Credit: wicked halo
Live
Vampire Weekend
EartH, London
March 21 2019
Words: Izzy Butler
They kick off the long set with the five-minute, upbeat piano groover ‘Harmony Hall’, its big refrain ringing to the rafters and setting the crowd off born the night. Frontman Ezra Koenig tells the room that they're “just getting back into the swing of things” as they carry on through fan favourites like the catchy 'Unbelievers' where they acknowledge that "the world is a cold, cold place to be", and 'White Sky', from their second album 'Contra', before coming up to date with another off the 2019 album, 'Sunflower', where the dual bass and guitar rule supreme, garnished with Brian Robert Jones' electric solo. The band have described the song as the "sibling of 'Flower Moon" - another new track, but not included tonight.
Both the album version of ‘2021’ is heard, followed by a piano rendition of the future-lookng number, with the latter rendering Koenig's voice to be manipulated on the chorus to an artificial cackle. The six song encore is led by the balladesque 'Big Blue', which makes its official live debut here. (It was first performed at a Lollapalooza after party in Chicago last August as an untitled new song.)
Three audience requests, the quickfire 'Finger Back', a woozy 'Everlasting Arms' and 'M79', from their 2008 debut album, follow, with a finale of their two emotive, artistic and confrontational songs, 'Worship You' and 'Ya Hey'. These bring to an end the close to two hour set that shows Vampire Weekend have lost none of their power to hold an audience, nor any of their creative aplomb.
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