The four youngsters from New York have come a long way since the preppy, indie pop sounds of their self-titled 2008 debut.
Despite some writing them off as a passing fad, Vampire Weekend have managed to successfully withstand the test of time and develop their sound into a mature, complex creation that was adapted masterfully for the live setting at their Falls Festival sideshow.
Loyal fans queued outside Festival Hall from early in the afternoon while enthusiastic youngsters pushed each other to claim a better spot in the standing area long before the band were scheduled to appear.
In a call-back to the band’s origins as a rap collaboration between Ezra Koenig and Chris Tomson, the foursome strode on stage to Drake’s ‘Worst Behaviour’ before opening with ‘Diane Young’ from the band’s brilliant third album, Modern Vampires Of The City.
From the outset, it was pretty obvious that this was an all-ages show. Enthusiastic screams and half-hearted pushing is one thing, but a sea of phones in the air recording each and every song plagued the night, ruining what would have been a superb atmosphere. It really makes you appreciate bands that go out of their way to enforce a ‘no phones’ rule, even if it seems strict and heavy-handed.
Frontman Koenig was his normal, effortless, and charming self, offering a “What’s up Melbourne” before launching into ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’, the first taste of the band’s debut.
Hearing the new songs directly alongside older material revealed just how impressive and drastic this transformation has been. They’ve grown up from the catchy, simple, afro-beat inspired pop heard on the likes of ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ into a complex and intriguing band that can produce songs like ‘Unbelievers’ and ‘Everlasting Arms’.
The older songs were still highly enjoyable live and given a new life with prominent and heavy drumming from Tomson and Chris Baio’s expert bass. In fact, it’s the stark contrasts within the New Yorkers’ back catalogue that ensured the set was entertaining and diverse in its entirety.
The unmistakable opening riff of the breakthrough single ‘A-Punk’ invited frenzied dancing amongst standing and seated punters alike, and the B-side ‘Boston (Ladies Of Cambridge)’, introduced as “a very old Vampire Weekend song”, was eventually reduced to just Koenig immersed in a spotlight.
‘Ya Hey’ typified the band’s new and improved sound with an array of weird and wonderful tunes accompanied by a spoken word piece from Koenig.
It was almost impossible to not just stare at Baio for the whole set. The bassist is by far the most attention-grabbing and charismatic while playing, happily bopping his head or displaying some quite impressive dance moves.
A double hit from Vampire Weekend’s debut came with ‘Campus’ and ‘Oxford Comma’ and was met with a huge reaction from the adoring crowd, while ‘Giving Up The Gun’ featured an intense, strobe-lit final breakdown that more closely resembled something from a dingy club rather than Festival Hall. As for the rest of the set, the band managed to make it work.
‘Obvious Bicycle’ brought the main set to a quiet, restrained finish. Koenig donned a banner thrown up on stage around his neck, and the pulsating crowd’s demands for the band’s return were quickly rewarded with a three-song encore.
The beautifully crafted ‘Hanna Hunt’ slowly built to Batmanglif’s guitar solo, and old favourite ‘One (Blake’s Got A New Face)’ saw the strongest fan-led vocals of the night.
Koenig acknowledged the mutual love between Melbourne and Vampire Weekend before the band departed, with the always-charming frontman saying, “You guys have always supported us, we won’t forget that” before the traditional closer ‘Walcott’ brought the night to an end.
As the soothing sounds of Frank Sinatra over the PA eased fans back into the real world (a far cry from Drake’s introduction), many reflected on a show that solidified the band’s newfound longevity and engaging, polished sound.
As Modern Vampires Of The City also does, it was a set that confidently confirmed Vampire Weekend are going to be around for a long time yet.
Setlist
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
Campus
Oxford Comma
Giving Up The Gun
Obvious Bicycle
ENCORE
Hanna Hunt
One (Blake’s Got A New Face)
Walcott
