A recent live performance by Vampire Weekend at the Garage in North London as part of their current UK tour was a reminder that not all bands embrace the element of surprise.

Vampire Weekend played through a set that included songs from their 2008 eponymous first release, a massive hit released on the UK-based independent label XL Recordings that sold 28,000 copies in its opening week but has since sold 498,000. Time Magazine named it the fifth best album of 2008 and Rolling Stone included them in their top 100 best albums of the decade (two slots above Danger Mouse’s the Grey Album).

The full blog post, on Vampire Weekend’s tour stops through London, is at the DAILY TELEGRAPH.