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Gig Review

Vampire Weekend
Brighton Centre, Brighton

Article written by Alex S - Dec 17, 2010

Vampire Weekend

Fortune has opened her legs for Vampire Weekend. It seems only yesterday they were struggling to fill a room of less than 500 at Concorde2. But here we are, just over two years later at the cavernous, soulless 4,500+ Brighton Centre. Late and gasping for more beer we were delighted to see a bar devoid of the usual scrum and chaos at this most unwelcoming venue. But on second glance the true horror unfolded; people were queuing. At a gig. This says everything you need to know about VW’s move from indie-cool to mainstream middle class appeal in the time it takes to mix a refreshing Horchata. Not that I begrudge VW their success, but this polite, prosperous, well-heeled audience had all the trappings of a Hampstead graduation party.

Opening song ‘Holiday’ from second album Contra set the tone for a joyous, uplifting, summertime celebration spanning their two albums. A quite exquisite ‘White Sky’ brought into sharp relief the calypso feel of their sound,; a crystal clear ‘A-Punk’ followed, every plucked guitar note pinging effortlessly off the spacious walls of the Centre. Yet as the evening unfolded a strange dichotomy emerged. The purity and clarity of their thin, sinewy sound was both a strength and a weakness. On occasions the near perfect replication of their album sound was lost in the great hall, particularly in the slower songs like ‘Taxi’ or ‘Diplomat’s Son’. This was exasperated when main-man Enza Koenig went noodling at the back of the stage with drummer Chris Tomson. Attention would wane and the connection between band and audience lost. Thankfully this rarely lasted long. When the drums were high in the mix, such as on the bone shaking, tub-thumping ‘Giving Up the Gun’ or on ‘I Stand Corrected’ - as strong as an ox – VW pummelled us into bewildering bliss. On this performance, the songs from Contra are as strong as those on the first and destined to be classics in the mould of Mansard Roof, Walcott et al.

A wave of excitement rolled through the crowd as the band returned for their encore, a jubilant triumvirate of Horchata, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa and the ubiquitous Walcott left the crowd wild, happy and sated. As we left the warm glow of a Vampire Weekend gig as if by magic snow poured from the sky across the silver sea, glistening in the lights of the pier. The natural beauty of this moment the perfect complement to an evening with Vampire Weekend.

Links:
http://www.vampireweekend.com/