Photo: Justine Trickett
Vampire Weekend at The O2 Arena? No need to double take, the quirky New Yorkers with their off-beat tunes and sing-along indie dancefloor-fillers are two dates into an UK arena tour and by the look of the pretty packed dome and the jubilation that greets the band, the decision to 'step up' is an entirely justified one.
Arriving on stage to Drake’s ‘Worst Behaviour’ is a real statement of intent from the off. With a well decorated stage complete with a giant magic mirror hanging above the four-piece, the gig crashes into life with recent single ‘Diane Young.’
With just three albums behind them, Vampire Weekend have propelled themselves from college graduates who produced a wonderful self-titled debut album full of playful imagery and tales of growing up, to an arena band with the release of the equally brilliant third album Modern Vampires of the City.
Lead singer Ezra Koenig takes everything in his stride, donning a Ghostbuster’s style one piece and shades, he dictates the pace of the gig wonderfully well. Flitting between songs from their three albums, ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ goes down as well as ‘Holiday’ and ‘Step’ during the early stages.
The biggest reaction from the crowd comes when that unmistakable ‘A-Punk’ guitar hook is thrust into the limelight. No matter how many times you hear the song, be it in a dingy basement of some alternative room in your least favourite club during ‘indie night,’ it will inevitably leave you smiling and tonight is no different even when played in what is a effectively an oversized, overpriced corporate hole.
The nifty shuffling of bass player Chris Baio is an enchanting image that has to be seen live to be appreciated. And although he starts off quiet, keyboardist and guitarist Rostam Batmanglij certainly finds his feet during an out-of-the-blue cover of Blur’s 'Song 2'.
20 songs to the good Vampire Weekend’s show-reel of hits go down an absolute storm. Afro-beat jams, delicate heart-felt coming-of-age numbers and the all out raucousness of tracks like ‘Giving Up the Gun’ leave Koenig thanking everyone in attendance, declaring “wherever you have come from Essex or Norway, Thank You.”
The band’s encore is perfectly timed and well formed. An outing of ‘One (Blake’s Got a New Face)’ felt like a real treat and as the crowd kept jumping for final number ‘Walcott,’ The O2 Arena now felt like a place where the band belong.
Vampire Weekend played:
Diane Young
White Sky
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Unbelievers
Holiday
Step
Finger Back
Horchata
Everlasting Arms
Cousins
California English
A-Punk
Boston (Ladies of Cambridge)
Ya Hey
Don't Lie
Song 2
Campus
Oxford Comma
Giving Up the Gun
Obvious Bicycle
Encore
Hannah Hunt
One (Blake's Got a New Face)
Walcott
Below: Exclusive photos of Vampire Weekend at O2 Arena, London
