My time in London in early December was given another bonus when the great TV On The Radio announced a three night run in Islington. The seminal New York band had sort of been on hiatus but there was a frenzy when they announced shows in New York, Los Angeles and London. It worked out perfectly for me that I was able to snare a ticket for their third show in London. So, on a Thursday night I ventured along to a small and intimate venue in the beautiful suburb of Islington for a spectacular night of music. The night was a great reminder of just how great this band are. Trust me, they have lost nothing at all. It felt like a night of celebration and great joy. They tore through a great selection of their catalogue, providing much joy and happiness to the lucky few that were there. Hopefully there will be more shows in 2025 and who knows, maybe new music.

Set List
Young Liars
Golden Age
Dreams
Halfway Home
Love Dog
Could You
Wolf Like Me
Repetition
Province
DLZ
Dancing Choose
Satellite

Ambulance

Trouble
Staring at the Sun

Vampire Weekend are just a very special group. I’ve been very fortunate to see them a few times over the years and they are consistently great. I made long term plans to be in the U.K. and London in December and when I saw they were playing shows I quickly bought a ticket. I was even more excited as their new album in ‘Only God Was Above Us’ is my favourite album of 2024. So on a Tuesday night I ventured to Brixton to see them play at the historic Brixton Academy. As expected it was a great show. They played plenty from their latest album and naturally they all sounded great. The band now consists of the three original members, but live they flesh the band out to eight for a full and rich sound. For a band with such a rich and varied catalogue set lists are just nominally great. My absolute favourites of the night were ‘White Sky’ and ‘Diane Young’. But honestly it was all great. The band also have a new tradition on this tour of taking requests in the encore. But not their songs. It’s all a bit chaotic but also a lot of fun. The night ended perfectly when they finally closed with one of their own in ‘Ya Hey’. I love this band so much and it was pure pleasure to see them yet again. 

Set List
Oxford Comma
Campus
Boston (Ladies of Cambridge)
Ice Cream Piano
Classical 
Connect
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
White Sky
This Life
Sympathy
New Dorp New York
Pravda
How Long?
Capricorn
Gen-X Cops
Diane Young
A-Punk
Prep-School Gangsters
Obvious Bicycle
Mary Boone
Harmony Hall
Hope

Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Jealous Guy (John Lennon cover)
Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits cover)
The Boys Are Back in Town (Thin Lizzy cover)
Guns of Brixton (The Clash cover)
Both Sides, Now (Joni Mitchell cover)
Dancing in the Moonlight (Toploader cover)
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? (Rod Stewart cover)
The Israelites (Desmond Dekker cover)
Big Shot (Billy Joel cover)
Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler cover)
Twist and Shout (The Top Notes cover)
La Bamba
Worship You
Ya Hey