A blast of rap heralded the oncoming of Brooklyn’s Vampire Weekend, a reminder that it was only Kanye West’s Yeezus that provided competition for Modern Vampires Of The City as international critic’s Album of the Year for 2013. Ezra Koenig marched onto the Festival Hall stage clad in a boiler suit with both sleeves and trousers rolled up, ready to get down to business. The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out.
The no-nonsense anthems of local band Gang of Youths amply warmed up the squealing crowd and Vampire Weekend didn’t waste a second, hammering through the many highlights of their latest album and the heady, hyper singles from their two earlier ones. With a new album that’s their best yet and which rounds off a trilogy that moves from fresh-faced college dramas to a darker, more mature (but still catchy as hell) sound, this was the perfect time to catch the band in the live setting. While all three albums were amply represented, their enduring self-titled debut got as much of an airing as their newest release.
There’s no simmering summer’s night to match the tropical pop of Contra highlight Horchata, but the fervent VM fans were in full force and it was eagerly lapped up with passionate screams and excitable girls on shoulders pointing at the ceiling. Ezra was gifted with a towel quoting his ‘Bad bitch with a power switch’ tweet, which he gladly donned for the remainder of the show.
The frenetic pace of the set finally subsided for more pensive tracks from their new album, Obvious Bicycle and Hannah Hunt, after which we were sent packing with early cuts One and Walcott. It was a jubilant, A-grade performance of escapist fun that momentarily snuffed out the reality of back-to-work week.
BY CHRIS GIRDLER
Photos by Anna Kanci
Loved: Highlights A-punk, Unbelievers, Cousins and Hannah Hunt.
Hated: The floral backdrop.
Drank: Beer in a cup.
