Vampire Weekend - ULU, London

Vampire Weekend look so sweet. They are utterly confused, puppyish under their shaggy fringes. They were right in the middle of ‘The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance’ and now sound has just been whipped from underneath them, leaving them blinking in silence under the stage lights whilst a woozy klaxon blares and a recorded message advises us all to “please evacuate the building. This is not a test. This is a fire alarm. Please evacuate…”
Outside, the scene is a testament to the band’s knack of evoking sunshine and good feeling. Around 800 people, expelled from the University of London’s Union, jigging in the freezing wind, blocking both the road and the cycle path, and no signs of frayed tempers. One group near the doors starts a terrace chant version of the melody from Vampire Weekend’s current single ‘A-Punk.’ A joke rumour goes round: Paul Simon started a fire, he couldn’t hack the competition from these new appropriators of afro-pop. Someone asks the guy from the NME if he can go in and persuade the band to come out and play acoustic. “It says access all areas!” he protests holding his pass. “It doesn’t say I’m fucking flame retardant!”
Earlier the band, opening with ‘Mansard Roof,’ displayed their fast-becoming-familiar blend of African melody and clean-cut charm. They’re an exceptionally warm band, you turn towards them happily and instinctively in the same way flowers move towards the sun.
They’re not edgy: Vampire Weekend swerve slightly too close to AOR for that, plus their keyboard player Rostam looks like Kevin Arnold. But they do sound fresh – there’s a cleanliness to their sound and to their playing; everything is spot on without being clinical. They hit the right places.
Singer Ezra seems curiously obsessed with sense of place: the words London or New York crop up in every other sentence, he goes on about “good British vibes” checks we know where Boston is (causing a few raised eyebrows) and generally acts as if he’s worried he might be judged and found too American. Really, Ezra, it’s okay! We are quite used to bands from other places.
Post fire alarm he’s chilled out a bit. They play the audience back in with a cover of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’ and follow it with a song so new it has no name. It’s a smart and lilting song which gets people dancing in a way new material never does usually. They close with ‘Oxford Comma’ and ‘Walcott,’ looking pleased that the alarm didn’t kill the buzz.
“Thank you University of London Union, or can I call you You-Loo?” says Ezra flirtatiously referring to the common pronunciation of the acronym ULU. “We have been through adversity together; we have held our heads high. You are my ULU Nation.”
There’s a groan at the terrible pun, but you forgive him. How can you not? They’re so sweet.