Gig review: Vampire Weekend at Brixton Academy

It'd be reasonable to assume that by going to see a band for the fourth time, you'd have a general idea of what to expect. Yet everytime I see Vampire Weekend, there is always something new about them that I seem to have completely missed before that makes the performance that little bit better for me.

Tuesday at Brixton was no different. The first surprise came before the band even picked up their instruments, dancing their way on the stage to early 90s dance classic 'Hear the Drummer'; about as far removed from their usual style as if Slash had walked on stage and played Oxford Comma with them. Chandeliers hanging above the stage were resonant of the decadent preppiness that was apparent on their debut release, but set opener White Sky automatically put a dampener on any thoughts that their live set may not have made the transition that their second album demonstrated they had. Launching their African-based beats and Koenig's yelps on the audience from the get-go, the band were evidently pleased to be there and the energy they put into their performance was both endearing and enthralling. Whilst some musicians stand stock still on stage in order to preserve their 'cool' persona, the Vampire Weekend boys refreshingly danced as if nobody was watching, which couldn't have been further from the truth.

Whereas a lot of groups that use additional musicians on their studio recordings will simply play a pre-recorded backing track or ignore this aspect of the song altogether during a live show, it was nice to see Vampire Weekend bring three violinists to accompany them onstage, especially when these instruments play such an integral role in the composition of the music as a whole. There's no doubt about it, the VW boys are wholesomely charming and lead singer Ezra Koenig who has decidely grown in confidence since their last UK tour, certainly uses this to the band's advantage. Encouraging the audience to 'pop their fists' in time to the song if they felt the inclination to do so, and trying to start a sing-a-long certainly makes you feel more involved and as a result you want the entire thing to run smoothly so as not to ruin your night as well as the band's.

Despite the impressive progression the band displayed on their second album, the biggest cheers of the night were reserved for first album classics A-Punk and Oxford Comma; though not even pop-chameleon Madonna can escape her early hits so it's hardly entirely surprising. Whilst bands such as Coldplay and Keane tend to face ridicule for being well educated and well dressed, VW have avoided such animosity by playing along with it. Gracing the stage in boat shoes demonstrates a sense of innocence and mirth that should be admired, and combining this with the fact that other indie bands mixing in tribal beats to their records are currently few and far between, it makes it rather difficult to do anything but be drawn helplessly to their middle class magnetism.

http://www.vampireweekend.com/

Coldplay to keep it comin'?

Coldplay are currently holed up in a secret London studio working on their fifth studio release and the follow-up to the multi-award winning Viva La Vida. Despite claims from band members at the end of their mammoth world tour last September suggesting that although new material might be a work in progress, they clearly stated that was going to be no release date for the forseeable future. Chris Martin has apparently (much to my delight) had somewhat of a U-Turn and today declared in an interview that the new album will be out by Christmas if the band have their way.

However, EMI have already hit back and stated that this is not going to be a possibility. Yet with the severe financial trouble the label currently finds itself in, and the effect that their biggest artist has on their shares (value dropped by 16% after Coldplay delayed the release of their third album) you'd think that they'd be wanting to get the next Coldplay cash cow out as soon as possible. Ultimately, we'll just have to wait and see whether anything is released in ten months time, but with the band seemingly eager to release, EMI would be fools to try and delay.

Gig review - HMV Next Big Thing: Band of Skulls, General Fiasco, Birds of Tokyo

The second of my HMV gigs took me up to the Relentless Garage in Islington for a rather edgier affair than the jovial pop extravaganza I had been treated to at the Borderline a couple of days earlier.

To start the review off in true unprofessional style, I am unable to comment on the first band of the evening Birds of Tokyo, purely because I got too sidetracked by food and the pub prior to the gig starting. However, I will say that there were several people in the venue wearing the band's T-shirts and everyone looked pretty happy when I rocked up after their set had finished, so make of that what you will.

General Fiasco were up next and despite some promising pre-gig listens to their music, their live performance was not quite up to the same level. Kudos to lead singer Owen though, his voice is strong which carries the songs well and this makes the overall sound they produce hard to ignore. The main problem that this eager trio face is the fact that there are currently so many new bands emerging from the woodwork that it's hard for them to distinguish themselves from their woodworm neighbours. General Fiasco's music is appealing and listener friendly, and it certainly doesn't make me want to switch it straight back off, which is always a start. Unfortunately it's also the kind of music I would listen to once and probably discard again until a very rainy day.

Ultimately the evening was completely stolen by headliners Band of Skulls, who were more than worth the ticket fee by themselves. Dominating the crowd with their blues-y rock from the beginning of their opening guitar-led stormer of a track, 'Death By Diamonds', it was blindingly obvious that the trio on stage were there to make one hell of an impression. To say that they succeeded would be somewhat of an understatement; I have not been so impacted by a live performance of a band in a while. Quite reasonably, the band are drawing comparisons to the White Stripes, what with their startlingly similar gritty yet fluctuating guitar riffs, and the lead singer's twangy vocals in particular. Add in to the mix the fact that lead vocal duties are split with a female and some might say the group are London's equivalent of Michigan's finest. Their lyrics are meaningful without being cliched, and the melodies catchy without being annoying. Powering through their set with a raucous intensity, they impressively managed to sustain the watching masses' attentions during songs that clocked in at over five minutes in length. After an hour long set the band departed before returning for a disappointingly modest one song encore, with the enthusiastic crowd reaction demonstrating the fact that they could have easily carried on playing for yet another hour still. If you haven't heard of Band of Skulls yet, I can promise it won't be long before you find yourself basking in their progressive glory and doing yourself a favour by going to see them play live.



www.myspace.com/bandofskulls
www.myspace.com/generalfiasco
www.myspace.com/birdsoftokyo

Gig review - HMV Next Big Thing: Little Comets, Goldhawks, Mirrors

With so many great new bands appearing on the musical radar on a daily basis, it's sometimes hard to keep track of them all or at least get to go and see a large proportion of them performing live. So when HMV announced a series of gigs whereby three new bands each night were showcased over a two week period for the ridiculously cheap price of £10 a ticket, it almost seemed too good to be true. Unsurprisingly still not being able to afford all of the shows, I chose a couple to go to, the first being the night headlined by Little Comets at the Borderline.

Kicking off proceedings was oh-so-serious Brighton band Mirrors, whose sound and general on-stage persona is just as sharp and snappy as their name reflects (pun intended). Furtively describing themselves as 'pop-noir', they closely resemble a super-synthesized take on Joy Division; imagine an electro White Lies and you're at about the right ball park. Not that this is a bad thing; the music is undeniably catchy and despite first appearances they don't rely on gimmicky lyrics or marketing ploys to sustain attention - which is more than some up and coming bands can boast nowadays.

Second on were Goldhawks, a West London quintet who have been causing quite the stir of late and are currently on tour supporting The Courteeners. Already garnering comparisons to American romanticist Bruce Springsteen and fellow heavyweights Echo and the Bunnymen and U2, I shall freely admit that my expectations for these guys were high. Unfortunately, I was left feeling slightly underwhelmed by their overall performance. Their music is incredibly anthemic with guitar riffs and tinkling piano notes building into tumbling crescendos, and on record their sound is impressive and commanding. Yet playing live they seemed unable to transfer this energy that would have packed the punch to make me really want to sit up and listen. Instead, I was left lolling over the sofa at the back of the venue listening to them as if they were background music in a pub.

Rounding out the night were Geordies Little Comets, who brought to the stage a candid northern affability that hasn't been seen in London since the Arctic Monkeys spread their musical wings back in 2005. The band refreshingly proved that they are not about to let any current media hype about themselves go to their heads as they strung up their percussion instruments on a washing line over their heads, and dared to go on stage wearing a dubious combination of stage outfits that between them included a retro style jumper, a lycra Adidas top, trousers tucked into sports socks and a wooly hat. Managing to charm the audience with sheer conviviality of nature and banter before even picking up an instrument is never a bad way to start and the Comets certainly had this sorted. Musically, they possess and radiate a tremendous energy that had everyone dancing within thirty seconds of them stepping onto the stage and launching into debut single 'One Night in October'. Their pop induced riffs and percussion combinations teamed with lead singer Robert's erratically blurted lyrics are distinguished and unforgetable to say the least. Add this to the repetitive nature of their choruses and melodies, and this makes them the kind of band who you can listen to once and easily be able to sing along to, which is markedly part of their appeal. Touted for big things in 2010, it will be the compelling energy and approachability of both their sound and their personalities that hurtles them towards the big league before long.

www.myspace.com/mirrorsmirrorsmirrors
www.myspace.com/goldhawks
www.myspace.com/littlecometsmusic