fire alarm forced an impromptu evacuation of the building. Thankfully, the Gods of Indie were looking kindly upon us that night, as it wasn’t too long before the fire brigade gave the all clear, and the majority of the crowd returned for the last quarter of the set. And funnily enough, the atmosphere only improved as a result of this near-catastrophe, Oxford Comma and the sublimely kinetic Walcott (which, if there’s any justice in the world, should be one of the festival anthems of this summer) easily getting the best reception of the night. If you get the chance, I’d definitely recommend checking these guys out (although a quick warning- their last London show sold out in 5 minutes); they’re by no means a revelation, but you’re guaranteed a fine time.

(Photo: Arkadyevna (Flickr))