“Okay, that’s a deep cut.”
Inevitably from this ‘unbearably white’ crowd, the post-Ivy League, indie-rockers found themselves at the humdrum task of diving into their extensive back catalogue on their first arrival to London’s Alexandra Palace in 9 years. With the recent release of their highly-acclaimed 4th LP, Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend have embarked on a mammoth world tour upkeeping their reputation for their equally mammoth sets lasting beyond 2 hours (including crowd requests and all). Yet as the seminal 7-piece began to conclude their sold-out show, would they fair well to the obscure, deep-cut requests of the crowd? Could they really cope without their influential talisman of the past, Rostam Batmanglij?
Before we answer these burning questions, let’s first discuss the subdued start to Vampire Weekend’s set this evening. Excavating notably more sombre tracks such as ‘Bambina’, ‘White Sky’, and ‘Cape Cod’, the scattered sound levels unfortunately left us uneasy at this band’s unorthodoxly calming introduction to their set. Yet, if anything, it was intriguing to see the effects of the band’s re-shuffled lineup within the former track ‘Bambina’, exuding a comparatively groovier facade against the classic worldbeat tropes of the past.
Fortunately, such experimentals began to transcend further - with frontman Koenig’s-featured SBTKRT track ‘New Dorp, New York’, offering a further electronic string to his multitude of sonic bows as it enticingly waded through wild, polyrhythmic beats and percussion. Evolving into Weekend’s latest singles ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Harmony Hall’, the extensive act proved themselves as true musical virtuosos with various unanticipated psychedelic tangents attached to such quirky vocal collaborations strewn throughout. Ultimately improving on the inception of tonight’s set, Vampire Weekend emphatically progressed their sonic evolution as a band since the recent departure of Batmanglij, showcasing some of their best-written material to date.
“Dad was a risk taker, his was a shoe maker.”
Nevertheless, the ensuing delve into their past thereafter made for equally appetising listening as we were ultimately reminded how our love for this particular band came about over the past decade or so. With such ‘rockier’ tracks as ‘Diane Young’, ‘Cousins’, and ‘A-Punk’, it invariably proved an enjoyable blast from Vampire Weekend’s eclectic past, mixed with Koenig’s aptly lyrical tongue against those lambasting the band for their ‘preppy’ Ivy League roots.
Coming full circle, Koenig and his nifty entourage seamlessly recited the aforementioned, obscure request of ‘Ottoman’ - bordering on absurdity with its buried feature on the ‘all-too-memorable’ 2008 film soundtrack of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Aside from this disconcerting detour, Vampire Weekend ultimately concluded this evening on an infinite high with the bizarrely empowering aura of ‘Ya Hey’s construed vocal riffs. Exuding Koenig’s undeniable taste for lyrical themes and narratives, the religious testament tied into this sanctified track ultimately supplied the finale with an infectiously grander atmosphere with the sumptuously swelling sounds of the 7-piece’s repertoire.
At last, after 26 songs, 2 hours and 15 minutes, the Bruce Springsteen-esque odyssean set concluded at the stoic Alexandra Palace. Rounding off their first of two sold-out shows in North London, it seemed as if the mid-20s, early-30s demographic felt collectively fulfilled at revisiting the music which defined their adolescent years. Whilst parts of Vampire Weekend’s extensive sound inevitably escaped at the hands of the venue’s grandiose stature, this band ultimately showed their current worth with their recently-solidified lineup and slick filming production - visually projecting their seminal sounds of the past 12 years upon each and every crevice of this hall. So could I handle the deep cuts from this band? Apparently not. Yet, could this band handle them? Emphatically, yes (and much more).
7.5/10
Vampire Weekend’s 4th LP, Father of the Bride, is out now and can be found here.
All photos are courtesy of Lloyd Winters, whose work can be found here.