Vampire Weekend
Oxford Arts Factory
Saturday 21st November 2009

US band Vampire Weekend have slunk into Sydney town for a quick promo jaunt, part of the global itinerary for their forthcoming second album Contra. Which as it happens, we had a listen to prior to this "secret show" for fan club members, media types and overzealous promoters (we'll get to that soon. We also had a long chat to keyboard player and producer of the new album Rostam Batmanglij prior to the show. Stay tuned for that also). It's an exciting record Contra, not least because it expands on the Vampire Weekend universe by introducing a heightened production nouse, a wider palette of sounds and some almost crazy deviations into house, '80s arena dance and new shades of melancholia, but because it displays a depth not seen on their debut. While still retaining everything that made them so attractive in the first place. Debut follow up = win.

We file in to a comfortably cool Oxford Arts Factory at the reasonable time of 9pm. The only support is a DJ mix and a horde of eager young things pressed agains the front of the stage. The delineation in the crowd seems reasonably clear: Vampire Weekend über fans pressed at the front, wan industry types up the back.

By the time the band take the tiny stage to gleeful screams the place is packed. Frontman Ezra Koenig's looking the part in Oxford shirt with suitably matching shorts, and they launch into the second track from the new record, 'White Sky', a bubbly live tune that the band have actually included in their set for years.

It's interesting to take in the group up close. Koenig's the focus of course, playing the part of snappy school teacher (which he was prior to the band); all sly looks, good diction and sparse but tasteful guitar lines. Bassist Christopher Baio and drummer Chris Tomson are the engine room in the truest sense of the word, working almost in reverse to most other bands; while Tomson deconstructs the rhythm with his chopped singatures and playing the spaces, Baio bubbles around the beat, filling in the gaps and giving subtle movement to the songs. (It's fascinating to remember how sparsely played some of their best songs are: 'I Stand Corrected' from their debut is one of the biggest tunes tonight but Koenig doens't play a note, while Baio hits any cymbal about just 4 times). Keyboardist Batmanglij is, at least physically, the odd man out. He gives colour and pulse to the clattering, plus the odd backing vocal. But as the others mince around on stage wrestling with their instruments Batmanglij hunches nearly motionless, at odds with the excitement being generated but for the odd grin.

(Unbeknownst to us at the time, at this point TheVine photographer - along with another well known Sydney shooter - were unceremoniously manhandled out of the venue by a particular overzealous promoter. Despite having every right and agreement in place prior to the show. With this in mind, take a look at one photographer's recent musings on the subject of ownership, rights and the fading definition of "promotion".)

It's easy to see these kind've gigs be filed away under "promo show" effect. Of course everyone here is going to lose their shit, what with the golden ticket aspect of entry tonight. But it's genuinely exciting how some of Vampire Weekend's seemingly meek sounds blow up live; new tunes 'Cousins' and 'California English' translate boldly, despite (or because of) the latter's intentional Auto Tune effect. The duo of 'One (Blakes Got A New Face)' and 'A-Punk' receive a roar and the whole joint bobs frantically in response. New cut 'Run' is a little tentative, it's abrupt changes not quite jagging together the way they do on record, but 'Oxford Comma', 'Mansard Roof' and 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' pretty much send people to raptures.

The main closes with debut tail-ender 'The Kids Don't Stand A Chance' and of course the place goes spare. It's an exciting time for Vampire Weekend. I never would've picked them to mature so far beyond their debut - while still in tribute to it. But they have and by the time they come back sometime in the new year, when Contra is the firm summer driving album of choice, "buzz band" will be an embarrassingly bygone tag for the service they deserve.

(Pics: Will Reichelt)