Vampire Weekend got started in the alt-music scene in the 2000s, and are touring now to support their latest album, “Only God Was Above Us,” their first release since 2019. The touring group, which comprises Ezra Koenig, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio, recently released “Gen-X Cops” and “Capricorn” as new singles.
The band formed in 2006 at Columbia University, with Koenig, Tomson, and Baio as founding members, along with Rostam Batmanglij, who has since left the group. Their first album was 2008’s “Vampire Weekend,” which featured an odd but successful combination of chamber music, Afropop, and Indie pop. The singles “Oxford Comma” and “A-Punk” both charted, and critics hailed the group’s debut effort.
“Contra,” their second album, dropped in 2010 and was similarly acclaimed by both critics and fans. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart in the No. 1 spot. Their next two albums, 2013’s “Modern Vampires of the City” and 2019’s “Father of the Bride” were also successful. A review says:
“Witnessing this incarnation of the band live, the narrative around Vampire Weekend should probably be that they’re a better band than they’ve ever been.”
Vampire Weekend will be in Smale Park on the ICON Festival Stage on September 20. Another indie-rock band, Cults, will open for them. Planning for events like this includes generating publicity, which organizers often do by using poster printing.