Photo: WENN.com
The incongruous sight of 10,000 or so hardy souls jumping up and down in all manner of winter woolies to scorching sun-kissed anthems like ‘A-Punk’ was one to behold last Thursday.
After braving biting winds, snow and icy temperatures to make the long trek to Alexandra Palace to catch the first of two huge indoor shows by the effervescent Vampire Weekend, the masses were determined to enjoy themselves. And what better way to warm the cockles than by po-going along to the bulk of the dapper New York-based quartet's joyous back-catalogue?
Infamous for its patchy, echoey sound the beautiful north London venue is always a brave choice by any band. First you have to fill it, then you have to try every sound engineering trick in the book to ensure the music is heard the way it is meant to be.
I always had a feeling Vampire would pull it off due to the exemplary musicianship and attention to detail and thankfully that's how it proved. In town on their final tour of the year promoting second album ‘Contra’, the four-piece jubilantly waltzed through a 90-minute set kick-starting with the uber-bouncy ‘Holiday’.
Led by preppy pin-up Ezra Koening, the Ivy Leaguers then proceeded to roll out the choice cuts from their first two albums. The propulsive ‘I Stand Corrected’ and a nostaglic ‘M79’ were early highlights, while new album highlight ‘Cousins’ was fuller and even more impressive in the live arena.
Elsewhere, ‘Giving Up The Gun’, melted the crowd into a dancey frenzy and ‘Oxford Comma’ sparked scenes of smiley jubilation all round.
By the time traditional closer ‘Walcot’t had been aired, powered on Chris Tomson's infectiously rhythmic drumming, any lingering winter blues had been well and truly erdicated. If the NHS could bottle and market the spirit and vigour of Vampire Weekend’s music their winter ailments helpline would surely be a lot less busy.
.jpg)
