Review: Villagers

On occasion, it can pay off to be ambitious. When I decided I was first going to watch Villagers play at Astra Kulturhaus in Friedrichshain, before heading over to the deepest Neukölln to celebrate Doomsday Student at bei Roy, I was not fully convinced myself that this plan was achievable. But all worked out and all for the better.

Conor O'Brien, aka Villagers, has been on my live music wish list for some time. Regrettably, I was not able to attend his last Berlin performance at Festsaal Kreuzberg. With the new album coming out in the new year, determination to see him with the current set raged in me. Which is how I ended up going to a sold out Grizzly Bear gig and not hear a single song of Grizzly Bear. 

Quick review: Austra

Austra played the Melt Weekender at Astra on Friday. Astra always gives me a hard time. Either can't see a thing or I end up in a position where the sound is unbearable. However, tonight I managed to see and sort of hear a good show. I got lucky so to speak.

Austra were never going to be as amazing as they were on New Year's Day. That show was simply too magical. But they definitely gave a convincing performance as always - these kids are pretty professional at it by now. As usual, the crowd loved their dancy dark tunes and sang along and danced. It was swell.

I didn't stay for the headliner Miike Snow simply because I was too tired. But I did wonder whether they managed to keep up the energy that Austra had revved up among the audience. 

Review: Vampire Weekend

First things first: It's uncool to like Vampire Weekend so only uncool people attend a Vampire Weekend show. Astra Kulturhaus is no fun (when you're small). Vampire Weekend have played far too many gigs, festivals and promotional events to possibly still like playing those songs. You may wonder whether this gig ever stood a chance of being good and whether this review can possibly put a positive spin on something so obviously destined to suck.

But there are a lot of buts to this: But uncool people have more fun at gigs. But C-Halle is even worse than Astra. But they are really good at playing those songs.

And this is really the main point that can be made for Vampire Weekend: they play the songs flawlessly and hit the notes every time. They didn't give the impression that they enjoyed themselves doing so particularly and they certainly didn't try to vary the songs live or to add a show or effects. They simply played their songs the way they sound recorded. Normally, this would bore me endlessly. However, because Vampire Weekend are very good songwriters I could just enjoy seeing the band perform these little pieces of musical genius.

Everything else was unnecessary or annoying: a light show that was designed for the Rolling Stones, the audience clapping along as if they had just arrived from Oktoberfest, Astra with its stupid pillars in the wrong places, a ticket price of € 28 (though I didn't pay because I had won my ticket).

But, above all, I really enjoyed myself and I will remain a fan. That makes me uncool.