Vampire Weekend

Ezra Koenig (guitar/vocals), Rostam Batmanglij (keyboards), Christopher Tomson (drums), and Chris Baio (bass) first met while studying at the prestigious Columbia University in the Manhattan, New York. During this period Koenig and Tomson recorded a series of singles in the "comedy rap" duo L'Homme Run, but it was after teaming up with Batmanglij and Baio at the start of 2006 that they began to make waves as the inelegantly named Vampire Weekend. Borrowing freely from Afro-pop and with more than a passing reference to Paul Simon's 1986 masterpiece Graceland, the quartet quickly built up a live following and an Internet presence. With demand for a physical product growing, they released a self-pressed EP and the soukous-inspired 7-inch single "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" at the end of the year. Their album debut, released via XL Recordings at the start of 2007, was a delight, marrying African rhythms, ska and indie pop and revealing a lyrical wit and sophistication that placed them streets ahead of their contemporaries on the US independent scene.