As their success has grown, Vampire Weekend have certainly not forgotten the supporters that elevated them to where they are today. In the lead up to the release of their second album, they have given away the first single off the LP to fans for free, they have made their entire follow up effort available for streaming on their website and today performed a free gig at Somerset House in London prior to an in-store session tomorrow.
This is the first time the band have officially debuted their second album live in the UK. Gigs a year or so ago in support of their debut release featured a couple of new songs such as White Sky, but even then they seemed to be included to try and ascertain reaction rather than announcing them as definite frontrunners for their next release. With their new tracks featuring a lot more percussion, I was slightly concerned that the vibe this creates on the record overall would be lost in live sets purely because there is no way that the four band members can play their normal instruments plus all these additional pieces of equipment at the same time. Although the lack of on-stage percussion is noticeable, it does not at all affect the overall live experience of these new songs. The band throw as much fervor as they can possibly muster into their performance and this is undeniably reflected in the music; you can't help but be additonally won over by some already storming tracks when the people playing them are so obviously enthralled by the entire affair. Much to the delight of the crowd, the set was comprised of a fairly even mixture of both old and new songs, with latest songs such as Horchata and Holiday holding up well against favourties such as A-Punk and Oxford Comma. They raced through new single Cousins with such vigour you could feel the ripples of subsequent delight reverberate through the crowd, and lead singer Ezra Koenig was nothing but utterly charming with his jittery dances and witty banter during a technical hitch.
Somerset House itself is no stranger to hosting gigs; every summer over a two week period, top name musicians are lined up to play in the courtyard as the sun sets over a throng of music lovers. As much as I wanted this gig to be as good as ones in this series I have been to in the past, it wasn't. However, this was not by any means the bands fault, it was entirely due to the staging of the event. The courtyard is currently home to a rather large ice rink, but instead of setting up a stage in front of this directly next to where the crowd were standing, they placed the band on a balcony over the opposite side of said rink. It may have all been very aesthetically pleasing, but from a performance perspective they may as well have just stuck the lads on the roof. The band were obviously slightly perturbed with the gaping distance left between themselves and the majority of their audience (a lucky few got to be on the ice during the performance) but still did their utmost to interact with the watching crowd and this did not go unnoticed. This was separation anxiety at it's most literal, with the watching masses also distinctly uneasy about being stuck behind such an expanse they were not used to encountering. Despite Koenig's efforts to encourage his audience to sing along, as soon as fans realised they could actually hear themselves and the people next to them singing startlingly clearly over the band and the fairly weak speakers, all form of participation was paralysed and the atmosphere swiftly knocked dead.
I'm not complaining, really. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to see one of my favourite bands not only perform live but for free, and I'm positive the other members of the thousand or so strong crowd were just as appreciative. It's simply a pity that such a good and honorable opportunity was markedly ruined by some rather poor stage design and a giant slab of ice.
(You may not have been at the gig but you can still experience VW's music for yourself without even leaving this page. The ever-generous boys have made it possible for their album to be streamed over other websites as well, so please have a listen below and if you like what you hear then pay their generosity back and buy the album!)
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Band To Watch: Codeine Velvet Club
If someone had said to me a few months ago that I'd be championing a solo effort by Jon Lawler, lead singer of the Fratellis, I'd most likely have laughed. Yet it appears the joke is on me as his new project, Codeine Velvet Club in which he pairs up with silky smooth songstress and by-day burlesque dancer Lou Hickey, is actually rather good.
With a proportion of music over the past year or so being dominated by 80s electronica and synth influences, it was time for someone to try something a bit different. However, I'm pretty sure nobody expected these influences to stem from 1920s swing music, for lead Fratelli to implement them, and for this to actually work. Mark Ronson may think he is a maestro with trumpets, but retro juggernauts Lawler and Hickey are here to show him how it's really done. An interfusion of classic rock and roll with big band instrumentals and sultry lyrics set the scene perfectly and you are easily transported back to a time before voice distorters and effects pedals were even thought of. The star of this old school show is undoubtedly Hickey though, with her lead vocals exquisitely tying up the musical package in an enticingly effortless bow.
Ironically, the one slight criticism I'd have of Lawler's solo effort is occasionally Lawler himself. Singing with Hickey their vocals amalgamate successfully enough, but on an individual basis, his discernible and accented vocal tones sometimes don't quite suit the style of music they are accompanying. Having said that, I think Codeine Velvet Club is a valiant effort for someone usually more closely associated with creating more animated and generally innocuous songs. Fratellis fans have given a mixed reaction to their idol's side project, but if anything they should be embracing it. Any good musician is open to experimentation and Lawler has certainly exhibited that here, presenting his usual listeners with a much more mature sound. Unfortunately, whilst the music is definitely refreshing in the current climate, I feel it is not going to be enough to start a trend. Fratelli followers can sleep safe in the knowledge that the wider ranging audience his other band draws will undoubtedly have him returning to the day job soon enough.
Codeine Velvet Club's debut album is out now on Island Records.
www.myspace.com/codeinevelvetclub
http://www.codeinevelvetclub.com/
With a proportion of music over the past year or so being dominated by 80s electronica and synth influences, it was time for someone to try something a bit different. However, I'm pretty sure nobody expected these influences to stem from 1920s swing music, for lead Fratelli to implement them, and for this to actually work. Mark Ronson may think he is a maestro with trumpets, but retro juggernauts Lawler and Hickey are here to show him how it's really done. An interfusion of classic rock and roll with big band instrumentals and sultry lyrics set the scene perfectly and you are easily transported back to a time before voice distorters and effects pedals were even thought of. The star of this old school show is undoubtedly Hickey though, with her lead vocals exquisitely tying up the musical package in an enticingly effortless bow.
Ironically, the one slight criticism I'd have of Lawler's solo effort is occasionally Lawler himself. Singing with Hickey their vocals amalgamate successfully enough, but on an individual basis, his discernible and accented vocal tones sometimes don't quite suit the style of music they are accompanying. Having said that, I think Codeine Velvet Club is a valiant effort for someone usually more closely associated with creating more animated and generally innocuous songs. Fratellis fans have given a mixed reaction to their idol's side project, but if anything they should be embracing it. Any good musician is open to experimentation and Lawler has certainly exhibited that here, presenting his usual listeners with a much more mature sound. Unfortunately, whilst the music is definitely refreshing in the current climate, I feel it is not going to be enough to start a trend. Fratelli followers can sleep safe in the knowledge that the wider ranging audience his other band draws will undoubtedly have him returning to the day job soon enough.
Codeine Velvet Club's debut album is out now on Island Records.
www.myspace.com/codeinevelvetclub
http://www.codeinevelvetclub.com/
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Band To Watch: Little Comets
It's not many bands that can say they made a name for themselves by performing impromptu mini gigs in university lectures or shopping centres, but it's certainly worked a treat for this jovial indie pop Geordie quartet.
Describing their music as 'something that has no concept of stealth', they seem to have hit the proverbial nail right on the head. Blasting you like a quick flame of indefatigable energy, the sound these boys produce along with the speed at which they've risen to success is ironically resonant of their galactic name.
However, some hefty championing from Radio 1 heavyweights such as Zane Lowe and Huw Stephens never did anyone any harm and as a result their debut single, 'One Night in October' impressively charted at number 3 in the UK Indie sales charts. Their songs are the epitome of catchy, with short verses and repetitive choruses teamed with snippy guitar riffs and recurrent flutters of percussion. Once the lyrics are going round your head you have one hell of a time getting them out and this will most certainly aid them on their path to success; after all, nobody remembers bands who sing forgettable songs.
Despite being hotly tipped for 2010 by all the important people and touted as a band not to miss live, Little Comets have certainly not forgotten their roots. Only a couple of months ago before they embarked on a nationwide tour, security guards were thrown into a frenzy as the band decided to rock out in the middle of Marks and Spencer in Newcastle city centre. Whether you think it ludicrous or impressive, you have to admire a band that continue to put in efforts such as these even after being signed to a major record label. With their debut EP on Columbia Records, 'Adultery' garnering honorable reviews upon it's recent release, it's safe to say that you'll need to check them out at your local Boots store sharpish; because it won't be long until they move on to much bigger and better venues.
www.littlecomets.com
www.myspace.com/littlecometsmusic
Describing their music as 'something that has no concept of stealth', they seem to have hit the proverbial nail right on the head. Blasting you like a quick flame of indefatigable energy, the sound these boys produce along with the speed at which they've risen to success is ironically resonant of their galactic name.
However, some hefty championing from Radio 1 heavyweights such as Zane Lowe and Huw Stephens never did anyone any harm and as a result their debut single, 'One Night in October' impressively charted at number 3 in the UK Indie sales charts. Their songs are the epitome of catchy, with short verses and repetitive choruses teamed with snippy guitar riffs and recurrent flutters of percussion. Once the lyrics are going round your head you have one hell of a time getting them out and this will most certainly aid them on their path to success; after all, nobody remembers bands who sing forgettable songs.
Despite being hotly tipped for 2010 by all the important people and touted as a band not to miss live, Little Comets have certainly not forgotten their roots. Only a couple of months ago before they embarked on a nationwide tour, security guards were thrown into a frenzy as the band decided to rock out in the middle of Marks and Spencer in Newcastle city centre. Whether you think it ludicrous or impressive, you have to admire a band that continue to put in efforts such as these even after being signed to a major record label. With their debut EP on Columbia Records, 'Adultery' garnering honorable reviews upon it's recent release, it's safe to say that you'll need to check them out at your local Boots store sharpish; because it won't be long until they move on to much bigger and better venues.
www.littlecomets.com
www.myspace.com/littlecometsmusic
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Band To Watch: Animal Kingdom
While everyone spent last year raving about Animal Collective's latest offering, some other feral-name inspired musicians were quietly causing a stir and getting ready to pounce. Animal Kingdom, you'll be pleased to hear, are an indie rock quartet from South London rather than something transplanted straight out of Disney's magical world.
Yet the band do actually possess a sense of the magical. Their song Chalk Stars is so beautiful that it transports you to a better place, with a charged simplicity of piano, guitars and xylophone slowly building up into a passionate instrumental crescendo half way through the song. Lead singer Richard Sauberlich has vocals not dissimilar to those soft, high, ethereal tones often associated with Band of Horses or Death Cab, and the heart-searing harmonies are not far removed from Sigur Ros. Whereas many other new bands at the minute try to grab attention with witty/crude/socially depricating lyrics, Animal Kingdom portray such innocence that you can't help but to be pulled to their music if only out of a sense of protection.
Their other tracks possess a slightly edgier sense of the mystical, with heavier guitars and drums playing a more prominent role. The band's distinctive 'other world' sound still remains the focus, and their music videos also reflect the refreshingly unconventional approach they seem to take to their work. But this is just another aspect that makes the band so appealing. They are the breath of fresh air that needs to be injected into the music scene at the minute, just as Radiohead did over a decade ago in amongst a myriad of boy bands, processed pop and incredibly dubious house music. Luckily the house scene is long gone, but in an industry struggling with sales and reinvention, bands with unique approaches such as Animal Kingdom could be just what is needed to help give it a good kick start.
http://www.weareanimalkingdom.com/
www.myspace.com/weareanimalkingdom
Yet the band do actually possess a sense of the magical. Their song Chalk Stars is so beautiful that it transports you to a better place, with a charged simplicity of piano, guitars and xylophone slowly building up into a passionate instrumental crescendo half way through the song. Lead singer Richard Sauberlich has vocals not dissimilar to those soft, high, ethereal tones often associated with Band of Horses or Death Cab, and the heart-searing harmonies are not far removed from Sigur Ros. Whereas many other new bands at the minute try to grab attention with witty/crude/socially depricating lyrics, Animal Kingdom portray such innocence that you can't help but to be pulled to their music if only out of a sense of protection.
Their other tracks possess a slightly edgier sense of the mystical, with heavier guitars and drums playing a more prominent role. The band's distinctive 'other world' sound still remains the focus, and their music videos also reflect the refreshingly unconventional approach they seem to take to their work. But this is just another aspect that makes the band so appealing. They are the breath of fresh air that needs to be injected into the music scene at the minute, just as Radiohead did over a decade ago in amongst a myriad of boy bands, processed pop and incredibly dubious house music. Luckily the house scene is long gone, but in an industry struggling with sales and reinvention, bands with unique approaches such as Animal Kingdom could be just what is needed to help give it a good kick start.
http://www.weareanimalkingdom.com/
www.myspace.com/weareanimalkingdom
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