Vampires happy in broad daylight at Big Day Out

SOME bands just don't like playing in the middle of the day at festivals.

vampire weekend

SOME bands just don't like playing in the middle of the day at festivals.

You can understand their reticence if they happen to be from Scotland, have red hair, fair skin and freckles and melt into a puddle in thermonuclear summer heat.

Others fear the set time as a measure of their status - the earlier the slot, the less famous/popular/successful you are.

Vampire Weekend can boast a set for all seasons and times, according to frontman Ezra Koenig. And he sympathises with the Scottish bands.

"I do think some music really doesn't work in the day time and when you're a new band, you start out with a 3pm or earlier slot whether your music is going to work then or not," Koenig says.

"We're really happy to get to play at night now more often than not, but we felt really at ease playing earlier daytime slots because it did fit, it wasn't awkward.

"And if you are a band from Scotland you may only experience a handful of summer days, so how are they supposed to prepare for an Australian summer?"

Vampire Weekend have spent much of the past year working on the follow-up to their 2010 US No.1 album (it got to No.2 here) Contra.

While initially aiming to have new music out this year, Koenig says the band were keen to take their time.

And there's the eternal subjectivity dilemma to consider when all four members are music-makers - when is a song finished?

"I would like to think we are close (to finishing) but I feel like it has been almost done for a year," he says, laughing.

The quartet, which also features Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson and Chris Baio, had been writing new songs during soundcheck jam sessions on their never-ending world tour but felt they needed some decompression time when they got home.

"We toured so hard for the first two albums and were so excited to be working on new music but we took it slow at first - we've gone close to 18 months without playing a show," Koenig says.

Vampire Weekend have carved their niche in alternative and festival music circles with an energetic fusion of melodic pop sensibilities and world sounds constructed with ethnic instruments.

For the make-or-break third record they have tried plenty of different approaches to songwriting but embraced more traditional instrumentation.

"I don't want to give too much away about (instruments) - I think there will be a few surprises for people - but some of the songs we got the most excited about for this record came from very simple things, like a great old piano," Koenig says.

SEE Vampire Weekend

VIC: Big Day Out, Flemington Racecourse, January 26, bigdayout.com.au

NSW: Big Day Out, Sydney Showgrounds, January 18, bigdayout.com.au ; The Metro, Sydney on January 23 (sold out)

QLD: Big Day Out, Gold Coast Parklands, January 20, bigdayout.com.au

SA: Big Day Out, Royal Adelaide Showground, January 25, bigdayout.com.au

WA: Big Day Out, Claremont Showground, January 28,  bigdayout.com.au