Vampire Weekend with guest Dum Dum Girls & Beach House – Malkin Bowl, Stanley Park – August 28, 2010
Malkin Bowl is a diamond within the jewel that is Stanley Park in Vancouver. A small scale version of the Hollywood Bowl, Malkin has hosted a number of great concerts in addition to being home of Theatre Under The Stars. Nestled amongst the trees, there is no where better for an outdoor gig on a nice summer evening!
Three buzzworthy bands came out on this warm August night to entertain a sell out crowd.
Dum Dum Girls started things off in a swirl of dark hair, clothes and makeup. I’d been told and heard many things about this band but didn’t really know what to expect. In spite of their almost goth like appearance they came out sounding like a modern, slightly harder version of the GoGo’s. They didn’t really interact with the audience but then with a short opening set you want to hear what their music is like not the sound of them talking. I can see good things coming from them.
Beach House followed, this very buzzed about band played Vancouver in the early spring but we missed that show due to too many other concerts on the same night (we couldn’t manage to catch three in one night). I know a lot of people came early specifically to catch Beach House. Dream pop is probably the best description of this duos sound. Singer Victoria le Grand has an almost ethereal quality to her voice, perfect for a beautiful outdoor venue.
By the time Beach House finished their set Malin Bowl was truly packed and ready for the headliners, Vampire Weekend.
Having seen them on their first visit to Vancouver supporting their debut album I had high expectations of what I should be seeing…they did not disappoint!
Although they look like they’d be at home on the set of the tv series “Big Bang Theory” they know how to show the crowd a good time! I challenge anyone watching them to not smile and bounce along to their infectious blend of ska/pop/rock. Playing an almost 2 hour set they definitely gave the crowd their money’s worth and were appreciated for it with great feedback as they rolled through hit like Mansard Roof, A-punk, Cousins. Sadly the sun set and the 10pm curfew put an end to the fun evening leaving the crowd looking forward to their return.