I was lucky enough to get a ticket for this gig the other day, and the line up looked too good to be true. In fact, it was too good to be true as Laura Marling was forced to pull out at the last minute. This may have been due to the adverse weather conditions, or some impromptu illness; I don’t know. Disapointing as it was, it was still an entertaining bill as it was and the chance to see two very different American bands in the faded grandeur of the Alexandra Palace.
Ratatat were, quite obviously, up first and proved an able and enjoyable support act. Their own unique brand of hip hop and electro beats with electric guitar, live drums and other assorted instruments proved perplexing to some of the crowd but most people seemed to enter into the spirit of things. Despite there only being two members, the pair make for an engaging live act, with the head-banging and shredding of guitarist, Mike Stroud, being particularly impressive. To go along with the music, the set up included some hilarious visuals featuring Abba, Arnie in Predator, a wildcat and lots of cockatiels; not to mention two state-of-the-art projectors showing a strings section and more creatures.
After the duo left the stage and some time past, it became evident that Laura Marling was not going to play and the room quickly filled up. Mothers jostled with pre-pubescent children, scenesters, loud teens and middle-aged men of all nationalities. This bizarre mix just highlights the universal appeal of Vampire Weekend and their platinum-selling, meteoric rise. After entering to a blare of hip hop, the band played an immaculate set, incorporating almost every song they have ever recorded. The charisma of lead singer, Ezra Koenig, was never in question, nor the musicianship of the other members, or even the quality of the material. But with just two studio albums to their name, there was no element of surprise in what they were going to play, as the 1h 15m set is around the length of both of their albums. That said, despite not possessing the madcap stage presence of Ratatat or other ‘heavier’ bands, there is no doubting their charm. After the finale song of the encore, ‘Walcott’, the other 6,500 certainly thought so.
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