Vampire Weekend have been derided as preppy imperialists trading in African culture – but appearances can be deceiving. Paul Lester meets the New York quartet in California. Vampire Weekend are being mobbed in California. By teenage girls. In a skate park normally frequented by crystal meth addicts. What makes this so unexpected is that Vampire Weekend are not a band you would associate with California, teenage girls, skate parks or crystal meth. In fact, they stand for a completely opposite set of values: as cerebral New Yorkers, as rejecters of rock cliche, as combiners of bright pop melodies and African rhythms, as writers of songs exploring ideas about architecture and grammar, class difference and social status. The band have just played a gig showcasing tracks from their imminent second album, Contra, on a chilly evening in a town called Lake Elsinore, about an hour and a half outside LA. Instead of retreating to the hut that serves as their dressing room, they have chosen to
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