Vampire Weekend’s second full-length LP, Contra, sold 124,000 copies in its first week out, capturing the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. Vampire Weekend is only the 12th band on an indie label to win top honors since 1991. The ranking places Vampire Weekend above mainstream sensations like Susan Boyle, Ke$ha, and Lady Gaga.
The quartet’s latest album dropped in the U.S. on January 12. On that same date, Vampire Weekend kicked off their North America/European tour from LA. In ticket pre-sales, 26 of VW’s 50 are already sold out. Scope out upcoming shows, listen to tracks from the new album, and find out more about the band at their website. Check out Creative Loafing's review of the album here.
This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2010.