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Love at first bite - Vampire Weekend
The charismatic American four piece bought their effortless charm and indie rock appeal to Sydney’s Big Day Out Festival this month, attracting a huge crowd of excited fans.
So excited in fact, that when in the crowd strangers took to biting mine and others necks – perhaps hoping to spread the Vampire love?
And maybe it worked, as a first time crowd-goer for this band it was love at first bite for me.
Angular, fast paced time signature manipulating songs like “California English” and “Cousins” are so intricately recorded that to see them performed live just as perfectly against 47 degree heat, with band members still smiling, dancing and chatting to the crowd, indeed deserves respect from anyone enjoying the show.
The impeccable drumming of Tomson worked to drive and excite the audience and complimented the light stepping and always funky bass of Baio, while talented Batmanglij worked smoothly between guitar and keys and Koenig completed the set with his enigmatic smile and clean, precise vocals to match his guitar work, creating the uniquely energetic African-influenced pop sound we’ve come to know and love.
Their buoyant presence on the Big Day Out tour has increased the hype surrounding the yet to be released third album, not expected to come out until May this year. Their coming April performances at the California Coachella Festival (with fellow Big Day Out headliners Red Hot Chilli Peppers) highlight the importance of touring for bands wishing not to fade into obscurity between album releases, an all too common occurrence for musicians who find internet-fuelled-fame (examples include LMFAO, Carly Ray Jepson and Psy who have all but disappeared after their respective internet hype died down).
With 2 big international festivals ticked off the to-do-list and a new album coming out fans will have plenty of Vampire Weekend action to sink their teeth into for the months to come.
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