Yahoo! Music Review

Gig played on 17/01/08

The word in the bars around East London is that tonight's Vampire Weekend gig is the hottest ticket in town. As it transpires, hot is very much the operative word: Such is the demand to catch the ascendant New York City four-piece that the promoters appear to have oversold the venue's capacity by at least three times and as a result it's sweltering inside; Literally rammed to the rafters with tipsters and industry types all jostling for a sight of this latest hype and their potentially baffling sonic foundations. There's no easy way to put this: Vampire Weekend appear to be directly influenced by afro-beat.

Not just afro-beat but calypso, soca and ska and there's more than a whiff of Stuart Copeland about their gangly, indispensable drummer Christopher Tomson. But don't reach for your rifle just yet, because if you're anticipating a Gracelands style cultural car crash you'd be way off the mark. Because, like contemporaries Yeasayer and Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend have found a way to artfully channel these more exotic influences into a recognisable indie template, rough it up with a crisp post-punk edge and then deliver this sound live with the deep percussive punch of a carnival soundsystem.

They open with debut single "Mansard Roof" and from the off it's easy to see why they got the hipsters in such a lather towards the end of last year. It's like a blast on an especially potent mint, airy, arresting and utterly fresh in every sense of the word. Clattering, syncopated drums push up against a simple one note bass line, creaky organ parts drift about the mix and the whole thing is topped off with an irresistible nursery rhyme-like melody.

It takes Vampire Weekend a couple of numbers to properly loosen up but from here on in, each number is characterised by a delightful rhythmic bounce and swing that sets them apart from most other indie bands on the planet right now. Drummer Tomson plays like he's got six arms and eight legs and vocalist/guitarist Ezra Koenig wraps his charming yelp and croon about every note, simultaneously displaying a way with a melody that would have Macca grasping at the notepad and pen.

Admittedly, the set sags a little towards the end and a run of tunes that stick to the increasingly familiar arrangement. But things pick up again with "One", which, were it not for the sardine-friendly conditions, would surely have inspired all out crowd gymnastics to match the impossibly propulsive drum break. The quartet close with "Walcot" (sadly not inspired by Sven Goran Eriksson's ill-fated 2006 World Cup squad) which is perhaps the closest they will ever get to 'anthemic' but confirms them as a band soon to be loved by many and for considerably longer than a weekend.

by James Brackpool & Ryan Dombal (Image)