Suffice to say it was odd to head inside and hear a playlist of five songs – including Modeselektor’s Blue Clouds, D’Angelo’s Devil’s Pie (!) plus some southern rap – on repeat throughout the intervals. It’s not often I feel old at gigs, yet here I was with my shirt and my tie and my beard.
Support came from Syd Arthur, whose generally accessible, occasionally psychedelic rock captured the attention of the crowd in small bursts. Their set stumbled through the atmosphere of chatter and unintelligible vocals (“What’s your name?!” was heard between songs after a mumbling introduction). I couldn’t help but feel they were made to be a support band. Still, as their final song came to an end, they had gained the approval of The Troxy and I found myself wanting to hear a little more.
After the five-song playlist tried for another few minutes of fame, the headliners walked out on stage to an excited and eager audience, swinging straight into things with the lead Contra single, Cousins. Four familiar songs in, they opt to play new songs Diane Young and Step back to back. Fans have had enough time to get acquainted with the lyrics and after the former, Ezra quips that it’s the first time they’ve played that song properly. I’m not so sure about that – he doesn’t seem too into interacting with the crowd personally, and the most we get is Rostam instructing us to sing along to the chorus of Horchata.
It all seems a little too rehearsed however I was sure to feel that, having watched their Steve Buscemi-directed performance at the Rosalind less than a week prior. The comments (such as Ezra simply stating ‘Do what you want’ before diving into A-Punk) were the same and the set-list was identical. The latter is not really a problem in my eyes, as I’m thoroughly convinced Vampire Weekend can play the songs they want in whatever order they like and everyone will still know all the words.
Despite the deja-vu feel, the show was filled with genuine fun. Bassist Chris Baio was shaking at least one leg the entire time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d managed to impregnate his instrument by the end of it. When Rostam was free from his keyboard duties and backup vocals, he was able to whirlwind off with his guitar and thankfully these two translated the energy of their music well. It wasn’t crucial as the audience were happily energised for the most part and took a breather during the new songs. Energised a little too much at times, as shirtless moshing at a Vampire Weekend show is perhaps a bit of a mismatch.
When Giving up the Gun drew to a close, Baio threw his pick at an unsuspecting woman and the band walked off stage. For the encore, they drew out another song from the new album – called Obvious Bicycle of course - which continued the trend of tunes from the third album going down well, then tracks such as One (Blake’s Got a New Face) and Walcott for a resounding finish. The gig was sincere and innocent Summer-time fun and the clear, crisp sound of their music made for great listening – never a given thing during live performances. I know I’m not the only one who left the venue light-footed and light-headed in a daze of sunshine despite the night-time.
This is apparently the best photo I could manage
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