Vampire Weekend – De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill 05/02/10

“How you doin’ Bexhill?”

It’s probably the least rock and roll phrase ever. Quite why Vampire Weekend (who later confirm that it is “our first time in town”) are playing Bexhill isn’t immediately apparent. That said, it doesn’t stop them putting on a show to remember, turning the masterpiece of modernist architecture that is the De La Warr Pavilion in to a steamy, writhing mess of excitement.

Vancouver’s Fan Death, who hit the stage first, are in an unenviable position- the youthful crowd is unfamiliar with their work, and eager to see their heroes. Such is the life for the support band on a pop tour. Thankfully their mixture of spiky new wave and string driven disco does get a large proportion of the room dancing. Clad in sequin hotpants and glitter, frontwoman Dandi shimmies, bends and high-kicks her way through the set, a constant ball of energy.

As the house lights go down to mark Vampire Weekend’s arrival a scream goes out. Then another, and another. It isn’t just the kids either, although thre are a lot of them in the audience tonight. As the band bounce on stage they share knowing smiles. The black curtain at the back of the stage drops to reveal a giant version of the cover to latest album Contra. Before the curtain fully hits the floor the band have charged in to their set at breakneck speed, the crowd singing every word with them, even with the new material. ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ hits three songs in and the whole of the sunken dance-floor is dancing, arms aloft. Refreshingly there isn’t a mobile phone in sight, just arms waving in the air, the crowd carried along on the surging pop wave, yelling the lyrics along with Koenig, as if trying to attain some kind of communal catharsis. Koening himself has all the right phrases, involves the crowd, and has clearly learnt the power of the “Woooooaaahh” for winning over an audience. This is stadium show slickness in a small venue. Every song here feels like a hit, and the band barely put a foot wrong. The band channel Dick Dale, Reggaeton, the groove of The Mahotella Queens, chamber harpsichord and more than a little Talking Heads as they romp through their set, everyone in the room, band and audience, seeming to be having the time of their lives. “Our shirts are changing colour. That means we must be having a good time, right? Well let’s keep dancing” suggests Koenig before breaking in to ‘A-Punk’. From the front row to the back of the balcony, it seems like everyone in the venue does just that.

“This is a pretty historic and beautiful building we’re in right now. This ones for all the architecture geeks.” Koenig announces as he introduces ‘Mansard Roof’. When he later compares the quiet seaside town of Bexhill to Cape Cod later in the set, the location no longer seems strange, it seems perfect. And boy do Vampire Weekend bring the party.